Research work “My favorite cat”

History of domestication

Cats were not always domestic cats. From the steppes of northern Africa, they were brought to their homeland and tamed by the inhabitants of Egypt in the 3rd millennium BC to get rid of rats and mice gnawing on wheat. Pets were considered sacred animals for saving the harvest.

They were loved and respected. Temples were built in their honor and festivals were held with songs and dances. Cats were depicted in pictures and their figures were made from different materials. Cats were brought to Russia by sailors around the seventh century. They were very expensive, so they lived only in churches and houses of rich people. Poor people were allowed to have a cat in their house only after the 14th century. Currently, cats share homes with humans on all continents, even in Antarctica.

Cats are the most common pets in the world. Photo: flickr.com/wapiko

Relationships between cats and people

The relationship between people and cats has developed in different ways. In Ancient Egypt, the cat was considered a sacred animal. it was immortalized in paintings and sculptures; only noble persons could own them. It was believed that they protected the house not only from mice, but also from evil spirits.

But cats are not entirely ordinary creatures, and mystical properties and skills were often attributed to them; many considered them, especially black ones, to be obligatory companions of witches and sorcerers, and some were sure that black cats were witches and even devils!

Therefore, the attitude towards cats was not always and not everywhere good... In Europe in the Middle Ages, cats were even destroyed for “collaborating with the devil.” And they paid for it - the multiplying rats became the cause of plague epidemics that destroyed entire cities. Only this circumstance brought the cats back into favor with people.

Cat features

Representatives of the cat family are divided into domestic and carnivorous. Pets live close to people. Carnivores live in the wild. There are almost no differences in body structure between them. There are common features that unite them into one family:

1. The tail allows you to maintain balance and not fall when landing after a jump.
2. In the normal state of the paw, the claws are hidden inside, which protects them from being ground down. But when necessary, cats use them to climb trees and catch rodents and birds.
3. The pads on the paws help to silently sneak up on prey.
4. At birth, kittens are toothless. Teeth appear in the first month of life and serve not only for chewing food, but also to protect the cubs from other animals.
5. The tongue acts as a brush. With its help, felines get rid of dust and dirt on their fur.
6. Whiskers, scientifically called vibrissae, help cats navigate in space even in the dark.
7. The eyes can see objects in front and to the sides. This vision helps the cat determine the shape of an object and the distance to it. All breeds of these animals distinguish primary colors, but not as brightly as humans. Cats' eyes work like batteries, storing energy throughout the day, so they glow in the dark. This same property helps them move confidently in unlit rooms and on the street.

There is something predatory in every pet. Photo: flickr.com/Thryn

The appearance of members of the cat family may depend on where they live. Cats with short hair (Bengal, Siamese) live in hot countries. There are completely hairless Sphynx cats. Siberian, Persian, and Maine Coons are distinguished by long coats.

Essay on the topic my favorite animal is cat, grade 4

We had a cat at home, her name was Ksyushka. Then soon Ksyusha had kittens. When I saw them, I liked them all, but most of all the red kitten. He was so small and beautiful that I told everyone that he would be mine, and I would not give him to anyone. Then my mother kept him and gave the rest to others, only of course when they grew up and began to eat on their own. And I named my red kitten Vaska. I loved him very much and he loved me too. I played with Vaska all the time. We played hide and seek with him, and he also really liked playing with a bow on a thread. My Vaska always accompanied me to school and met me when I came home, and he was already waiting for me near the door, as if he sensed that I was about to come in. He always rubbed against my legs so I understood that he was very happy to see me. He suited no one as much as he suited me. I love my cat Vaska very much. My favorite cat is named Belka. I have a cat at home. She was named Squirrel, after the character from the cartoon Ice Age. She has the same fluffy tail. The coat color is grey. She is very fluffy. Dad brought her home. I saw her as a kitten at the entrance and decided to adopt her. She was very afraid of everything at first, but after a week she got used to it. She loves to play. Sometimes it hurts to scratch. I'm in 5th grade now, and Belka came to us when I was in 2nd grade. So we've had her for 3 years now. She is our indoor cat and doesn’t go outside. But he loves to look out the window and sit on the window. Sometimes I’m scared for her, because we have the fourth floor. She loves to sleep with her mom at night. Usually he lies down next to him on the blanket and sleeps until the morning when the alarm clock wakes him up. In summer Squirrel chases flies. He can run after them throughout the apartment. Our cat loves to eat fish and whalefish. Sometimes we give her soup and sausage. She also drinks water, Varenets and milk, but does not like kefir. About my beloved cat Sonya. One day I was walking down the street and saw a cat sitting, she was dirty and thin. But behind this I saw her coat color, it was amazing, I had never seen such a color before. She sat and looked at me with such sad, hungry eyes that I thought: “I’ll go to the store and buy her something to eat.” Walking into the store, I thought about what to buy her and settled on kiteket. When I returned, I saw her, she was sitting and waiting for me, as if she knew that I would return to her. I gave her something to eat, she ate it slowly, chewing every bite. Seeing that she had finished eating, I decided to go further where I was going. And she sat and looked after me. I felt so sorry for her that I stopped abruptly and thought about everything again. Walking back towards her, I saw her come to life before my eyes. Taking her in my arms, I saw that her eyes were so sparkling with happiness that she had a permanent owner. At first, I gave her the name Sonya, and then we went to the veterinarian and examined her and they told me that everything was fine with her, the tests were all good. Sonya received several vaccinations, and we went home with her. When I got home, I fed her and then washed her. She really enjoyed washing, she didn’t even move, after washing her, I saw her extraordinary beauty. She really liked it with me. This is how this miracle Sonya appeared in my life.

