Killer Cats

Someone who knew cats once said, “The cat was made so that we might caress the tiger.”  There is still something gloriously wild about cats; they’re animals that still largely do as they please.  They are mysterious, graceful and almost universally beautiful.  Cats are unique, and those who fail at cat “ownership” generally do so by expecting them to be dogs.  Even the most pampered Persians are born killers.  They are designed to kill, much like a Great White Shark.

There are a lot of reasons for the cat owner to keep this in mind, the first being dietary considerations.  Fluffy is an obligate carnivore, meaning that grains have NO place in a healthy feline diet.  Check the ingredients of your cat food.  If ANY corn is in your kibble, look for a new food.  Greens are a different story, as cats process those for liquids and vitamins.

The cat’s status as predator also shows up in various behavioral traits.  If you’ve ever petted a happy, purring cat only to have her turn around and bite you for no reason, you’ve experienced petting aggression.  This stems from the fact that adult cats in a group rarely touch, and natural hunters have an amazing ability to process sensory input.  Petting a cat too long overloads her nervous system and triggers a reaction.

A wonderful product of having an in-home predator is the chance to watch them play.  As they practice hunting skills, cats show us all sorts of entertaining leaps, pounces and grabs.  One of the most interesting of these is what’s called “the midnight crazies”, where a cat runs all over the house at breakneck speed, stopping briefly to scan wildly for “prey.”  Since most wild cats hunt in the evening, this, too, is probably instinctive.  It’s also hilarious.

So the next time kitty proudly deposits a dead bird at your feet, remember that it’s a gift and behave accordingly.  Having a cat is an opportunity to see Nature at its best, and to have a little of the wild in your daily life.  How cool is that? J