BEHAVIOR

Most mornings, I like to start out at my computer to catch up on emails, read some news (thats a bad idea, many days), enjoy my cup of coffee and plan the rest of my day.

I recently read the Short Takes in Catnip (March 2018 issue) about dogs being smarter than cats. What can be done to increase the neuron count in cats, if anything?

According to census figures from the Humane Society of America, well over 90 million cats currently reside in U.S. homes, a record high for the nations domestic feline population. Much of the dramatic and steady increase is due to the pleasure that a rising number of people derive from having a cat around the house. However, the increase can also be attributed to the fact that cats are living longer nowadays than they did in the past.

According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, dogs possess more brain power than cats. This was determined by researchers, who counted the number of neurons in the cerebral cortexes of the brains of a number of animals, including cats and dogs.

A sideways hop here, a play bow there. Thats how the head of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic, Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM, describes the way in which her cat and dog initiate play with each other, but it doesnt always work out so delightfully.

I have had my two cats since they were just a few days old. They were bottle-fed until they could eat regular food. They are now close to two years old. One is obsessed with rubber bands, w`hile the other chews any shoe that has a soft sole. Both chew cardboard boxes.

Researchers are going to start examining the benefits of pet ownership on mental and emotional health in older adults living alone by matching research participants with homeless foster cats.

By applying a model commonly used to describe personality traits in people, researchers in South Australia and New Zealand have identified five distinct personality traits in cats. It is hoped that a better understanding of feline personalities can enhance the health and welfare of cats by fine-tuning management approaches to suit individual temperaments.

When youre walking around the house, hes weaving tight figure eights around your legs. If youre trying to take a catnap or watch some prime-time television, hes happily draped across your neck, purring away.

My family adopted Boo when he was eight weeks old. He was found when he was about two weeks old in a litter abandoned by their mother, and the kittens were taken to a local rescue organization. A volunteer agreed to foster the kittens in her home, and she bottle fed them until they could eat solid food.

Much in the same way that stress affects humans, it can also affect cats. While brief periods of stress can help cats to survive dangerous situations, recurrent or prolonged stress can be harmful for them both physically and emotionally.

November 2017 - Full Issue PDF