(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
4 Odd Cat Sleeping Habits Explained
“There are many feline behaviors that baffle us — but their odd sleeping habits might take the cake...We’ve got answers to your most pressing questions about your kitty’s mysterious snoozing patterns below.
Why Do Cats Sleep All Day?Cats are champion snoozers — they usually sleep anywhere from 10 to 16 hours a day. Biologists chalk this up to... their protein-rich diet, which requires lots of periods of rest to aid digestion, & their crepuscular predatory pattern (cats usually hunt twice a day: dawn & dusk)...
Why Do Cats Sleep on Us?...We’d like to think our cats sleep on us out of love & comfort, but that may not necessarily be the case. Veterinarian Dr. Mary Fuller has a few theories about feline snuggling patterns: They may be seeking warmth, or it could be that they love our smell & feel safe & content when they are near it. It’s also possible that cats may release oxytocin (the feel-good love hormone) when in contact with their owners — & finally, maybe they really do snuggle with us out of love...
Why Do Cats Like to Sleep in Small Boxes & Tiny Spaces?
Your cat could sleep anywhere...so why does she choose a shoe box, sink or cubbyhole? None of those tiny spaces seem particularly comfortable...Small spaces tend to be safer than large ones; in the wild, cats need to be stealthy, & smaller spaces may be better hiding spots; & small spaces are usually warmer & cozier.
Why Do Cat Snore?
While it’s not as common in cats as it is in dogs, snoring is usually caused by a partial obstruction to the upper airway. For the most part, it’s not something you need to worry about... Flat-faced breeds like Persians & Himalayans are prone to brachycephalic syndrome & may have respiratory issues. In fact, you might hear these breeds breathing loudly while they’re awake.”
Laura Cross
April 1/2016
care2.com
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Feature:
Why Does My Cat…Like to Sit in High Places?
“In order to survive in the wild, animals are constantly learning how best to adapt to their environment. When animals are domesticated, many of these survival traits persist as behaviors...
One thing many cat owners have noticed is that their felines often seem to gravitate toward higher perches...
Height Equals Safety...it’s important to understand that cats are both predator & prey. They are predators to smaller prey, such as rabbits, rodents, & birds, to name a few. However, they are also themselves prey to larger predators, such as owls & eagles from the air & from coyotes on the ground. Staying in higher places was most likely a behavior that...was associated with an increased probability of survival. Staying in a high location provided a cat with a better vantage point to spot prey & predator alike...Cats can also sleep in higher places with decreased risk of getting hunted or surprised... Therefore, over time, cats that exhibited this tendency to sit in higher places were more likely to survive & pass along this behavior.
Give Me Some Space
Adult cats also use their climbing ability to avoid potentially confrontational interactions with other members of their own species... Your cat most likely wants to keep an eye on her environment & increase the likelihood that she will not be disturbed. Some cats...have learned to stay on top of the refrigerator because it is an area of low traffic but high visibility & it can be warm. In certain cases, it may also be a safe place for frightened cats to hide or get away if a safe, low place is not available. Even when she is no longer scared, your cat may learn to associate that high place... with safety, peace & comfort &, she may prefer to go there..."
Dr. Wailani Sung
Vetstreet.com
March 11/2016
care2.com
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
5 Odd Cat Behaviors Explained
“Cats are wonderful creatures, but... some of their habits can be baffling to us humans. Thankfully, animal behaviorists & other experts have theories & explanations for many of their mysterious habits.
To help you better understand your feline friend, we’ve got the scoop on 5 cat behaviors some people consider odd...
Pees on Your Bed...When a cat urinates anywhere besides her litterbox, you should take her to the vet to rule out medical problems, like a bladder infection...If a medical problem is not the culprit, the issue could be anxiety related. Perhaps your cat doesn’t like the location or size (or cleanliness) of the litterbox, or she could be having a social issue with a pet or family member...
Pounces on You
...Pouncing on you is usually normal behavior, & it’s something many cats do for play or attention...If your cat’s pouncing increases in frequency or intensity...have your cat examined by your veterinarian to rule out any underlying health problems that may be contributing to the behavior.
