We Got Rid of the Kids, the Cat Was Allergic

The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or housecat"Housecat" in the American Heritage Dictionary to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin and household pests. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years and is currently the most popular pet in the world.

A skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. It can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn on their own to manipulate simple mechanisms, such as doorknobs and toilet handles.YouTube - Gizmo Flushes Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. They are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This hobby is known as cat fancy.

Until recently the cat was commonly believed to have been domesticated in ancient Egypt, where it was a cult animal. A study in 2007 found that the lines of descent of all house cats probably run through as few as five self-domesticating African Wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) circa 8000 BC, in the Near East. The earliest direct evidence of cat domestication is a kitten that was buried with its owner 9,500 years ago in Cyprus.

A true breeding organism, sometimes also called a pure-bred, is an organism having certain biological traits which are passed on to all subsequent generations when bred with another true breeding organism for the same traits. In other words, to "breed true" means that two organisms with a particular, heritable phenotype produce only offspring with that (same) phenotype.

In the case of a gene with multiple different alleles in the population, the genotype of a true breeding organism is homozygous. For example, a pure-bred variety of cat, such as Siamese, only produce kittens with Siamese characteristics because their ancestors were inbred until they were homozygous for all of the genes that produce the physical characteristics and temperament associated with the Siamese breed.

True breeding is also used to refer to plants that produce only offspring of the same variety when they self-pollinate. For example, when a true-breeding plant with pink flowers is self-pollinated, all its seeds will only produce plants that also have pink flowers. Gregor Mendel cross-pollinated true-breeding peas in his experiments on patterns of inheritance of traits.

The Wildcat (Felis silvestris), sometimes Wild Cat or Wild-cat, is a small cat (felidae/felid) native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar size. There are several subspecies distributed in different regions. Sometimes included is the ubiquitous domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus), which has been introduced to every habitable continent and most of the world's larger islands, and has become feral in many of those environments.

In its native environment, the Wildcat is adaptable to a variety of habitat types: savanna, open forest, and steppe. Although domesticated breeds show a great variety of shapes and colours, wild individuals are medium-brown with black stripes, between 45 and 80 cm (18-32 inches) in length, and weigh between 3 and 8 kilograms (6-17.6 pounds). Shoulder height averages about 35 cm (14 in) and tail length is about 30 cm (12 in). The African subspecies tends to be a little smaller and a lighter brown in colour.

The Wildcat is extremely timid. It avoids approaching human settlements. It lives solitarily and holds a territory of about 3 km².

A study by the National Cancer Institute suggests that all current house cats in the world are descendants from a group of self-domesticating Wildcats 10,000 years ago, somewhere in the Near East. It is believed that this domestication occurred when the Agricultural Revolution yielded grain, which would be stored in granaries, that attracted rodents, which in turn attracted cats. The closest relative of the Wildcat is the Sand Cat (Felis margarita).

Pet adoption usually refers to the process of taking guardianship of and responsibility for a pet that a previous owner has abandoned or otherwise abdicated responsibility for. Common sources for adoptable pets are

*Animal shelters, in the case of dogs also known as dog pounds

*Rescue groups

*Pets which are found out of captivity without identification, and which remain unclaimed by any owner

*Advertisements placed by individuals who are trying to find a new home for their pet

*Pets that have been abused or neglected and have been confiscated from the offending owner

*A fast growing source is online pet adoption. These sites have databases of pets, maintained by thousands of animal shelters, and are searchable by the public.

Dogs adopted from shelters are often referred to as shelter dogs or pound puppies; dogs adopted from rescue organizations are often called rescued dogs (not to be confused with search and rescue dogs). Shelters have put together informational websites to help the public choose the right dog for their family.

Category: Image - :Black_cat_Animal_Rescue_GalawebDesign.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Adopt Me

Pets are taken to animal shelters for many reasons.

*Breeding: Breeders are a leading cause of overpopulation because they usually produce more pets than they can sell and often produce pets that do not fit their desired breeding specifications, and must be gotten rid of.

*Death: Owner dies and no one in the family wants to (or can) keep the pet.

*Changed circumstances: Financial or living arrangements change drastically and people feel that they can no longer provide an appropriate home for the pet. This might also include someone having to move to a new living situation where pets are not allowed.

*Second thoughts: A pet was purchased after the spur of the moment decision or as a gift (frequently for Christmas). Some time afterward, owners discover that caring for the pet is much more work than expected, or requires more space or exercise than they are prepared to give.

*Lost pet: Pet leaves home or cannot find its way back, and the owner does not succeed in finding it.

