The cat ("Felis catus") is one of the oldest pets known to mankind. Even way back in 2000 BC, the ancient Egyptians kept cats as pets. Early on, cats were kept as household animals because they are good hunters and could therefore help their owners to protect grain stores from rats and mice.
These days, people tend to have cats for company and companionship. Every cat is unique. Each have their own character, and they are very independent. In addition to providing company, cats are relatively easy to keep: you don't have to let them out (as long as you have a cat flap!) and they don't mind being on their own for a while. Cats can give you a lot of affection; they enjoy human contact and will show their affection by purring and rubbing their head against you.
If you decide to get a cat, you need to be well prepared to take care of it. In order to keep a cat healthy and happy, it is necessary to provide for its basic needs of shelter and nutrition as well as pay attention to its behaviour and appearance. This is very important so that you can recognise when your cat is unwell and may require veterinary treatment. Veterinary care is an aspect people often don't think about when getting a cat. You may visit the vet a few times during the first year so that your kitten can be vaccinated, but what should you do after that?
- Care & your vet
- Interesting facts about cats
- Most popular names for cats
- How old is your cat in human years?
Care & your vet
Just like people, cats can become ill or suffer from medical conditions, obviously your vet is the first port of call to give veterinary care. You and your pet may benefit from a check up at least once a year (just like you may go to the dentist or doctor), to ensure that there are no underlying problems that could affect your cats' health and also to receive advice about enhancing your cats' health by preventing diseases and parasites such as fleas.
Interesting facts about cats:
- The oldest tame cat lived around 9500 years ago in Cyprus.
- Cats are so flexible that they can twist their bodies during a fall and land on their paws.
- The hair in cat fur is on average around 2.5 cm long and grows between 0.25 and 0.3 mm per day.
- Cats can distinguish between certain colours, such as red, blue, green and yellow.
- A cat sleeps on average 16 hours per day.
- There are 250 bones in a cat's skeleton.
- Although most cats dislike water, they are able to swim.
- A cat weighs between 2.5 and 9 kg.
- There are 40 types of pedigree cats that are bred by professional breeders.
Most popular names for cats
Tigger
Oscar
Charlie
Max
Harry
How old is your cat in human years?
| Cat years | Human years |
| 1 month | 5 to 6 months |
| 2 months | 9 to 10 months |
| 3 months | 2 to 3 years |
| 4 months | 5 to 6 years |
| 5 months | 8 to 9 years |
| 6 months | 14 years |
| 7 months | 15 years |
| 8 months | 16 years |
| 1 year | 18 years |
| 2 years | 25 years |
| 3 years | 30 years |
| 4 years | 35 years |
| 5 years | 38 to 40 years |
| 6 years | 42 to 44 years |
| 7 years | 45 years |
| 8 years | 48 years |
| 9 years | 55 years |
| 10 years | 60 years |
| 11 years | 62 years |
| 12 years | 65 years |
| 13 years | 68 years |
| 14 years | 72 years |
| 15 years | 74 years |
| 16 years | 76 years |
| 17 years | 78 years |
| 18 years | 80 years |
