Talk:Cat/Archive 9

A Winner of the August 2004 West Dakota Prize

This entry has won the West Dakota Prize for successfully employing the expression "legend states" in a complete sentence.

"Moggy"

I come from the UK so I'll tell you 'moggy' (or moggies) is a term used for any domesticated cat. Usaly used as an effectionate term ("awww, look at those moggies") I think there was even a cat called Mog in a childrens book.

Perhaps this article will clear things up: Moggy

The word "moggy" is vritually unknown in the United States. I thought about putting "and are known as moggies in the United Kingdom", but I don't know how widespread the term is. We don't really have an American version -- maybe alley cat? -- Zoe

"Moggy" is probably just slang for "mongrel", which is common even in the US. LDC

Pictures

Noticed a dearth of kitty pictures, so added my own. Rosie (RIP 1983-2002) and Zazou the Wonder Kitty. Hey, they're as good cats as any. - montréalais

I add another picture which i am quite proud of. I would like to know if you know what kind of cat it is ? --Chmouel Boudjnah 11:56, 8 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Great picture! It should replace the existing one. Kent Wang 18:02, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I replaced the main one by mine i hope the other author doen't mind it. --Chmouel Boudjnah 19:53, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Removed annotations

annotations removed from article:

(Needs work: separate predator behavior from "desert" charateristics) The wild ancestor of the cat is believed to be from a desert climate, and cats display behaviours associated with such creatures. They enjoy heat and sunning themselves (need to check: don't desert creatures seek shelter?). Their feces are usually very dry and cats prefer to bury them in sandy places. They are able to stay unmoving in one place for long periods of time, usually when observing prey.

Eating strays

It would be very thoughtful if someone could give a source for the comment about eating stray cats in Africa -- without any specifics it looks like a cheap slur, IMO, and doesn't help in understanding of cats. --Fastfission 18:58, 12 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Limecat

The limecat reference probably doesn't belong here. It is probably not of sufficient importance or global reference to belong in this definition. --/Mat 21:36, 9 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Done. Kent Wang 17:22, 10 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Neutering

Does anybody know more about castration of cats? Guaka 18:13, 24 Mar 2004 (UTC)

It is normally called neutering, and is strongly recommended in order to reduce the number of stray cats that must be killed. It also prevents male cats from spraying. This should probably go in "caring for pets". Andrew 07:22, Apr 8, 2004 (UTC)

That was known to me, but I'd like to know more. For instance: does the cat's behaviour change besides that he stops spraying? And, it seems that the neutered cats have a thinner face than normal cats..? G-u-a-k-@ 19:54, 25 Jun 2004 (UTC)ne

Neutering does change a cat's personality. Usually, the male cat is calmer, friendlier, and less aggressive. This is not true for all cats, but it is the case 99% of the time. Also, castrated cats will not be as territorial. cmpope 20:04 Sept 21, 2004

I've heard from a vet that if a cat is neutered when he's young, rather than full grown, his face won't be as long. [[User:Lachatdelarue|Lachatdelarue (talk)]] 14:42, 22 Sep 2004 (UTC)

That's true of humans too. -- Myria 03:43, 7 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Kittens can be neutered very early on--as early as 7 weeks. Neutering changes the cat's personality somewhat--but usually towards the more social end of the spectrum. Theire face will not be as full because the removal of the testicles stems the flow of hormones, which cause the thickening of the face as well as spraying, roaming, and related behaviors. Both neutering and spaying early in life help prevent later diseases such as related cancers, not to mention stopping the risk of adding to the alrady overpopulated pet world. Also, kittens do not need to experience a heat cycle or the birth of their own kittens before being spayed.--smags 14:17 PST Oct 24, 2004

Miaow, miaou, meow

I am puzzled: Why is the Icelandic translation of "meow" on this page? It's nice and all, but why not French ("miaou") or any of a thousand other languages? Andrew 07:22, Apr 8, 2004 (UTC)

Why not link to meow at Wiktionary? :) G-u-a-k-@ 19:54, 25 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Classification

The classification of the cat is very confusing. I think domesticus is a synonym for catus but I am not entirely sure. Any comments? Bensaccount 16:38, 4 May 2004 (UTC)

Yes, it's the same. Felis catus is the original species name used for the house cat by Linnaeus, and "domesticus" is a name that's commonly used for domesticated forms of a species, so they both denote the same thing. --Chl 23:13, 9 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Felis silvestris catus vs. Felis silvestris domesticus

For what it's worth, Google finds 2120 references to Felis silvestris catus, but only 18 for Felis silvestris domesticus. From that it appears that catus is by far the most widely used name. --Mmm 07:06, May 5, 2004 (UTC)

When cats are prey

The article says: "In desperate times, people have been known to resort to cooking and eating cats, as occurred in Argentina in 1996". I'm argentine. I never ate a cat. My family, my friends, my relatives, never ate cats. I had 6 cats in my house. When you say "people.... in Argentina", you are saying that all the argentines have been eaten cats. And this is not a truth. I'm sorry but that is offensive. My nick is LadyInGrey and I am from Wikipedia in Spanish.

The article treats it as a specific, one-time incident of desperation, not a generalized happening. There is no implication in that article that Argentines eat cats. —Lowellian (talk)[[]] 05:58, Oct 31, 2004 (UTC)

Yes, agree with Lowellian; this is one example only; I do not find the reference generalized or stereotypical and therefore I do not think it is offensive. Quill 21:46, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Cats and dogs

Article could benefit from some information on how cats interact with other pets, especially dogs, since it is fairly common to have cats and dogs (and possibly other pets) together in one household. —Lowellian (talk)[[]] 05:56, Oct 31, 2004 (UTC)