Think thoroughly before adopting a cat. They say that cats have nine lives. Well, that is a myth! Because cats are independent by nature and tend to look after themselves, they often escape difficult, even potentially lethal, situations.
We, therefore, as owners, tend to be less protective of our feline wards. And for that very reason they often get into all sorts of trouble – not lastly with some unkind and uncaring citizens, who treat curious adventurous hungry cats with great brutality.
Feline adventurousness
The young of most mammalian species want to “discover” the world. Kittens and adult cats love to roam, especially the males. And this is the main reason for arising problems. You may recall that I have written advising that cats are house animals. Well, while this is basically true, they do go venturing outdoors from time to time. There danger lurks.
Feline instinct
Sometimes, cats’ natural behavioural patterns can get them into trouble. I recall a ranch cat at our holding in the Rupununi who instinctively scratched the guest house’s furniture. The manager felt that the best way to stop this practice was to soak the cat’s tail in kerosene, and light it afire; and then boast how the fleeing, screeching cat lit up the savannahs. Needless to say, that manager did not remain in our employ.
Climbing trees
I suppose cats instinctively like to climb trees. Perhaps the lizards or birds attract them and awaken their dormant and pristine passion. Whatever the cause, cats often find themselves in trees, and then they cannot descend. Young cats panic and begin to cry. The owners, in turn, get frantic, and would even try to climb the tree in an attempt to save the cat (big mistake, one can injure oneself).
The cat, sensing the anxiety, itself becomes nervous and may even lose its footing and injure itself on branches as it engages in a free-fall. All of this is absolutely unnecessary. If a cat, or even if the most pathetically crying kitten, gets stuck in a tree, my advice to you is not to play Tarzan. You and the tree may end up with broken limbs. Simply leave the blessed cat/kitten alone. Restrain yourself from calling the fire brigade. I know it sounds harsh to say that what goes up must come down. But, in a nutshell, that is my sentiment exactly. In my 53 years as a veterinarian, practising on four continents, I have yet to experience ( or even hear) that a cat died of starvation in a tree. The cat will come down eventually and luring him/her with food may help. What I do know, however, is that the more the owner becomes excited, the more nervous the tree-bound cat becomes, and the more likely it is to fall.
(As an aside, I should mention that cats generally do fall on their feet, as the legend educates us. They do have a built-in mechanism. Not lastly involving the tail. Which allows them to land on their feet. However, if the distance of the fall is large enough, the force of gravity will be so great as to break legs, hips, spine, etc. Instruct your children with enquiring minds not to throw “Felix” out of the window to see whether he will land on his feet.)
Roaming at night
Every morning, the streets of Guyana are littered with dead cats. Feline diseases probably do not kill most cats here in Guyana. Motorists, in all likelihood, do. Even well-fed cats love to roam and ‘hunt’ at night – part of the same unconscious, inherent instinct that I referred to above. Unfortunately, the bright light emanating from an oncoming vehicle tends to mesmerise the helpless victim and cause the cat to ‘freeze’ on the spot. Crunch. End of story. Try, therefore, to keep your cats indoors at night.
Feline inquisitiveness
You have heard the adage that has come down to us through the centuries, “Curiosity kills the cat.” Well, it proves that the ‘old’ people had wisdom, and that empirical observation – without deep scientific research-based knowledge, also has great value.
The cat’s interest in its surroundings propels it, uninhibitedly, to pry and to explore, and in so doing the cat becomes very vulnerable to physical insult, from uncaring humans, as from other animals protecting their territory from unwelcomed intrusion.
It is for the reasons stated above, and because of those other considerations documented last week, that we must be prepared to be our cat’s protector always, notwithstanding the fact that cats seem to want us to think that they are independent and can fend for themselves. That may be true when compared with the dependence exhibited by other domesticated species; but, believe me, a cat as a pet needs constant attention and protection, even if it does not overtly exhibit this need.
