Musings

Isn’t every day a Cat Day?

Suzanne

If I happened to be a cat writing this, I would argue that every day is Cat Day and not just one day during August.  So, there you have it, how could I not celebrate a quaint egotistical view on life while pretending to be a cat.

As it’s all about cats, here are a few facts.

Stranger than fiction

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In 1963, the first French cat went into space, it survived!

The group of words associated with a cat (catt, cath, chat, Katze) stem from the Latin catus, meaning domestic cat, as opposed to feles, or wild cat.

There are more cat owners than dog owners, 3 to 1.

When a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would mourn by shaving off their eyebrows. They also held elaborate funerals during which they drank wine and beat their breasts. The cat was embalmed with a sculpted wooden mask, and the tiny mummy was placed in the family tomb or in a pet cemetery with little mummies of mice.

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A cat’s brain is biologically more similar to humans than it is to a dog’s. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their minds that are responsible for emotions. Check out more what-cats-are-made-of 

The cat who holds the record for the most prolonged non-fatal fall is Andy. He fell from the 16th floor of an apartment building (about 200 ft/.06 km) and survived.  You can now stop worrying about your cat when it climbs up a tree!

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A lovely spot to enjoy a morning cuppa, with  Possum! [UPDATE, the gorgeous Possum, is still enjoying life in the Cotswolds]
The wealthiest cat is Blackie who was left £15 million by his owner, Ben Rea.  Now there’s an idea!

Cats are susceptible to vibrations. Cats are said to detect earthquake tremors 10 or 15 minutes before humans can.

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Obviously, Charlie here in Turkey is a heavy sleeper due to not waking during an earthquake. [UPDATE: Charlie and his sister are now in living in the UK, and slowly getting used to snow]

As we are now living back in New Zealand, I will include my parents’ feline companion.  His name is “Rocky”.  He has many endearing qualities, and one that stands out is his ability to keep out of Mum’s way as she manoeuvres her wheelchair around his domain.  If he is feeling a lack of energy, it is not unknown for him to catch a ride with Mum as she makes her way to other parts of the house.

Rocky

Sometimes it is not only the extraordinary more the ordinary things they do that we love about them.  Like  David, the cat [UPDATE, is no longer living in France he’s now happily living back in the UK] who sat and stared for half an hour watching a program on wild cats!  We did wonder how much of the program he was processing!

David watching TV

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At the end of the day, cats are fascinating creatures that the majority of us love and with whom we share our lives, homes and reluctantly our beds.

 

Published by Suzanne

Travel and Life Musings from New Zealand and Beyond. . . . . . .

51 thoughts on “Isn’t every day a Cat Day?”

  4. Perfect way to celebrate cats! Are you missing their company, now that you’re not house sitting anymore? I would have missed dogs, if we hadn’t adopted Maya. I always used to have cats, before traveling extensively and meeting Mark, who is allergic to them.

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    1. Yes, I remember you telling me that Mark was allergic to them. A dog is easier for your lifestyle, cats like routine more from my experience. Sometimes we miss our four-legged furry friends, then we go and visit someone who has one and soon lose the urge.

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  5. This is FASCINATING!! The brain thing has my brain really engaged – I would never have guessed. And the eyebrows! Loved this post even though I am a catless home these many years since my darling Boost died and I vowed I would never have another. However, since the dogs are clearly so inept at keeping rodents out of the woodwork on the strength of the scritchy scratchy noises we’ve been hearing in the basement and the evidence of the manic burrowing and chucking out of insulation by the garage doors (which The Brains fixed in a frenzy) we might be in the market for a new moggy …. watch this space 🐈

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    1. I will keep watching your space Osyth. They are great for catching those elusive rodents; I just hate it when they bring their beheaded victims to me and then have the cheek to want a reward.

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    1. Oh I love cocker spaniels and we had one many years ago, though I had left home before it made it’s appearance. Trampus was always literally slinking in across the kitchen floor to pinch the cats food. It was hilarious to watch his face when he was caught 🙂

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  12. I’m a big fan of cats. We’ve decided to to have any pets right now but when we decide not to travel anymore, I’m headed to the local humane society! Or, maybe I can volunteer to care for Blackie. I’ll make sure his money is put to good use! David is gorgeous! Our family had several siamese cats when I was growing up.

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    1. Hiya Janis, we were brought up with cats and it wasn’t until I left home that the family got a dog. Good on you if you can volunteer at a centre for animals. I am not sure I could, heartbreaking though someone has to do the work. We can’t have a pet which suits us as over the years both of us have had quite a few. Now we can just enjoy others, sort of like being a grandparent 🙂

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  13. I’m definitely a cat person and so miss our fur-babies who both died (at a ripe old age) a couple of years ago. I would love another, but I was developing an allergy to their hair/dander, so I haven’t … yet!

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    1. Yes, I think I am a cat person though I love dogs. We decided a while back that we wouldn’t get another pet and now we haven’t here, we can’t now as no pets are allowed. I can still enjoy other peoples 🙂 Isn’t it weird how so many of us are developing allergies as I can’t recall many kids my age with them. Can you?

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      1. I agree with you about allergies. I had none at all until about 10 years ago. Now pollen, moulds, dust, cats — all sorts of things set me off. I suspect that there are so many toxic things around us our immune systems are over-worked and it doesn’t take much more to trigger them.

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  14. Pingback: Want to be a housesitter? – Global Housesitter x2

  15. Our little man used to watch those animal cops shows on TV, and he’d get very invested in the welfare of those poor critters so I’d say they can absorb quite a lot! (I had to stop leaving Animal Planet on for him after the episode where they cleared out a hoarder’s house; he was just too upset about all the dead animals, poor luv.)

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    1. That’s great that you were aware of your boy’s sensitive nature, and also he is aware of others. Big step for a small child! Animal cruelty is terrible and people who do that no doubt treat humans just as badly!! Thanks for commenting 🙂

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  16. I love cats. Unfortunately my little girl is allergic to cats and my husband ain’t a fan! However my 23 yr old daughter has the most amazing big fat fluffy cat who I get to cuddle – when she’s feeling sociable. She’s quite snobby really and gets her own way all the time! Aw…..kittens are fabulous and so much fun! Don’t get me started! 😁

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  17. My old moggie means the world to me. He can be a grumpy thing at times but also very affectionate. He’s been with me through some difficult times, and I’m pretty certain he understood I was struggling as he became a lot more attentive. Evety day should be cat day! 😀

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    1. I do think animals are sensitive to their owners moods. I do enjoy cats as they do not put up with shite and will in no uncertain terms let you know they disapprove 🙂 We have looked after a few over the years, and, at the moment we have 4 in Portugal!

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  19. Happy International Cat Day! I like cats as well, but my husband doesn’t. And, he is allergic to them, so no cats while we are house sitting. I’ll give our current dog a hug instead. 🙂 Interesting post!

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  20. Well, this is obviously one of our favorite holidays 😉 I love the picture of David watching his kin on TV, our cats were never inclined (though Chloe would try to get at our popcorn on movie nights!). Looking forward to celebrating the holiday with all our fellow cat lovers 🙂

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