Cats: The Hunters that Charms us all.

This photo is taken from a good friend of mine who was kind enough to share her kitty's "portfolio" with me. http://www.wretch.cc/album/album.php?id=yiling9999&book=2


For those who have seen the Shrek's movies, we will know there's an adorable kitty with a sword, a hat with a feather and a pair of boots and goes by the name of "Puss". Although cats can be skillful hunters, like their other relatives, but they tend to sleep up to 12~16 hours, much like their other relatives as well.

Domestic cats, no matter their breed, are all members of one species. Felis catus has had a very long relationship with humans. The Ancient Egyptians may have first domesticated cats as early as 4,000 years ago, if you have seen the movie called "The Mummy", you'll now that they even considered cats as their guardian of the dead! Of course, with plenty of rodents, such as rats and mice, probably also the main reason why the wild felines were drawn to human communities. The cats' skill in killing the rodents may have first earned the affectionate attention of humans. Like I said before, the Ancient Egyptians loved the cats to the extend that they worshiped a cat as their goddess and even mummified their beloved pets for their journey to the next world—accompanied by mummified mice! Cultures around the world later adopted cats as their own companions.

Like their wild relatives, domestic cats are natural hunters able to stalk prey and pounce with sharp claws and teeth. They are particularly effective at night, when their light-reflecting eyes allow them to see better than much of their prey. Cats also enjoy acute hearing. All cats are nimble and agile, and their long tails aid their outstanding balance.

Cats are actually quite communicative, they spread their messages around by marking trees, fence posts, or furniture with their claws or even their natural waste, such as urine, I'm so sure, so please don't take my word for it, but maybe even feces, that's poo in simple word. These scent posts are meant to inform others of a cat's home range. House cats employ a vocal repertoire that extends from a purr to a screech.

Domestic cats are still carnivorous, which means they meat eaters, no matter how tame we might think we have tamed them, and they have evolved a simple gut appropriate for raw meat. They also retain the rough tongue that can help them clean every last morsel from an animal bone (and groom themselves). Their diets vary with the whims of humans, however, and can be supplemented by the cat's own hunting successes.