Cat Stresses

Some common causes of stress in cats are:

The introduction of a new cat, dog or person to
the household.
The loss of a companion cat, dog or person.
A move to a new home.
Construction activity in or near the home.
A stay in a cattery while an owner is away (or
even a cat's return home after a stay in a
cattery).

Contacts for advice and information

Broken Hill City Council

PO Box 448
BROKEN HILL NSW 2880
Animal Control Officer - 0409 717 944
Environmental Services - (08) 8080 3340
Broken Hill City Council - (08) 8080 3300
OTHER BROCHURES IN THE CAT SERIES
CATEGORY I
1. Origins of the Cat
2. Cat Owners Responsibilities
3. Having Kittens

A change in the owner's routine (for example,

an owner returns to a school or job after being
home for the summer).

ANIMAL CONTROL
SERVICES

A change in diet. Many cats would rather eat

the same food each day than be "treated" to
new tastes and textures in their diet.

Kitty Trivia & Hints

The average outdoor only cat has a lifespan of
about three years. Indoor only cats can live
sixteen years and longer.
Whiskers are very sensitive, even to small
changes in air currents. A cat has four rows on
each side of its face. The upper two rows can
move independently of the bottom two rows.
Cats purr at about 26 cycles per second, the
same frequency as an idling diesel engine.
Cats roll on their backs to show affection. They
expose their bellies like this only when they feel
totally secure.
When a cat rubs against your legs, it is showing
affection and also putting its personal scent on
you.

This brochure has been developed in the interests of

community education, health and safety as part of a
nationwide project promoting responsible pet ownership.
All brochures are numbered and cross-referenced, with
corresponding brochures indicated by number (eg, 5)
after a particular topic.

Origins of the
Cat

History of the Domestic Cat

Cats have always been a source of fascination for
mankind throughout history. Today cats have become
one of the world's most popular pets perfectly suited to
the lifestyle of our day. They are beautiful, enigmatic and
easy-to-care for pets. But where and when did the
domestic cat originate? This page will give you some
insight into this question.
It has been about 4000 years since the first cats were
domesticated. The Ancient Egyptians were the first to
keep and use cats to control vermin and other pests to
protect stores of food. In Ancient Egypt, the cat was
revered as a hunter and worshiped as gods and
goddesses. The ancient Egyptians imposed the death
penalty for killing cats and cats were also mummified
before being buried.
Other ancient civilisations later began to domesticate the
cat and took tame felines to Italy where they slowly
spread around Europe. Eventually, they arrived in the
New World with the Pilgrims. The shorthaired domestic
cat spread across the world from Egypt while longhaired
cats came later from Turkey and Iran. The domestic cat
also spread from India to China and Japan.
Except for a short period of persecution in the Middle
Ages when cats were associated with the devil, by the
eighteenth century cats had become popular household
pets world wide.
The wild cats of today such as Lions and Tigers
descended from early carnivores called miacids. From
there the modern wild cat developed into three main
types; the European wild cat, the African wild cat and the
Asiatic desert cat. The domestic cat is thought to have
evolved from the African wild cat because of its tabby
markings.
Domestic cats today still take many characteristics from
their wild ancestors. The arresting eyes, body shape,
feeding and grooming habits are the same along with the

ability to pounce into action at any given moment. It is

this link that makes the domestic cat so fascinating around
the world.
The non-pedigree domestic cat, the Moggie is the most
popular house pet today with the black and white Moggie
being the most popular followed by the black cat followed
by the Tabby cat. There are also 36 recognised breeds of
pedigree cats around the world with the Siamese cat being
the most popular. Most homes today that keep pets have at
least one cat in residence.

Did you know

A healthy cat has a temperature between 38 and 39

degrees Celsius.
Cats have the largest eyes of any mammal.
The female cat reaches sexual maturity at around 6
to 10 months and the male cat between 9 and 12
months.
A female cat will be pregnant for approximately 9
weeks or between 62 and 65 days from conception
to delivery.
The average litter of kittens is between 2 - 6 kittens.

It has been scientifically proven that owning cats

is good for our health and can decrease the
occurrence of high blood pressure and other
illnesses.
Stroking a cat can help to relieve stress and the feel
of a purring cat on your lap conveys a strong sense
of security and comfort.
The ancient Egyptians were the first civilisation
to realise the cat's potential as a vermin hunter and
tamed cats to protect the corn supplies on which
their lives depended.
Sir Isaac Newton is not only credited with the laws
of gravity but is also credited with inventing the cat
flap.
A cat has more bones than a human being; humans
have 206 and the cat has 230 bones.
A cat's hearing is much more sensitive than humans
and dogs.
The cat's tail is used to maintain balance.
Cats see six times better in the dark and at night
than humans.
Cats eat grass to aid their digestion and to help them
get rid of any fur in their stomachs.

Ailurophile is the word cat lovers are officially called.

Purring does not always indicate that a cat is happy.
Cats will also purr loudly when they are distressed or
in pain.
All cats need taurine in their diet to avoid blindness.
Cats must also have fat in their diet as they are unable to produce it on their own.
Most households have more cats kept as pets than
dogs. At least 35% of households with cats have 2 or
more cats.
About 37% of homes today have at least 1 cat.
Milk can give some cats diarrhoea.
On average, a cat will sleep for 16 hours a day.