Sunday, September 27, 2009

Cats In The Lives of Famous People

By Robert Jizawa

For centuries we have been enthralled and entranced by felines. The ancient Egyptians are credited with being the first to domesticate cats; after this, they were bred and carried abroad by travelers who knew that they were perfect for companionship and as exotic beauties.

Cats have been a source of inspiration for writers and artists--one has only to look at the Broadway musical "Cats" for evidence of this.

Tolstoy even told the tale of a cat who was critical to his story "Master and Margarita"; Sir Winston Churchill firmly believed that cats were important companions and always had his pal Jock in the room when meals were to commence.

Sir Isaac Newton created the cat door, or cat flap, so that his feline friends could come and go as they wished without letting too much light into his laboratory. Even though this device was invented in the 17th century, it is still in demand as the preferred way to allow a cat to have his freedom and access to the house at the same time.

The gifted inventor Nikola Tesla first wondered about electricity as a young child while petting his cat Macak. The repeated contact of his hand with the cat's fur produced sparks, which led Tesla to make astonishing discoveries in the realm of mechanical and electrical engineering!

The elegance of cat's movements, their soothing purr and beautiful eyes make everyone appreciate them. Now, there are lots of "Cat Lovers" clubs, fancy grooming salons and cat clothing lines. Cats are appreciated by their owners so much that they have been known to go on shopping sprees just for their cats and buy things such as the frontline for cats.

However cats are not only pleasant to the eye they also have certain therapeutic virtues. According to a study published in 2002 by professors Allen K, Blascovich J, Mendes WB, of the State University of New York , contact with cats can help lower high blood pressure. In their article entitled "Cardiovascular reactivity and the presence of pets, friends, and spouses: the truth about cats and dogs", they provide evidence on the way cats help moderate reaction to stress and improve one's health.

One of the reasons cats are so popular in North America is that they're low maintenance pets. There are more than 82 million domesticated cats in the United States according to a 2007 study conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Wikipedia states that cats typically live longer if they live exclusively indoors. They are less likely to come in contact with diseases and bacteria, are protected from cat fight injuries and are not susceptible to being hit by a car. Whether or not to have an indoor cat is a personal decision that depends on different factors. You definitely need to love your cat. Cats we adopt are our responsibility. We need to never let them down.

"Time spend with cats is never wasted" - Sigmund Freud.

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