Cats

Cat approaching mouse. After all, their cat is loved and well fed. Why should their pet bother hunting down birds, mice and other wildlife? If a domestic cat has any access at all to the outside world then it will hunt, no doubt about it, its all part of being a cat. A cat will hunt whether it is hungry or not, hunting is an instinctive need within your cat. The fact is a well fed and healthy cat is more likely to be an effective hunter of prey, than an ill fed feral cat.

Cat playing with mouse. At some point the African Wildcat, a small yellow cat with black stripes, the ancestor of modern day domestic cats, began coming into the cities to feast on the abundance of rodents. The Egyptians welcomed their new neighbors when they realized that the Wildcats were killing off the rodents. Many people began leaving small scraps of food outside their houses to encourage the Wildcats to hunt at their home. The cats soon began to stay in the cities because there they had more than enough to eat. The cats were also protected from being hunted because their predators in the wild would not dare come near humans. The cats and humans seemed to be well matched for each other. It was in this simple beginning that the relationship between cats and humans began. Most likely, Egyptians began letting the Wildcats into their homes, where they allowed them to stay to protect the food from rodents. Soon after their initial domestication, the people probably began petting and stroking the beautiful animals, and cats, being naturally affectionate animals, loved the attention.

Cat stalking a mouse. Cats are kept for companionship as pets, and to hunt mice and rats. Farms often have dozens of cats, living semi-wild in the barns. Hunting in the barns and the fields, they kill and eat rodents that would otherwise eat large parts of the grain crop. (Many pet cats successfully hunt and kill mice, birds and fish by instinct, but might not eat their prey). Feral cats may live alone or in large groups called colonies with communal nurseries, depending on resource availability.

Fat Cat looking up.

Prowling cat

Horse rearing up by cat.

Singapore Hari Cat in position to catch a fly.

Cat in sitting position staring.

Two cats playing. The cat, Felis silvestris catus, is a small feline carnivore that has been domesticated for several millennia. The term cat most commonly means a domestic cat, although it can also be used to refer to the other members of the feline family. For example lions, tigers, jaguars and the like are often referred to as the big cats.