There are 19 misunderstandings about raising cats? Got shot by accident!

About 8,000 years ago, cats began to live in the agricultural areas of the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East, and were gradually accepted by humans because they helped humans control the population of rats. Since then, the cat species has lived between adoration and hatred, or both. The cat's self-reliant nature is different from other social animals, and cats are more like domesticated by themselves than by humans. As a result, many magical legends about domestic cats have arisen. This article discusses several misconceptions about cats—and what they really are. You're bound to learn some unknown questions here that cat owners love to ask.

Cats don't need interaction

Some cat owners think "you can let the cat spend the weekend on its own". But in reality, cats prefer company when given a choice. Like people, every cat is an individual with its own personality, which is partly innate and partly influenced by acquired experience and environment.

All cats need is food, water, litter and a place to sleep

This statement is true, but more important is the adequacy of these resources and the location of the resources. Food should not be placed next to water or litter boxes. Keep the litter box and water bowl clean. Cats need not only a place to sleep, but a place to observe their surroundings, practice ulcer hunting, express predatory behavior and hide when they feel scared.

I know when my cat is sick

Actually you may not know. Cats in the wild usually act independently to complete their hunts, and because cats travel long distances in dangerous areas in the process, and cats may also be prey for other animals, they are good at masking their diseases. In fact, when a cat shows faint signs of illness, it has been sick for some time. Therefore, it is important that we understand these hidden disease signals and inform animal owners.

Laser surgery and an appropriate analgesic regimen can ensure a smooth postoperative recovery from declawing

Sadly, this is not the case. Despite the use of advanced technology and excellent analgesia, paw anatomy can be permanently altered after surgery and lead to unnatural asymmetries and compensatory changes in musculoskeletal muscles. To make matters worse, as the nerves are severed, both these nerves and surrounding tissue are permanently damaged and eventually chronic neuropathic pain develops. Regardless, there is a growing body of evidence that many cats experience changes in behavior after declawing.

Cats raised indoors do not need immunizations

Cats raised indoors need to be immunized at the same frequency as cats outside. Internal deworming, external deworming, and regular physical examinations are the same. Although your cat cannot move freely, the owner does not consider many other ways of exposure to pathogens, such as balconies, roof terraces, going out for cat walks, awnings, visiting downstairs neighbors, going out, traveling, and going out with the animal owner, And the risk of contact with other animals when going to the veterinary hospital.

Cats can often save themselves from danger

There are exceptions. Although cats have an excellent ability to rotate their bodies in the air to adjust for the most suitable position for paw-first landing (the "flip reflex" and flexible spine), sometimes they do not land safely. Although not life-threatening, high-rise syndrome can cause facial, tooth and hard palate fractures; fractures and dislocations of extremities; chest trauma and shock when cats fall from tall buildings of more than two stories.

Cats don't need to go outside. They are already happy indoors.

At present, cats in the United States are kept strictly indoors to ensure the safety of cats, which has been accepted by more and more people. By restricting or preventing cats from going out, various dangerous contacts and concerns of animal owners can be reduced. In addition, keeping cats indoors can prevent cat-induced deaths of other small wildlife (such as birds). But that's not necessarily good for cats. We know that many chronic and recurrent illnesses in cats are related to stress, the stress that occurs when incarcerated cats are unable to express their "feline" (native) nature. So we need to educate animal owners that indoor cats need an opportunity to express cat behavior. (A truly qualified cat owner may design a "balcony catiospace" for the cat, similar to the one below)

Cats raised indoors won't get fleas or ticks

Fleas and ticks may come into the house with the dog, and ticks can also be brought back indoors by people who are hiking or in and out of the woods. As the climate changes, flea numbers are also increasing and appearing in some areas that were previously free of fleas. Mathematical models predict that much of this part of the United States will be suitable for fleas as the mild winter approaches. Ticks also invade with migratory birds in more southern climates.

Fleas, of course, like to live at home regardless of the weather outside. Going out, or living with other animals that go out frequently or in a pet-heavy environment can be a high-risk environment for flea infestation. Diagnosing fleas can be difficult due to cats' habit of grooming frequently. Hazards of fleas to cats include anemia, pruritic skin disease and flea allergies.

Animal owners should be reminded to use feline-specific medications, as some retail and prescription canine flea or tick products and medications can be toxic to cats.

Indoor cats can't get heartworm

All cats, including cats raised indoors, are at risk of contracting heartworm as long as they live in an area with heartworm-carrying mosquitoes. It is important to understand travel history and the likelihood of exposure to heartworm endemic areas.

Better to have a litter of kittens before cats are neutered

This old saying is a bit like the traditional view of a woman that a woman's life cannot be called complete until she has a child. In cats it becomes, and cats should have at least one litter before being neutered.

Numerous research data have concluded that early neutering (including castration) at 6-12 weeks of age is not only effective in preventing excessive pet population growth (and all possible risks), but also does not affect growth rate, urethral diameter or animal behavior . One study has reported that males that were castrated earlier were considered "better pets" due to their reduced risk of wandering and being more docile.

Pregnant women should stay away from their cats

Contact with cats does not increase the risk of Toxoplasma infection because cats excrete oocysts in their feces very rarely, and these oocysts are not contagious for 24 hours.

