Lesley OMara - Cats miscellany : everything you always wanted to know about our feline friends

CATS
MISCELLANY

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED
TO KNOW ABOUT OUR FELINE FRIENDS

Lesley OMara

Skyhorse Publishing

Copyright 2011 by Lesley OMara

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

O'Mara, Lesley.

Cats miscellany : everything you always wanted to know about cats / Lesley O'Mara.
p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-61608-356-4 (alk. paper)
1.CatsMiscellanea. 2. CatsAnecdotes. I. Title.
SF445.5.O435 2011
636.8--dc23

2011015239

Printed in China

CONTENTS

A merican writer Cleveland Amory said it best when he noted, As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows, cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the human kind. Sleek and beautiful, cute and cuddly, temperamental and vivaciousno creature is as fascinating as the cat.

No one knows where the domesticated cat first appeared, but cats have been tolerating co-habitation with their fur-challenged primates for at least 4,000 years. Weve been struggling to understand them ever since.

Since the dawn of civilization felines have been portrayed in cultures across the globe as both the best of friends and the worst of enemies. Those who would hiss and scratch are also those who would purr and snuggle against your side. Those who can hunt with such deadly purpose can also lie in a sun beam for hours on end (good luck to anyone who has ever tried to move a sleeping cat). While weve been living with and loving these playful pets, weve painted pictures, sung songs, written books, and generally done everything we can to try to capture the elusive magic of these beloved creatures.

This book is a celebration of all things cat and kitten, feline and furry (not excluding of course, those lovable hairless breeds). Within these pages youll find advice, anecdotes, and even a bit of playful purring. We may never be able to fully understand these wonderful creatures, but maybe we can satisfy a bit of your own cat curiosity.

1) Cats are always interested in whatever you are interested in.

2) Cats never criticize.

3) Cats dont mind what you watch on TV.

4) Cats never need a babysitter.

5) You never have to get up at 2 am to feed a cat.

6) Cats dont talk back.

7) Its easy to make dinner for a cat.

8) Cats dont need to be walked.

9) Cats dont run up huge telephone bills.

10) Cats dont mind if you call them silly names.

The smallest feline is a masterpiece.

Leonardo da Vinci

There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life:
music and cats.

Albert Schweitzer

Time spent with cats is never wasted.

Colette

The cat has too much spirit to have no heart.

Ernest Menaul

No Heaven will not ever Heaven be unless my cats
are there to welcome me.

Anonymous

I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little,
they become its visible soul.

Jean Cocteau

There are no ordinary cats.

Colette

Never underestimate the power of a purr.

Anonymous

N o one knows exactly when or how the cat first appeared on earth. Most agree, however, that the cats most ancient ancestor was almost certainly a weasel-like animal called Miacis, which lived between forty and fifty million years ago. Miacis is believed by many to be the common ancestor of all land-dwelling carnivores, dogs as well as cats. But evidence suggests that the first cat appeared millions of years before the first dog.

Perhaps best known of the prehistoric cats is Smilodon, the saber-toothed cat sometimes called a saber-toothed tiger. This formidable animal hunted throughout much of the world but became extinct long ago.

Way down deep, were all motivated by the same urges.
Cats have the courage to live by them.

Jim Davis

Cats are a mysterious kind of folk. There is more passing in
their minds than we are aware of.

Sir Walter Scott

Kittens are born with their eyes shut. They open them in about days,
take a look around, then close them again for the better part of their lives.

Stephen Baker

A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays,
and for the last three he stays.

An American and English proverb

The cat is, above all things, a dramatist.

Margaret Benson

Children and cats in Venice learn to swim almost as soon as they learn to walk.

Joan Aiken

Every waking moment was precious to her; in it she would find something
useful to doand if she ran out of material and couldnt find
anything else to do she would have kittens.