Cats
Media
Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People
- Title
- Cats
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1939
- Subject
- Cats
- Cat breeds
- Cat behavior
- Rights
-
- Abstract
- [This article shows the different characteristics and breeds of cat.]
- Fulltext
- 206 THE YOUNG CITIZEN lune, 1939 Cats THE next time you play with your pet cat examine her carefully and learn some things in elementary science. N C?tice especially her large, roundish head, the long slender body, the rather short but muscular legs, and the long, tapering, graceful tail. Examine her feet ·and see how they are shod with soft pads so that her footsteps cannot be heard. Do not overlook her sharp, strong claws, which may be drawn back so as to be out of sight and not easily felt. You may also notice that your cat can extend her claws whenever she wishes to do so, in order to use them in catching and holding her prey. Then examine your cat's eyes. The shape of the pupils of her eyes is elliptical, that is, curving, but not in the form of a circle. In bright sunlight, the pupils of the cat's eyes are narrow slits, but when it is dark they are large to admit more light. This enables her to see at night when she does most of her hunting. The long, stiff hairs on either side of the cat's nose are commonly called whiskers. Really, they are feelers and are very useful to the cat. Without them she could not hunt her prey in the dark. They give her warning if there is anything in her path. The senses of sight, touch, and hearing are very well developed in the cat. Her ears arc so sensitive that she can hear the creeping of a mouse at a distance of many yards. All cats are good climbers. They all prefer to hunt at night: They like to creep upon their prey, or lie in wait and spring upon it unawares. This is true of all cat-like animals. (Please turn to page 220.) 220 CATS (Continued from page 206) Scientists do not agree on the question of the origin of domestic cats. The earliest records on the subject are found in Egypt. We know that Egyptian cats were tame more than 31 000 years ago. · The ancient Egyptians regarded the cat with superstitious awe, and treated it. as a member of their families. When a cat died in ancient Egypt, it was embalmed and buried l\ke ~ human being, and the members of the family Went into mourning. In ancient Egypt if any one purposely killed a cat, he was punished by death. The mummies of cats are often found among the ruins of ancient Egypt.. The bodies have been well preserved for centuries. The cat was seldom, if at all, kept by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and until long after the Christian era, cats were not common in some parts of Europe. The early Christians associated cats with witches, and the devil was often depicted in the form of a black cat. Superstitions about cats survive among many peoples even in civilized countries. The domestic cat will eat many kinds of food, but prefers meat or fish. Sometimes a cat will aetU.ally catch a fish, but usually it does not like to get wet. I ts fur is easily injured by water, because there is no oil in the hair. The cat is a good companion and is liked almost as well as the dog. It is a pretty, graceful animal. It is very cleanly and does not like to step in any kind of filth.. It always keeps its fur neat and clean. Cats like to be petted, and with gentle treatment a cat becomes greatly attached to its keeper, disTHE YOUNG CITIZEN playing its affection in many ways. Cats are very intelligent animals, and are useful in destroying rats and mice. They have the bad habit, however, of destroying birds. The cats that we commonly see and own today ar~ divided into two general classes, the shorthaired and the long-haired species. The various kinds of short-haired cats differ chiefly in their colors. The "long-haired cats came originally from Asia, and the best known varieties are Angora and Persian cats. They are closely related. The Angora cat comes from. the province of Angora in Western Asia. Many owners of a long-haired cat cannot tell· whether it is an Angora or a Persian. The head and body of a Persian cat are usually larger than the head and body of the Angora. Everyone knows, of course, that kittens are blind when they are born, and are quite helpless. It is bad for thetn to be handled until they are old enough to walk.· Cats should not be kept ·in the house too much. They need fresh air, and grass and other green things that they find growing form part of their necessary diet. • Cats are very independent by nature, and do not like to obey; when they do they take their own time about it. It is much harder to . teach them tricks than dogs. A curious cat comes from the Isle of Man, an island located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. This . is the Manx cat which is always born without a tail. It is shown in illustration No. I on page 206. Illustration No. 2 is the picture of a shaded silver Persian cat. No. 3 is ·a "smoked" Persian. No. 4 is a blue lune, 1939 DOGS (Continued from page 208) Greyhounds are often used as racing dogs. Another graceful runner is the ·beautiful Russian wolf-hound, which alSo is tall and thin, and is noted fo his won-' derfully silky coat-usually white with tan markings. Such a dog is a very valuable aaimil. The affectionate setter, with his plumy tail and long silky coat, is also useful in setting birds. There are many other kinds of dogs used in hunting, such. as the foxhound, the beagle, and the pointer. The rat terrier is useful in killing rats. A single rat terrier was once let loose in a room where a hundred rats had been collected. .Like a streak of lightning he worked, and in seven minutes had killed every one of them. Each was killed with one hasty bite. There are many different breeds C?"f dogs, but whatever the breed, the dog is a smart, plucky playfellow and protector. In the illustration on page 207 tCn different kinds of dogs are shown. The list includes some of the breeds best known. No. I in the illustration is a picture of" the smart little dog known as a fox terrier. No. 2 is a Newfoundland dog. No. 3 is a Scotch terrier. No. 4 is a Scotch collie. No. 5 is a bulldog. No. 6 is a setter. No. 7 is a mastiff. No. 8 is a Russian wolf-hound. No. 9 is a bloodhound. No. 10 is a greyhound.-Adapted. Persian. No .. 5 is a Siamese cat. No. 6 is the common domestic cat. No. 7 is an orange Persian. No. 8 is a chinchilla. No. 9 is a black Persian. No. 10 is a long-haired Angora.-A dapted.
- pages
- 206, 220