Saturday, August 18 2012

There are not enough people in TT who like cats. Perhaps it is because dogs are seen as useful for security and protection. Cats don’t do “protection”, so they are seen as less useful members of society but they have their own special qualities.

Households that have cats in them will rarely see rats and mice inside. Maybe the household cats will catch and kill them- maybe not. However, just having cats inside the house is beneficial as the rats and mice know that they are there and do not come in.

Cats add style and elegance to any home. The resident cat does not have to be from a fancy breed like a Persian, Siamese, Burman or an Abyssinian. It can be a Domestic Short Hair, in other words — the basic cat with short fur and various markings.

A healthy, well-cared-for cat will have clear, bright eyes and sleek, shiny fur. The markings may be the grey or brown stripes of a tabby, or the orange/ginger stripes of a “Marmalade” cat. Very often totally ginger cats will be male and tri-coloured cats, like Tortoiseshells, will be female — but not always. Quite common there are cats that are basically white with a few black patches and a black tail that looks as if it was stitched on afterwards.

Not every cat will come to greet you like a dog but some do exactly that.

They learn the sound of your car and, by the time you have shut off the engine, are trotting briskly across the yard to greet you.

Once you spay or neuter your cat you have no worries about kittens or a male “spraying” on your furniture. What you do have is a loving companion and house-mate.



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