Women can use pregnancy as an excuse to have someone else clean the cat litter, but in reality, there is no risk of infection if they can maintain the frequency of shoveling at least once a day and wash their hands after shoveling. This standard also applies to people who are immunocompromised.

Cats eat as much food as they need

The first thing to do is to define the definition of "need". If "needs" are strictly defined as metabolic or physiological needs, cats, like humans, suffer from stress eating. Boredom can also lead to increased eating. Most of the diets we provide to cats are high in calories, making it difficult to just meet the cat's energy needs. Canned foods have a slightly lower energy density, but are not usually given all the time due to their tendency to spoil.

Constantly refilling cat food is a real problem. A bowl full of food is very unchallenging for cats who do nothing on a daily basis. Cats are better off feeding games or similar devices that arouse their natural curiosity. Cats are perpetual hunters, so something that makes them think and induce recreational hunting behavior is best. But precisely because cats are constantly foraging, there is a high chance of being overweight. To tell the animal owner how to calculate and weigh the amount of food required for each day.

Cats can be fed a vegetarian diet.

While cats need to eat a certain amount of plants to aid digestion, cats are carnivores. They need meat. Naturally good hunters, they require taurine, arachidonic acid, fatty acids and vitamins that can only be provided by adequate animal food.

Cats eat raw meat best

Of course, if the cat can eat the whole animal carcass, and it is fresh, just slaughtered, and has not gone through a series of processes such as chopping, processing, pollution-free, refrigeration and transportation. This feeding mode can be adopted if the flame retardant is willing to do it yourself or let the cat hunt fresh mice or small birds. Otherwise, there is a risk of nutritional imbalances.

Feeding raw meat to cats also poses a risk of infectious diseases to children, kittens, the elderly, other cats and people with weakened immune systems. In particular, some common microorganisms include Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium botulinum, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes and the enterotoxin Staphylococcus aureus. For the above reasons, some veterinary clinics refuse hospitalization for raw food-fed cats or dogs.

cat needs milk

Weaned cats can drink milk, but they don't really need it. Kittens have a lot of lactase to digest breast milk. However, after weaning, the ability of the gut to digest milk decreases, and if you drink milk again, it may cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Some cats tolerate milk for life; not all cats are blessed with this.

Grains Are Bad For Cats, And They Don't Need Carbohydrates

Neither sentence is correct. A cat's natural diet consumes about 52% crude protein, 46% fat, and 2% nitrogen-free extracts (containing sugar and starch and small amounts of other nutrients) per day for energy. One study showed that if cats could "go into the kitchen and make their own menus" like humans, the recipes would contain 52% protein, 36% fat and 12% carbohydrates. The types of carbohydrates that cats consume are derived from the grains consumed by the prey they hunt.

Can train cats

sure. Cats, like most humans, will continue to engage in satisfying behaviors or behavioral patterns when given positive feedback. However, unlike dogs or people, cats only perform "tricks" when they're happy because they have a low "need" for companionship or approval. Plus, cats are easily distracted. Practical applications of cat training include teaching cats to like their bag or flight case. A recent study shows that this helps reduce stress when cats go to the clinic.

If the cat purrs, it means very happy

Kittens purr when they are two days old, and they usually purr during a milking action that stimulates milk production. Cats purring may be a sign of contentment, or there may be other reasons. Snoring releases endorphins. Therefore, a cat may purr to self-medicate when in distress. Some cats purr "attractively", with a frequency similar to a crying baby, to attract the attention of people (maybe other cats) and get what they want from their owners: care, food, a warm hug. Finally, the normal purr vibrates at a frequency conducive to physical therapy, which is a form of physical therapy. This frequency can aid in bone remodeling.

"Cats don't like dogs, water, other cats, people..."

Cats can be self-reliant, and they live almost independently of humans—unless they live only indoors. They have also evolved a strong ability to be alone, thereby reducing their emotional dependence. But that doesn't mean they don't develop strong emotional bonds with other cats, people, dogs, or even other animals. (Cats are unlikely to depend on each other, though.)

Cats are small carnivores, but they are also prey, so their natural survival wisdom is to be wary of anyone who is not part of the family. Other cats are also included. The social period for cats to learn to adjust to things is between 2 and 7 weeks (or 8 weeks) old. Of course they can still adapt to new things at a later time, but it takes a touch and iterative security to finally build trust.

Most cats don't like water. Perhaps this has something to do with the origin of cats in deserts. While some cats prefer to drink from a running faucet and let the water run overhead. Some like to swim. Turkish Van cats are known for their particular love of water. Other breeds that are said to love water (or not so much hate it) are the Turkish Angora, Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest, Bengal, Bobtail (American and Japanese) and Isle of Man.

ancient legends about cats

The American "MentalFloss" magazine has compiled old legends and myths about cats from all over the world, good and bad:

"Cats will steal a baby's breath." (England) "Cats are contemptuous women who like to eat children." (Jewish myth) "They will eat you at Christmas dinner." (Iceland) "Cats bring The Black Death." (Europe) "Cats are the urns of the souls of divine beings." (Buddhism) "Cats can predict the weather." (England and Wales) "Pregnant women should not pick up cats or let them sleep on their laps. ” (Portugal and England)