The domesticated cat has spread to nearly every continent and is one of the most popular pets worldwide. However, there are many people who do not like cats and would never consider letting a cat share their home for several different reasons. Although some people simply don’t enjoy animals, many prefer dogs over cats because of few liabilities that cats have, such as shedding, clawing furniture and carpet. The following questions and answers provide some information that can make cats easier to live with, explain some of their bothersome behaviors and how to remedy them, as well as how they purr and land on their feet, and the typical lifespan of a cat.

How did the housecat originate?

Cats were first kept as pets about 4,000 years ago be the Egyptians. They kept them to hunt down mice and other pests that threatened food stores. The Egyptians respected cats for their intelligence and hunting skills, and even worshipped them as gods. In Egypt, at this time, the penalty for killing a cat was death. Since then, domesticated cats have spread all across the world. It is thought that the introduction of cats to Italy ultimately caused them to be distributed across the world. Since this time, many different breeds of domestic cat have been developed and continue to be developed.

Why does my cat shed all the time?

Cats shed their fur as a way of adjusting to their living conditions. Outdoor cats tend to put on a thick coat in the fall as winter sets in, and then shed the extra fur in the spring when it begins to get warmer. Outdoor cats shed in this manner because their brain can sense how much sunlight they are exposed to and use this to gauge how much fur they need to stay warm or cool for the season. Indoor cats, on the other hand, have very little exposure to natural lighting and the artificial lighting inside home does not register the same to the part of their brain that controls shedding. Because the cat’s brain senses an imbalance, they grow and shed hair continually, unlike an outdoor cat.

What are the risks of declawing?

The biggest medical risk of declawing a cat is the possibility of infection. It is easy for cats to develop an infection after being declawed because the open wound left by the procedure is in constantly in contact with the floor, and worst of all, its litter box. During this time period the litter box must be changed frequently to avoid infection, especially since a severe infection can necessitate amputation. Other opponents of declawing claim that the procedure can change the cat’s personality in older cats and cause cats to bite excessively. However, many cats are declawed each year without any exceptional incident.

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