Reproduction

Cats begin to reproduce at the end of the first year of life. The readiness of females and males to procreate manifests itself in different ways. During the maturation period, females become more affectionate, rub their heads and bodies against human legs or nearby objects, and constantly meow.

Males mark their territory with urine, make loud noises, and often get into fights with “rivals.”

The breeding season usually begins in early spring. Cats scream to attract the attention of cats. The louder the male screams, the more likely it is that the cat will choose him. Because of this natural feature, the expression “March cat” appeared.

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Offspring

Pregnancy in cats lasts about 2 months. Usually 3 - 6 kittens are born. They are toothless, blind and practically bald. In the second week of life, kittens begin to see, and in the third week their teeth erupt. Before teeth appear, babies feed only on the mother cat's breast milk.

Like all children, at first kittens cannot do without their mother, but they quickly become independent. Photo: flickr.com/Jennifer C

Starting from the second month of existence, they learn to eat chopped meat food. In the wild, the mother chews caught prey for the kittens. At home, people can grind food with it.

Man and cat

Thanks to their ability to catch mice and rats, cats more than once saved people from hunger during the years of rodent invasion, so people have always appreciated and respected them. They were given the most honorable place in the house. Stealing a pet is punishable by a heavy fine in some countries. There are many legends and omens associated with pets in Russian oral folk art.

1. When moving to a new place, the cat had to be the first to cross the threshold.
2. In Rus', the color of a cat's fur had to match the color of the owner's hair so that everyone in the house could live well.
3. A black cat foreshadowed misfortune for the person he crossed.
4. If something hurt people, they put a cat on the sore spot. It was believed that pets could cure certain diseases.

In families with pets, children grow up kind and caring. Photo: flickr.com/Etolane

Adult cats often consider newborn babies to be their cubs. They sleep next to them, protecting their sleep, raising them, protecting them. Little children love to play with kittens. Growing up together, they become true friends.

Quotes about cats and cats with meaning

Want to know what other people say about cats? Here are 11 funny quotes about cats that show their importance in our lives in a funny and meaningful way.

1. I was told that training cats is difficult. This is wrong. Mine trained me in two days. (Bill Dana)
2. A happy arrangement: Many people prefer cats to other people, and many cats prefer people to other cats. (Mason Cooley)
3. Perhaps one of the reasons we are fascinated by cats is that such a small animal can contain so much independence, dignity and free spirit. Unlike a dog, a cat's character never depends on a person's personality. She demands acceptance on her own terms. (Lloyd Alexander)
4. Deep down, we are all driven by the same impulses. Cats have the courage to live with them. (Jim Davis)
5. Everything I know I learned from my cat. When you are hungry, eat. If you are tired, take a nap in the sun. When you go to the vet, urinate on your owner. (Gary Smith)
6. Cats choose us; we don't own them. (Phyllis Christina Kast)

7. Cats instinctively know what time we should be at work in the morning and wake us up twenty minutes before the alarm goes off. (Ian Michael Nelson)
8. If animals could talk, the dog would be a rude and outspoken guy; but the cat would have the rare talent of never saying an unnecessary word. (Mark Twain)
9. No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape will ever completely remove his fur from your couch. (Dr. Leo Dworken)
10. The problem with cats sharing a bed is that they would rather sleep on you than next to you. (Pam Brown)
11. When my cats are unhappy, I am unhappy. Not because I care about their mood, but because I know that they are just sitting and thinking of ways to take revenge on me. (Percy Bysshe Shelley)