By Obiabin Onukwugha and Ngozi Eyeh
The cat is a domesticated species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae. They are known for their agility, flexibility, and independent nature.
Called “Busi” in Hausa, this carnivorous domestic mammal, are known for their low maintenance lifestyle and ability to provide companionship and comfort to their owners.
Busi communicates in a variety of ways including vocalizations (mewing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting). They also use body language such as swinging of tail to communicate.
Reports say the cat’s brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog’s and that both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions.
It is also said that a cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph (49 km) over a short distance and can jump up to five times its own height in a single bound.
The cat, known to Yorubas as “Olongbo”, has may interesting and mysterious stories around it.
According to reports, a cat named Stubbs, was once mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, for a period of 15 years. Though the story has been debunked in some quarters, Stubbs reportedly lived 20 human and 96 cat years, (April 12, 1997-July 21, 2017) and has been described as a tourist attraction.
One interesting and popular story about the “Olongbo”, is that of “who will Bell the Cat” by Aesop’s Fables Greek.
In this particular story, a group of mice held a meeting as to what they can do to prevent the housecat from sneaking up on them. During the meeting, the mice deliberated on a decision they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat.
Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case. “You will all agree,” said he, “that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us.
Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighborhood,” said the young mice.
This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse got up and said: “That is all very well, but who is to bell the Cat?”
The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said: “It is easy to propose impossible remedies.”
This story, tallies with a popular saying that what an elder sees sitting down, a child cannot see even if he climbs the tallest Iroko tree. It also talks of the danger involved in taking some risks.
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Also called “Nwamgba” by the Igbos, the cat has some mysterious and mystical stories around it.
In some traditional societies where witchcraft is practised, it is believed that witches and wizards can transform into a cat to attack their enemy. With this a lot of persons are allergic to cats.
Also when a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would mourn by shaving off their eyebrows. They also held elaborate funerals during which they drank wine and beat their breasts.
The life span of a cat is between 12 to 18 years. On average, “Nwamgba” spend 2/3 hours of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life. Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth.
Cats can benefit the environment by controlling rodent populations, which helps to manage potential disease spread. Additionally, some argue that the presence of cats can help to control certain pest populations, which can indirectly benefit local ecosystems.
The carbon footprint of cats, according to researchers, is considerably smaller than that of dogs, thus making them ideal pets for the environmentally conscious animal lover. A 2017 study estimated that 1,000 cats produce around 962.5 tons of carbon dioxide each year.
However, it is essential to balance these benefits with the potential impact of cats on native wildlife, as they can sometimes pose a threat to local bird populations.
While cats can be affectionate, playful, comforting, and relatively low-maintenance, but they can also scratch up your couch, shed hairs over your carpet, and urinate or defecate inside your home.
Cats are said to also ovulate like humans in child-bearing process with ovulation occuring within 20 to 50 hours after mating. After mating the eggs are fertilized in the oviduct, and then make their way to the uterus via the uterine horn, implanting in the uterine lining within approximately 12 to 13 days.
The process is called Estrus, which is the period of receptivity to mating and is linked with the production of estradiol (a type of estrogen) produced by ovarian follicles. Unlike dogs, cats that are in heat rarely experience observable vulvar swelling or discharge.
Female cats known as the Queen are induced ovulators, which means that ovulation does not take place without mating or similar stimulation. If the female cat does not mate during estrus, hormonal levels will eventually drop off, and the estrous cycle will repeat itself in another two to three weeks.
During mating the queen will signal her willingness to mate with a unique posture: chest down, forelegs bent, rear quarters raised with the tail to the side to expose the vulva ( this posture is called lordosis). Her rear legs may tread rhythmically as if walking in place.
The tomcat then mounts the female from the rear, often holding her on the back of the neck with his teeth and insert through her vulva.
Male cats have barbed genitals, and upon withdrawal, the female cat will often scream. It is believed that the barbed genitals stimulates ovulation.
Although female cats generally mature sexually by six months, it can also start the estrous cycle as early as four months.