Blinks Slowly at You
Has your cat ever looked at you, slowly blinked then looked away? ...She’s probably telling you she likes you & is comfortable being around you. In the animal world, direct eye contact is often perceived as a threat or challenge...So when a cat slowly blinks at you, she could also be communicating that she’s doesn’t feel threatened by you.
Hates Water
The theory that all cats hate water is actually a myth...there are many who don’t seem to mind it, & even a few breeds that are known for tolerating it...the Turkish Van is famous for her swimming abilities...
Grooms Excessively
Cats can spend anywhere from 15-50% of their time grooming themselves...Your cat’s tongue & saliva help remove debris off fur, it can help your cat regulate her body temperature, & it can be a self-soothing behavior... it can also be a displacement behavior used when your cat feels nervous or uncomfortable...”
Meredith Hooker Williams
Vetstreet.com
Feb. 25/2016
care2.com
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
*This blog was created in honor of my late grandmother. April 14th would've been Nan's 100th birthday & because she devoted that last part of her life to caring for her cats this month's Critter
Corner is devoted to our feline companions. Happy Cat Month!
Feature:
Facts About Cats & Women
“What is it about cats & women? Why are there “cat ladies” but not “hamster ladies”? Why do so many women seem to gravitate towards cats? The crazy-cat-lady stereotype aside...I know many more women than men who have a special bond with their cats...
A new study supports the idea that a special relationship exists between women & cats. To be published in the journal Behavioral Processes, the study explains how researchers observed the interactions between 41 cats & their human families; the scientists noted all behaviors of both cats & humans, & also assessed their personalities as well as their influence over one another. While many people might consider cats to be aloof, self-serving prima donnas, the study concludes otherwise...they found that cats forge true attachment to their owners...
The researchers witnessed a mutual social interaction in which both cats & people signaled to each other when they wanted to give or receive affection.
Cats keep track of how their needs are being met. They were more likely to respond to owners’ needs, if their owners had previously responded to theirs.
Cats seem to remember kindness & return favors later. If owners grant their feline’s wishes to interact, then the cat will often reply to the owner’s wishes later...
While men got along with their cats, researchers saw more interactions between women & their animals, finding that cats were more likely to approach women than men & to do things like jump on their laps to initiate contact. Study author Manuela Wedl of the University of Vienna told Discovery News that women’s relationships with their cats were “more intense...”
Melissa Breyer
care2.com
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April 9/2012
(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Help Your Dog Slim Down
“For the last 2 decades, veterinarians have expressed concern that the canine pet population is becoming increasingly obese.
...obese dogs are at a greater risk of premature death & a range of diseases, such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, & cancer
...veterinarians strongly advise a combination of diet & exercise changes for dogs that need to lose weight...
However, owners who have been stared at wantonly by a hungry dog can appreciate how limiting a dog’s food intake is easier said than done...
...a study of more than 300 pet dogs...reported that, regardless of how motivated owners were to help their dogs lose weight, some dogs were simply greedier & more likely to be obese than others.
...the researchers found a significant breed effect in this greedy versus fussy trait. Gun dogs, which include Labrador retrievers, were the group most highly motivated by food, Coming a close second, third, & fourth were hounds, crossbreeds, & toy breeds. Conversely, the breeds noted to be the fussiest eaters, & subsequently the least likely to be obese, included terriers, pastoral dogs (eg. shepherds & herding dogs), working dogs (eg. boxers & huskies), & utility dogs (eg. Dalmatian, poodles, & spitz breeds).
...The researchers also found that owners of greedy dogs needed to be extra diligent to prevent stealing food & snacking between meals in order to prevent their dogs from becoming obese.
Fraser Davidson, a veterinarian at Vancouver’s Acadia Veterinary Clinic, recommends additional strategies to help dogs reach their weight-loss goals...
‘Diets that are high in fibre are great because they help the dog to feel full without the extra calories...
