Fantastic five feline fun facts

We all know our kitties are amazing... but here are some facts which would amuse one and all...

• Lion sneezed out the cat: If a Hebrew legend is to be believed, rats were menace and Noah prayed to the God to protect food from rats. The God answered his wish, made the lion sneeze and out popped the cat – the mouser.


• The sleepy heads: We all know our kitties love to sleep but have you ever wondered they sleep almost two-thirds of the day, which means if your cat is nine years old, she has been awake for just three years of her life. Now, that’s another thing that the growth hormones of kittens are released only during sleeping. So next time your mommy calls you a sleepy head, you know who the sleepy head is.


• Cats always get down from a tree backward: Have you ever noticed; whenever a cat climbs down a tree, she climbs backward. It is because all cat’s paws point in one direction, so she has to get down backward.


• World’s rarest coffee comes from cat’s stomach: Amazing but true, Kopi Luwak, the world’s rarest coffee from Indonesia comes from a wildcat known as Luwak stomach. The cat eats the coffee barriers and coffee beans inside through her stomach, which are then harvested from her stool and then cleaned and roasted.


• We are neat and cleanest: Kitties love to groom themselves all the time. But the fact is that cats spend nearly one-thirds of their waking hours cleaning themselves.

Ask the Expert.. Mar Apr 2012

Dr KG Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He is working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia.

Q: My cat is sneezing, has a runny nose and is coughing. Please help.
– Prashant Das, Kolkata

Dr KG Umesh: These signs are often caused by a combination of infectious diseases, with chronic recurrent viral infections complicated by secondary bacterial infections. Primary bacterial or fungal infections and non-infectious causes (foreign body, immune-mediated, dental disease, polyps, and growths) should be considered as well. Initial diagnostic testing is not indicated if clinical presentation fits with simple viral infection, but testing should be performed in complicated cases or if other causes are suspected. Isolation, good hygiene, and supportive care help control viral infections, and antimicrobial agents are often needed. Regular vaccination and other preventive health measures help. Please consult your vet for further treatment.

Do cats and kittens need to drink cow’s milk?

Many pet parents feed only cow’s milk to their cats and kittens. This causes diarrhoea, especially in kittens. People in general think that cow’s milk provides sufficient nutrition for their cats and do not give cat food but it is not so. Let’s shun this myth.

Let mother cat feed the kittens…

Mother’s milk which contains essential nutrients and antibodies is essential for the healthy growth of kittens till they are four weeks of age. After the kittens are four weeks, they can be weaned gradually and fed moist kitten food and later dry kitten food.

There’s more than cow’s milk…

Never give cow’s milk to orphaned kittens as this will cause diarrhoea as cow’s milk does not form an essential part of a cat’s nutritional requirement. The reason is that many cats are lactose intolerant and this may cause stomach upset and diarrhoea. Feral cats survive without drinking cow’s milk.

Food for your cat...

Kittens need good nutrition which can be found in commercial cat food. If your cat is lactose tolerant, you can give her milk occasionally. If your cat develops diarrhoea after drinking cow’s milk, immediately stop giving her milk.

Water is an essential nutrient…

Always provide them a bowl of fresh water. Cats who eat dry cat food require more water than those eating moist cat food.

Egyptian Mau: Spots are beautiful!

Elegant, royal, sweet temperament, loving, caring and a melodious voice – is there anything more you want from your feline? Your search for a purrfect cat ends at the Egyptian Mau.

Spotted beauty…

Egyptian Maus are small-sized short-haired cats with naturally spotted coat. Slender and muscular, they are the progenitor breeds of the modern domestic cat. Their legs are shorter in the front than in the back. Like cheetah, they have a skin fold under the belly, which helps them to stretch their legs and aid in running.

Sweet temperament…

He is serene, aware of the perfect mastery of his environment. He is sensitive to the various problems of the house and its occupants. If you are sick, he is just sad and will be attentive to your voice. With small children and their screams he is wary, but with older children who respect him, he will want to play ball.

The family bonding…

He has a royal appearance and a great affection for his family. He is always looking for the best place to observe the movements of the house. Loneliness weighs on him; left alone for too long, he may fall in depression. If absences are long, a second cat will be essential.

Games he play…

His games are mostly hunting games. He is tireless. Races are endless but they are punctuated by long naps as well....

The melody king…

He is quite talkative, but without excess. His voice is very melodious, like a cooing. He has a very wide meow, which starts with a “mia” - dry and imperative to finish with a languorous cooing.

In short, the Egyptian Mau is all you want in your purrfect feline companion.

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Ask the Expert.. Jan Feb 2012

Dr KG Umesh (MVSc, MSc (UK)) is a Postgraduate in Clinical Medicine. He is working for WALTHAM as Regional Associate for South Asia.

Q: I have two Persians – Bhombol (female) aged three years and Bhodka (male) aged two years. When can I breed them?
– PK Bandyopadhyay, Goa

Dr KG Umesh: Female cats have generally their first season during six and nine months of age. Cats do not

ovulate unless they are bred. The stages of oestrus cycle (season) in the queen are anoestrus, proestrus, oestrus and interoestrus. Proestrus lasts for 2-3 days without showing any signs and queen won’t want to mate. Oestrus lasts between 2-10 days and shows signs such as vocalisation, rolling and rubbing against inanimate objects and sticking her back end in the air. This means she is in season and will want to mate. Interoestrus occurs if queen doesn’t mate and may last for 3-14 days. Anoestrus is period when there is no hormonal activity. Pregnancy length for cats is approximately 64 days and may vary from 53-65 days.

Games your kitty always loves to play

Cats love to play. Here are some simple but playful games to keep their boredom at bay.

Ping pong: You can entertain your kitty with a ping pong ball, which is lightweight. It would be good idea to play in a long hallway where your cat can chase the ball freely to her heart’s content.

Lost & found: Get a rubber ball or a marble to make it lost in a carton. Keep the size of the ball safe so that she cannot swallow it. Let her dig the ball out of the carton to the floor where she can roll upon it to the fullest playful mood.

An empty paper bag: Whenever you empty a grocery paper sack, don’t throw it away. It could be great item for your kitty and keep her occupied.

Light, action! A small flashlight or laser beam moving up and down your room’s wall or across the floor is always exciting to your kitty. Quick or zigzag move of the light gives her a lot of exercise chasing the light. But don’t shine laser beam on her eyes.

Play while working: You can play while doing household chores. Just tie a piece of string around your ankle with an 8-10 inch length of its tailing behind. Whenever you move, it would excite the cat to chase the string. But be careful while stepping back.