*Health: Severe health problems make it impossible to have a dog in the house or impossible for the owner to care for the dog.

*Practice babies: Shelters use this term for animals that have been adopted by couples, and who are then abandoned when the couple splits up, or when a real baby comes along and they no longer have the time or inclination to care for their pet.

*Moving across borders: People leave the country; quarantine laws in some countries can be traumatic to pets and owners, so to avoid the stress, the pet is surrendered to an animal shelter.

*Allergies: Many owners claim to have developed allergies to their pets, or that their children have developed allergies to their pets.

People deal with their unwanted pets in many ways. Some people have the pet euthanized (also known as putting it down or putting it to sleep), although many veterinarians do not consider this to be an ethical use of their resources for young and healthy animals, while others argue that euthanasia is a more humane option than leaving a pet in a cage for very long periods of time. Other people simply release the pet into the wild or otherwise abandon it, with the expectation that it will be able to take care of itself or that it will be found and adopted. More often, these pets succumb to hunger, weather, traffic, or common and treatable health problems. Some people euthanize pets because of terminal illnesses or injuries, while others even do it for common health problems that they cannot, or will not, pay for treating. More responsible owners will take the pet to a shelter, or call a rescue organization, where it will be cared for properly until a home can be found. Homes cannot always be found, however, and euthanasia is often used for the excess animals to make room for newer pets, unless the place has a no-kill policy. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the US because of a lack of homes. Animal protection advocates urge people to spay or neuter their pets and to adopt instead of buying animals in order to reduce the number of animals who have to be euthanized.

Category: Image - :tuxedomix2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A rescued BBD (Big Black Dog) from Atlantic Canada

To help lower the number of animals euthanized, some shelters have developed a no-kill policy. These shelters keep their animals as long as it takes to find them new homes. City shelters rarely have this policy because of the large number of animals they receive. No-kill shelters are usually run by groups that have volunteers or individuals with enough space to foster pets until a permanent home can be found. However, many of these groups and individuals have a finite number of spaces available. This means they will not take in new animals unless a space opens up, although they will often take back pets that they have adopted out previously.

The central issue in the adoption of a pet is whether a new owner can provide a safe, secure, permanent home for the pet. Many shelters, pounds, and rescue organizations refuse to supply animals to people whom they judge cannot supply the animal with a suitable home.

A new owner might also face training challenges with a pet who has been neglected or abused. In those cases, the owner must be extra patient with the animal and provide it with the right care to help the pet overcome the past.

One problem shelters are fighting to overcome is what they term "Big Black Dog syndrome". Big black dogs (BBDs) are consistently the hardest dogs to place ? even if they're friendly, well trained, and in perfect health. This may be due to a number of factors, including fear stigma against certain breed types, attraction to ads and the fact that black dogs do not photograph as well as lighter coated ones, and the fact that black dogs are often portrayed as aggressive in film and on television. Organizations have started campaigns to educate the public about BBD syndrome.

A cat show is a judged event where the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard. Both pedigreed and companion (or moggy) cats are admissible, although the rules differ from organization to organization. Cats are compared to a breed standard, and the owners of those judged to be closest to it are awarded a prize. Often, at the end of the year, all of the points accrued at various shows are added up and additional national and regional titles are awarded.

In the US, each judge has a separate ring with cages. The cats are brought up to the judge, who removes each cat in turn and then replaces them when they are done. Spectators, including the owners of the cats are present and in the audience. The cats' owners are given a number for each cat and are responsible for getting them to the ring when they are called.

In Europe, many times the cats are judged in a so-called traditional style. Traditional judging is often combined with ring style judging, so a cat show may consist of several rings plus traditional judging. With traditional judging, each cat is assigned to a judge, who gives a written report to the owner. Each judge may nominate a cat to the final judging, when all judges examine the finalists, and the final rewards are given by voting of the judges.

In Australia, the shows can be either "closed style" or "open style" judging. In closed shows, the cats are placed in undecorated cages with white curtains and bed, and the owners must leave the hall. The judges for each ring will examine each animal in turn and decide on awards. Then the owner may return. In open style, the owners and other spectators may stay to watch the judging, as the judges talk to them about the cats.

Image:Catjudging.jpg|Judge handling a cat at a cat show

Image:Showcage2.jpg|Typical cat show benching cage in the US. Cats wait here until their owners are called to enter them into the ring

Image:catshow.jpg|Fancy cat show benching area decorations

Cats are highly intelligent animals and they can be trained to do many things.