...home-cooked & raw diets can also be made lower calorie by supplementing them with extra fibre from sources such as canned pumpkin & Metamucil.
High-carb, high-fat treats are a common culprit for causing excessive weight gain in dogs...
‘Try to avoid giving dogs bread & crackers or anything with hidden calories in the form of white flour & refined sugars. Instead, you can buy low-calorie training treats... or if your pet likes it, go veggie, try offering your pet small pieces of carrot or apple as a training reward instead.’
...'If the dog is getting a good amount of exercise & the right amount of food & still not losing weight, then the dog should probably have its thyroid hormones checked. A dog that is hypothyroid will find it difficult to lose weight until its hormone levels are balanced.’ said Davidson.”
Dr. Rebecca Ledger
VANCOUVER SUN
in The Montreal Gazette
Nov. 14/2015
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Casper (April 4/2009)
(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Selfie monkey can’t own copyrights of his famous snaps
“SAN FRANCISCO- A macaque monkey who took now-famous selfie photographs cannot be declared the copyright owner of the photos, a federal judge said...
U.S. District Judge William Orrick said... that “while Congress & the president can extend the protection of law to animals as well as humans, there is no indication that they did so in the Copyright Act.”
The lawsuit...sought a court order allowing PETA to represent the monkey & let it to administer all proceeds from the photos for the benefit of the monkey, which it identified as 6-year-old Naruto, & other crested macaques living in a reserve on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
The photos were taken during a 2011 trip to Sulawesi with an unattended camera owned by British nature photographer David Slater, who asked the court to dismiss the case...
PETA sued Slater & his... self-publishing company Blurb, which published a book called “Wildlife Personalities” that includes the “monkey selfie” photos.
The photos have been widely distributed elsewhere by outlets, including Wikipedia, which contend that no one owns the copyright to the images because they were taken by an animal, not a person.
Slater described himself as a nature photographer who is deeply concerned about animal welfare...”
Associated Press
nypost.com
January 7, 2016
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
DNA Reveals Dogs Have Been Human Companions For Over 30,000 Years
“‘The domestic dog represents one of the most beautiful genetic sculptures shaped by nature & man.’
...This sentence comes from a fascinating study published... in the journal Cell Research, in which scientists from China, Canada, Finland, Singapore, Sweden, & the U.S. set out to trace the origin & evolution of the domestic dog.
Scientists have believed for a while in a 2-stage process; in the first stage, primitive dogs emerged from their wild ancestors, grey wolves. The idea was that the wolves began to hang around humans, perhaps because they found food nearby. Then, as they stayed with people, they became tamer, & started performing tasks like hunting & guarding. It was over a very long time... that the wolves became the first dogs. In the second stage, these primitive dogs were further selected into many different dog breeds...
This group of scientists...set out to unearth more specific details about how the domesticated dog evolved. To do this, they used the whole genome sequences, or complete sets of DNA, from 58 canids: 12 grey wolves, 27 primitive dogs from Asia & Africa, & a collection of 19 diverse breeds from across the world.
They found that dogs from south-east Asia have a much higher genetic diversity than all other populations of dogs, & relate most directly to grey wolves, & from this they deduced that domestic dogs originated in south-east Asia around 33,000 years ago, beginning with the grey wolf...
‘After evolving for several thousand years in east Asia, a subgroup of dogs radiated out of southern East Asia about 15,000 years ago to the Middle East, Africa as well as Europe. One of these out-of-Asia lineages then migrated back to northern China & made a series of admixtures with endemic east Asian lineages.’
...here’s the family tree of your pooch: about 33,000 years ago, his distant ancestor, the grey wolf, first made friends with a human. Jumping forward, about 15,000 years ago, a small group of domesticated dogs, descended from grey wolves, left home & headed for the Middle East & Africa. They made it to Europe about 10,000 years ago. And when humans first came to the Americas, they are thought to have brought dogs with them.
With the added twist that it’s possible some of the dogs trotted all the way back to China, & began interbreeding there...”
Judy M.
Dec. 21/2015
care2.com
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