CATS

Term Paper in Biology 1

Submitted by:
Jonbert M. Andam
Submitted to:
Mrs. Ruby Gonzales

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction
II. Body
A. Where did cats came from?
 B. Cats characteristics
C. Cats abilities
D. How do cats become domesticated?
III. Conclusion

I. Introduction
The cat are mostly domestic is a small, typically furry, carnivorous mammal. They
are often called house cats when kept as indoor pets or simply cats when there is no
need to distinguish them from other felids and felines. Cats are often valued by
humans for companionship and for their ability to hunt vermin. There are more than
70 cat breeds, though different associations proclaim different numbers according to
their standards.

Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felids, with a strong flexible body, quick
reflexes, sharp retractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey. Cat senses
fit a crepuscular and predatory ecological niche. Cats can hear sounds too faint or
too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small
animals. They can see in near darkness. Like most other mammals, cats have poorer
color vision and a better sense of smell than humans. Cats, despite being solitary
hunters, are a social species and cat communication includes the use of a variety of
vocalizations, as well as cat pheromones and types of cat-specific body language.

Cats have a high breeding rate. Under controlled breeding, they can be bred and
shown as registered pedigree pets, a hobby known as cat fancy. Failure to control
the breeding of pet cats by neutering, as well as the abandonment of former
household pets, has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, requiring
population control. In certain areas outside cats' native range, this has contributed,
along with habitat destruction and other factors, to the extinction of many bird
species. Cats have been known to extirpate a bird species within specific regions
and may have contributed to the extinction of isolated island populations. Cats are
thought to be primarily responsible for the extinction of 33 species of birds, and the
presence of feral and free-ranging cats makes some otherwise suitable locations
unsuitable for attempted species reintroduction.

Since cats were venerated in ancient Egypt, they were commonly believed to have
been domesticated there, but there may have been instances of domestication as
early as the Neolithic from around 9,500 years ago .A genetic study in 2007
concluded that domestic cats are descended from Near Eastern wildcats, having
diverged around 8,000 BC in the Middle East. A 2016 study found that leopard cats
were undergoing domestication independently in China around 5,500 BC, though
this line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domesticated
populations of today.

II. Body
A. Where do cats came from?
Researchers traced the genetics of domestic and feral cats in Europe, Asia, China,
Africa and the Middle East. The cats' mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited from
the mother, traced back to the near eastern wildcat, which is found in the Fertile
Crescent. This research supports the early archaeological evidence, which suggests
that wild cats in that region essentially domesticated themselves by forming a
mutually beneficial relationship with humans. As humans developed agricultural
methods and began storing crops for later use, cats learned to hunt the rodents that
threatened those stores. The oldest archaeological evidence was found in Cyprus,
but researchers believe cats may have been domesticated before that.
From the Fertile Crescent, cats traveled out through trade and by sneaking onto
ships and other transportation. Many cats were introduced to the Americas and
Australia by following rats on to ships and being taken along for the voyage
accidentally. Others were introduced on purpose as people brought their useful pets
with them. Feral cat colonies are descended from escaped house cats.
B. Cats characteristics
Kittens might grow up to be timid if they are not socialized early.
Although every cat has its own personality, all cats have some characteristics that
some people find endearing and others find off-putting. Cats can be inquisitive,
friendly, playful, active, loving and independent. Just remember who is boss; cats
appreciate attention but only when they want it.
Breed Characteristics
Most house cats crave your love and attention, but they prefer they get it on their
terms instead of yours. Once you get to know your cat, you will understand his
preferences. There are some breed-specific characteristics to consider. Persians, for
example, typically love affection and are happy to sit on your lap. Because of their
long hair, they need regular brushing; otherwise, their hair will mat. Siamese cats
are communicators; they'll speak to you with a distinctive meow and with their
body language. The Siamese is a people cat, according to The Cat Fanciers
Association. The Maine Coon is a large, athletic cat that will follow you around.
The Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association said, They are big, gentle,
good-natured goofs. Maine Coons are not generally lap cats and typically dont
like to be babied.
White Cats
Blued-eyed white cats are sometimes deaf due to genetics. The genetic peculiarity
also affects the cats behavior and personality, according to the American Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. These cats, especially females, tend to be
timid. If you have a deaf cat, do not let him outside since he wont be able to
adequately protect himself from dangers such as traffic or predators. Do not startle
your deaf cat, and touch him gently as you enter or leave a room.

Socialization and Nutrition

Kittens that are socialized between 4 weeks and 12 weeks of age tend to be
friendlier than kittens that were isolated from people and cats in their early months.
Socializing a kitten involves a variety of people handling him frequently. Isolated
kittens will probably grow to be timid cats that become fearful when restrained.
Early nutrition can also affect cat behavior. Kittens from malnourished mothers can
be more aggressive to people and other cats. This behavior trait can last even after
the cat grows up and receives proper nutrition.

Urine-Marking
Cats urine-mark to leave a message to other cats. One message is that whatever the
cat marks is his and other cats need to back off. Another is that he is available for
mating. Both male and female cats mark. Cats that live indoors, have no conflicts,
have predictable lives and are spayed or neutered probably wont mark. Most of
the time, unneutered males are the ones doing the marking. The typical way a cat
marks is to back up to a vertical object with his tail in the air. He then sprays urine
onto the objects surface. This behavior is called spraying. The tail often
twitches during the act.
C. Cat abilities
Cats may spend about two-thirds of the day sleeping, but idle theyre not at least
when it comes to having some amazing attributes. Here are several categories that
would make even Superman envious:

1. Faster than a speeding Olympian. At short distances, domestic cats can run
speeds up to 30 miles per hour faster than the equivalent of 23 MPH achieved by
Usain Bolt, dubbed The Worlds Fastest Man, in winning the 100-meter
finals in the 2012 Olympics.

2. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Well, not exactly. But cats can
jump as much as five times their height akin to an average-sized man jumping
nearly 30 feet.

3. A linguist on your lap. Cats may be the purr-fect pet communicators. Theyre
known to make about 100 different sounds. Dogs, meanwhile, make only about 10.

4. Eye-caramba! We have the edge in distance vision, but seeing sideways,

theres no comparison: A cats peripheral vision is roughly 285 degrees,
compared to humans at about 180 degrees. And their night vision? They need only
one-sixth the amount of light that we need to see in the dark.

5. Now hear this: Dogs may get the glory for their excellent hearing ability, but
cats actually have the edge thanks to their ability to hear much higher-pitched
sounds. Cats can also judge, with three inches, the location of a sound made three
feet away. So take note, potential prey.

6. Their nose knows. Another advantage of felines to Fido the typical cats has
some 200 million olfactory (a.k.a. smell) receptors leaving most breeds of
dogs in the dust. Besides besting most dogs, a cats sense of smell is 14 times
keener as ours. Cats also have a scent organ on the roof of their mouth that opens
for activation by wrinkling their muzzle, lowering the chin and letting their tongue
hang out a bit.

7. Less brain drain. They may not be considered the Einsteins of the animal world,
but consider this: Cats can process some 6 million operations per second. And your
iPad? A mere 170 million operations per second. Researchers also say that short-
term memory of cats, at least when it comes to recalling where food was hidden,
lasts about 16 hours. For dogs, its only about five minutes.

8. One terrific tongue. You know it as scratchy. Science knows it as an engineering

marvel. That sandpaper feel is because a cat's tongue is lined with tiny elevated
hooks called papillae that help hold prey in place. And unlike dogs that scoop
water into their mouths and all over the floor neatnik cats use the tip of their
tongue to pull water upward, closing their jaws before gravity causes spillage, in an
impressive four laps per second.

9. Who needs nine lives? The oldest domestic cat on record lived three days past
her 38th birthday about 224 candles in human years. The longest-living dog
made it to 29 years, five months. On average, the lifespan of a cat is 12 years (64
human years) while dogs average 11 years (60 human years). In the past two
decades, cats longevity increased 10 percent, more than twice as much as dogs.

10. They help us live longer and healthier.

Certainly, both dogs and cats fill our hearts with love and help protect it, too.
Numerous studies show that no matter their preferred species, pet parents have
better rates of blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride than those without pets.
But before crediting the exercise that comes with daily dog-walking, consider that
some research finds that cat owners may have a slight edge over their canine-caring
counterparts. One study indicates that cat owners were 40 percent less likely of
having a heart attack than those in feline-free homes better than the heart-protective
effect of having a dog.

D. How cats become domesticated?

Researchers comparing the genomes of domestic cats with that of wild felines
reveal the genetic underpinnings of domestication. It appears that the conversion
from feral to Friskies had to do with genes for memory, fear, and kitty treats. The
findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this
week, could also explain signature cat traits like low light activities and a hyper
carnivorous diet.

Cats have been our furry, purr-y companions for at least 9,000 years -- with breeds
emerging around 150 years ago yet we know very little about their domestication.
Humans most likely welcomed cats because they controlled rodents that
consumed their grain harvests, Wesley Warren of Washington University says.
We hypothesized that humans would offer cats food as a reward to stick
around. Back in August, a team led by St. Petersburg State University researchers
reported the whole genome of the domestic cat based on a female Abyssinian
named Cinnamon who lives in Columbia, Missouri.

Now, to identify genome alterations that led to cat domestication, Warren and
colleagues compared Cinnamons genome with the genome assemblies of 22
purebreds from six other domestic cat breeds the Egyptian Mau, Maine Coon,
Norwegian Forest, Birman, Japanese Bobtail, and Turkish Van and four wild cats
belonging to two species, European wildcat and Near Eastern wildcat. Finally, to
get a more complete cat biology picture, they also looked at four other mammals:
tigers, dogs, cows, and humans.

Cats, unlike dogs, are really only semi-domesticated, Warren says in a news
release. They only recently split off from wild cats, and some even still breed
with their wild relatives. So we were surprised to find DNA evidence of their
domestication.

Compared with wildcat genomes, domestic cat genomes showed evidence of recent
selection in genes linked to memory, fear-conditioning, and stimulus-reward
learning -- which are all related to the evolution of tameness. They would have
needed to become less fearful of new locations and individuals, Washington
Universitys Michael Montague tells Science, and the promise of food would
have kept them sticking around.
Domestic cats also had genetic variations that help explain certain aspects of feline
biology, including genes involved in fat metabolism, increased auditory and visual
acuity, and a sense of smell thats different from dogs. To digest their hyper
carnivorous diets, cats need genes for breaking down fats; the team found lipid-
metabolizing genes in cats and tigers (not humans and cows) that changed faster
than can be explained by chance. Cats can hear in the ultrasonic range, and
theyre more active at dawn and dusk; accordingly, the team identified genes that
evolved to expand their hearing range and low light vision. Finally, cats rely less on
smell to hunt than dogs, so its not surprising that the researchers found fewer
genes for smell in cats. They did, however, find more genes related to an alternate
form of smell: the detection of chemicals called pheromones, which allow these
solitary hunters to find the opposite sex.

III. Conclusion
Always treat the cats as our friend