As was to be expected, our “curious” cat-loving readers made contact with us, requesting comments on the acquisition/adoption of cats as companion animals. As we are well aware, the world is divided into “dog” people and “cat” people. And, of course, there are those who love both species equally. Cat-lovers tend to express their preference with great forcefulness!!
The answer to the demand for comments on cat adoption is simple: Follow, with common sense, those appropriate pieces of advice given about puppies/dogs which appeared over the last few weeks in the “PET CARE” column.
You must think carefully before adopting a cat. You often hear the phrase that “cats have nine lives”. Well, that is a myth! Cats are independent by nature, and tend to look after themselves. They often escape difficult, even potentially lethal, situations. Perhaps that is why cat caregivers tend to be less protective of our feline wards. Their innate behaviour is often the very reason why cats 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 young adult cats – especially males – love to roam. And this is the main reason why problems arise. You may recall that I have written advising that cats are house animals. Well, while this is basically true, cats do venture outdoors from time to time – where danger lurks!
Feline instinct
Sometimes the natural behavioural patterns of cats may be difficult for you to contend with, especially if the furniture and appliances in your home are affected. I often refer to the story of a ranch cat in our Rupununi who instinctively scratched the furniture in the guest house. The manager felt 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 seem to be unable to 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 self).
The cat, sensing the caregiver’s 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 that cat/kitten alone. Restrain yourself from calling the Fire Service. I know it sounds harsh to say that what goes up must come down, but, in a nutshell, that is my sentiment exactly towards tree-bound cats.
In my 54 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. 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 the legs, hips, spine, etc., when the animal arrives on the ground. [Instruct your children, with enquiring minds of their own, not to throw “Felix” out of the window just 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 inherent instinct that I referred to above. Unfortunately, the bright lights emanating from an oncoming vehicle tend 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, and from other animals protecting their territory from unwelcome 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.
Finally, allow me to share with you something I read recently: Whereas a dog looks upon its human caregiver as a bi-pedal God, cats consider humans to be, well, simply cats; and inferior ones at that.
