Chapter 1

Together, Forever: A History of Cats and People

IN THIS CHAPTER

Explaining the popularity of cats

Debunking some common misconceptions

Living with cats and allergies

Considerations of the indoor cat

Forget ancient Egypt, where the cat was honored as a god. The Golden Age of the Cat is now. More is written about cats, shared online about cats, and said about cats today than in all the generations before. Cats are the subject of musicals and movies, of research into their diseases, and of business reports that tally the billions of dollars spent worldwide to keep them healthy, clean, and amused. In the technology-heavy and time-short societies of developed countries, more people are discovering what poets, artists, and cat worshippers have known all along: Cats are much more than dog lite, they are cats: affectionate, beautiful, companions in their own right.

The cat is civilized - but never fully. As the velvety paws of a cat hide her razor-sharp claws, the sleek body, purring in contentment, conceals the wild spirit that lives in every cat ever born. The cat gave her companionship to us so that we may caress the tiger, as the saying goes, and on some level, that must surely be part of the charm. Our lives today are so far from what we were once - a people involved in the daily struggle for survival, hunters and seekers, both predator and prey. If we're haunted by our primeval memories still, our cats are not. They live theirs every day. And we share those memories a little whenever we welcome cats into our homes.

The idea is both exhilarating and reassuring.

The feline body is a perfect package of grace and symmetry, of function creating a form that has inspired humankind for generations. For a look at the feline body - and how to tell whether things aren't as they should be - see Chapter 16.

Although dogs and horses, cattle, pigs, and poultry - and even tomato plants and roses - have changed enormously in our hands, the cat has not. The cat has recently expanded in physical variety - different coat colors and types, different ear shapes and body types - but all such variations are relatively rare and still quite definitely cats, more alike than different. Look at the tabby-striped African Wild Cat - thought to be the ancestor of our domestic cats - and you see an animal much like the one purring in your lap.

The cat chose domestication on her own terms and chose our companionship the same way. We're only now starting to understand fully what a wonderful gift we've been offered.

From Humble Beginnings: How Cats Became So Popular

As with the cats of ancient Egypt, changes in the way we live have prompted the cat's boom in popularity. Early humans found the pack instincts of dogs useful from the beginning - both for hunting and, later, for tending flocks - but the cat was of little use to humankind until our ancestors started cultivating and storing grain. The earliest evidence of domesticated cats dates from about 6,000 years ago - as opposed to 12,000 for dogs - but the most telling indications of the presence of domestic cats are about 4,000 years old.

The cat then became honored - even worshipped - for a skill we sometimes wish today had been lost along the way: hunting. Before the cat stepped in, rodents had a fine, fat time in the grain storage bins. The cat's hunting prowess evened the score a great deal and opened the door for small cats from Africa to take over the entire world, carried as useful workers on grain-laden ships throughout the ancient world. Farmers everywhere were grateful for their aid. Interesting fact: Experts believe "Hemingway cats," also known as polydactyls, or cats with extra toes, were spread around the world this way.

Although you still find cats plying their trade as rodent-killers on farms all around the world (see Figure 1-1), the cat's greater role today is strictly as a companion. And in this, too, the cat excels.

As important as the cat's hunting skills were to our ancestors, today the sight of a half-eaten mouse brought in as a gift is appreciated by few. In Chapter 19, we set the record straight regarding a popular myth about cats and hunting.

Ilario/Photo by Gina Spadafori

FIGURE 1-1: The cat chose to be domesticated, but the hint of the wild always remains.

Two things have changed in developed countries to make the cat's rise in popularity inevitable.

First, more of us are living in smaller quarters - in apartments, in condominiums, in houses on smaller lots - than ever before. Although such conditions aren't so conducive to the keeping of dogs - even though many people make it work anyway - such living conditions are in no way a deterrent to keeping a cat, especially an indoors-only one. Cats quite happily share the same environments people choose, living in city apartments and on farms, in cold climates and in warm ones, in small houses and in mansions. Marvelously adaptable, most cats handle being alone better than many dogs do.

Second, many of us have little time or money for a pet - but a greater need for companionship than ever before. As children, we need someone to listen to us. As young adults, we delay starting a family - or choose never to start one at all, choosing pets to be family instead. In our middle years, we're nearly pulled apart by the demands of job and family. Our older years may be more active than ever before but can also be lonely, spent far from our children.

Nonjudgmental listener and ever-affectionate companion, the cat makes a difference in many lives - and with relatively little investment of time and money. Truly, the cat has found a niche again - this time, to stay.

Frances and Richard Lockridge knew how important cats can be to children when they observed in The Quotable Cat (Contemporary Books): "No cat has ever said, 'I love you,' except to the sensitive ears of children." We think many cats have expressed their love - but sometimes adults aren't listening well enough to hear them.

THANK YOU, EDWARD LOWE

One other thing made the transition of the cat from pest control to pet possible - or, rather, one person: Edward Lowe, the inventor of Kitty Litter.

Prior to Lowe's brainstorm, cats either went outside to relieve themselves - as many still do, to the unhappiness of many a neighboring gardener - or went in boxes filled with sand, soil, or sawdust, none of them a very practical solution for easy clean-up and smell control.

In 1947, cat lover Kaye Draper of Cassopolis, Michigan, sought sawdust for her cat's box from a local business. The firm also sold kiln-dried, granulated clay for cleaning up grease spills. Edward Lowe, son of the shop's owner, suggested that the woman take home some of the absorbent clay instead, and an industry was born.

After she came back for more, Lowe decided he was on to something. He put the clay in five-pound bags, wrote "Kitty Litter" on the front, and suggested to a local store owner that he sell the bags of clay for 65 cents - at a time when sand went for a penny a pound. The owner laughed, so Lowe then changed strategies: "Give it away," he said, "and see how it does."

Kitty Litter made Lowe, who died in 1995, a millionaire many times over. The name of Kaye Draper's cat somehow escaped being recorded for posterity. We think a little credit is due to him (or her), too.

(For more on cat-box fillers - how to choose them and how to use them - see Chapter 11.)

Some Common Misconceptions about Cats - and the Facts

Even as cats reign supreme near the top of the pet popularity charts, a lot of people still harbor misconceptions about them. Many of these people would probably enjoy having a cat in their lives if they'd only open their minds and their hearts.

Most of the ideas about what cats aren't come from comparisons to what dogs are, and, of course, that's not the right way to look at things. Other ideas about cats apply to those who're mostly outdoor, or semi-wild. A cat who is well-socialized from birth and closely bonded with his human companions is another animal entirely.

Remember, too, that what's a fault in the eyes of some is a virtue in the eyes of others. The overexuberant affection of a bouncy big dog isn't for everyone, believe us. We hasten to add that while most cats aren't as overtly interactive as dogs, some really are happiest when in your face, and it's not unheard of to have a cat who likes to play fetch.

For more cat myths - and the truth - see Chapter 19.

And now, let us happily set matters straight.

"All cats are cold fish"

No doubt about it - cats pick their moments. As they have from the first, cats choose the companionship of humans on their own terms.

Although some cat critics claim that the animals are in it only for the food, any cat lover knows otherwise. Cats are "in it" for the warmth, too. Laps, beds, and even the tops of TVs and computer monitors offer many opportunities for taking nice long naps, which cats spend most of their...