The House Cat - Domesticated Animal - Pet

The house cat is a mammal in the feline family. The felines are very good hunters thanks to their patience. They stalk their prey, watch it carefully until the time is right when they pounce on it for the kill.

The house cate is a predator like the other felines but being smaller it hunts primarily mice, moles and other small rodents.

The cat was surely domesticated by the Egyptians, sculptures and paintings of the cat are found in their most ancient architecture.

The house cat is very useful to man by eliminating rodents, such as mice and rats, which have adapted well to living alongside humans but steal their food, eat through their walls and bring parasites into the household.

The domestic cat survives primarily on food that is purchased form stores or pet shops. It hunts like the other felines but the big cats hunting or scavaging is their sole source of food. A domesticated cat, returned to the wild, will quickly adapt to its new life and easily find food in most areas. The one exception would be those that have been declawed as it is their primary means of defense.

The  cat's claws retract when not in use, are curved and pointed so as to easily catch prey or to climb a tree. The cat's fur varies from species to species in length and color but is generally very smooth the touch.

The cat is easily assimilated to most lifestyles as it is clean and loses it's hair regularly so it does not look unkempt. Most households use a litter box in which the cat is trained to go to the bathroom. The cat buries its excrement and the cat litter is formulated to absorb the liquids and much of the accompanying odors.

There are many different species of cats; Siamese, Persian, Angora, etc. and many can be quite expensive. Purebread cats require documentation that demonstrates that it's family tree is all from the one species.

The male is called the tom cat and is often more independent than the female. The offspring are called kittens. The kittens like to play but as it gets older it becomes more nonchalant and spends much of it's time at rest or asleep.

The domesticated cat which goes outside can possibly get fleas or ticks which are parasitic insects. There are flea and tick collars for cats to protect against them, there also shampoos and dips which protect it against such parasites. Toys are good for the cat so that it has fun and practices using it's claws, these are available in pet stores.

Cats are mostly affectionate and enjoy being petted. It meows to get attention and purrs when it is happy, particularly when being petted. It is important to feed your cat the proper food so that it doesn't become obese. Because the house cat is much less active than it would be in nature it is important to feed it only the correct cat food so that it remains in good health.

The lifespan of the cat can be more than 15 years if it is healthy and treated well.