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CHAPTER

Cats

8

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History of the Cat

• Descended from dog ancestor Miacis• General timeline

– First feline cat: ~35 million years ago– Modern cats: ~7 million years ago– Domestication: ~4,000 years ago

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History of Cats • When humans were predominantly hunters, dogs were

of great use, and thus were domesticated long before cats.

• Cats, on the other hand, only became useful to people when we began to settle down, till the earth and—crucially—store surplus crops. – With grain stores came mice.– Cats began to wander into towns.– The cats were delighted by the abundance of prey in

the storehouses; people were delighted by the pest control.

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History of Cat

• Cats today came from African Wild Cat

• Roughly 38 species of cats today

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General Cat Classifications

• Three genuses– Roaring cats (Panthera)– Nonroaring cats (Felis)– Cheetah (Acinonyx)

• Two major groups of domesticated cats– Shorthaired– Longhaired

• One miscellaneous domesticated group– Semi-longhaired and either shorthaired or longhaired

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Shorthaired Cat Breeds (A–J)

• Abyssinian• American Shorthair• American Wirehair• Bombay Breed• Burmese• British Shorthair• Chartreux

• Colorpoint• Cornish Rex• Devon Rex• Egyptian Mau• Exotic Shorthair• Havana Brown• Japanese Bobtail

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Shorthaired Cat Breeds (K–Z)

• Korat• Malayan• Manx• Ocicat• Oriental Shorthair• Russian Blue

• Scottish Fold• Siamese• Singapura• Snowshoe Breed• Sphynx• Tonkinese

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Longhaired Cat Breeds

• Balinese and Javanese• Birman• Cymric• Himalayan and Kashmir• Maine Coon

• Norwegian Forest Cat• Persian Breed• Ragdoll• Somali• Turkish Angora

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Miscellaneous Cat Breeds

• American Curl• Turkish Van• LaPerm• Selkirk Rex• Siberian

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Methods of Cat Feeding

• Dietary makeup– Cats need almost twice as much protein as dogs

(30 to 40 percent)– Fats should make up ~10 percent

• Food sources– Animals are best protein source– Commercial foods are best—No dog food

• Food amount– Driven by cat’s age, weight, breed, condition,

and activity level– Frequent feedings for kittens and pregnant females

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Methods of Cat Exercise and Training

• Amount of exercise varies according to cat’s breed and environment

• Toys and play equipment are sources of exercise

• Cats should be trained to litter box and scratching post as kittens

• Trick training is similar to that for dogs

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Methods of Cat Grooming and Care

• Grooming benefits all cats– Longhaired cats should have daily care– Hand grooming usually enough for shorthairs

• Cat baths should begin at 4 months• Other checks during regular grooming

– Ears for mites– Eyes for infection– Teeth and gums for soreness– Claws for trimming

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Infectious Cat Diseases

• Feline panleukopenia• Feline herpesvirus (FHV) and

feline calicivirus (FCV)• Feline rhinotracheitis (PVR)• Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)• Feline leukemia virus (FeLV)• Feline pneumonitis• Rabies

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Noninfectious Cat Diseases

• Feline urologic syndrome (FUS)• Wet eyes

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Internal Cat Parasites

• Toxoplasmosis• Ascarids and hookworms• Tapeworms

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External Cat Parasites

• Lice• Mites• Feline scabies• Other external parasites

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Cat Fungal Diseases and Poisonings

• Similar to those for dogs• Fungal diseases

– Ringworm– Systemic fungal infections

• Poisonings– Insecticides– Plants– Household chemicals– Herbicides– Medications– Metal poisonings– Antifreeze