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Anora Otto

Mr. Salminen

Unit E04

12/6/2016

House Cats

Its a sunny afternoon, a kitten bounds through the grass after a butterfly. The grass sways

back and forth as the kitten chases after the butterfly. House cats are fascinating and cuddly

creatures that are raised by people from all around the world. Youll soon discover the secret

world of cats!

Together, lets explore the history of a house cat! Cats have been pets for thousands and

thousands of years! Did you know that 4,500 years ago, ancient Egyptians worshipped cats? The

ancient Egyptians used cats as hunters. Cats kept rats and mice from eating their grain. The

house cat came to being because the ancient Egyptians domesticated or tamed cats 3,500 years

ago. In the middle ages, or the dark ages, many Europeans feared cats because cats were linked

with witches. To this day, some people still think that black cats are unlucky! In addition to the

long history of a house cat, it is also important to learn about the birth and growing up process of

a house cat.

Its interesting to learn the process of a house cat, or Felis Catus, the scientific name,

giving birth and growing up. This process is very important because it is like a cats whole entire

life, and humans love kittens! The life process of a house cat begins with birth. A female cat

starts mating. Two months after mating, she gives birth to a litter of kittens. The kitten has no
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teeth, ears lie flat, and eyes are closed when he/she is born. The full development of a kitten,

takes about one year. A female cat may have 2 to 3 litters a year. The average amount of kittens

born in a litter is 4, but there may be up to as many as seven or eight. A newborn kitten is about 3

inches long. The average age a cat lives to is 15 years old. One cat year equals five human years.

Then the whole process is copied over and over again. In addition to the very interesting life of a

house cat, it is also very important to learn the instincts, behavior, and interesting facts, of a

house cat, so you dont make a cat unhappy and get scratched!

Its fascinating to learn the behavior, instincts, and interesting facts of a house cat. The

instincts of a house cat are things that cats have been doing for thousands of years, while the

behavior and interesting facts mostly depend on the cat. Cats express their emotions with

movement, or their position. An upright tail, not bristled, means: I am satisfied with life. Tail

curved with a moving tip means: Im slightly annoyed. Tail whipping back and forth means:

back off! Upright tail, fully bristled, fur standing on an end means: Attack! Cats also make

sounds like, yowling, hissing, growling, or purring. Only the house cat makes a sound called

purr. Cats clean their fur with their rough tongue. A house cats triangular ears turn quickly

toward the source of the sound, as cats have better hearing than dogs. House cats are nocturnal.

They usually sleep 2/3rds of everyday. Cats spend 1/3rd of their awake hours cleaning themselves.

Some cats live with humans, and some cats are feral/stray. Domesticated cats are in the same

family as lions, tigers, pumas, cheetahs, jaguars, and leopards. A group of cats is called a

clowder. In the United States, there are actually more pet cats than pet dogs. There is a saying

that cats have nine lives. Cats can only sweat through their paws. Cats can easily entertain

themselves with store or homemade toys. A cat cant climb head first down a tree because its
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claws are all facing the same way! Finally, these are the instincts, behavior, and interesting facts

of a house cat.

In conclusion, the history of a house cat, the process of a house cat giving birth and

growing up, and the behavior, instincts, and interesting facts of a house cat, are all part of, the

secret world of house cats!