Interpret Your Cat

The bond in those early days was probably every bit as strong as it is today - cat-owners would even shave off their eyebrows as a sign of respect and mourning when a cherished pet died. A cult worshiping cats in all their guises became established in ancient Egypt and lasted for some 2,000 years.

The subsequent relationship between cats and people was not always so straightforward, since the nocturnal nature of the cat led to links with the occult in the fifteenth century. However, by the 1700s the cat’s rehabilitation was largely complete. Cats have since provided inspiration for both artists and writers, fascinated by the form and character of these remarkable creatures. On a basic level, domestic cats retain many of the attributes that make their wild relatives such effective hunters. They possess a formidable array of senses, combined with natural athletic prowess and remarkable coordination. Despite this, they are quite content to share our homes - and the fact that we know they could survive quite well on their own without us, but actively choose to remain, makes the relationship more meaningful.

In the past, domestic cats regularly had to roam and hunt for their own food outdoors. Prepared cat foods are a relatively recent development, dating back less than a century.


Cats can form a strong bond with their owners, particularly if they are obtained as kittens.

The cat then rushed off through the surrounding fields, telling the workers that - on pain of death - they were to say that the Marquis of Carabas owned all the land. Soon the cat reached a nearby castle, the home of an ogre. The ogre could change form and immediately became a fearsome lion to scare his visitor. The cat responded by saying he had heard the ogre was unable to make himself smaller, suggesting that he should change himself into a rat or mouse to prove this was untrue. When the ogre foolishly did so, the cat pounced and ate the rodent, just before the royal procession reached the castle. The cat welcomed the royal party to the Marquis’s castle, and the Marquis and the Princess were married and lived happily ever after

As the Renaissance dawned, followed by an age of Enlightenment, the active persecution of cats by the authorities began to cease in Europe. Cats were once again seen only as members of the animal kingdom with adept senses, rather than being regarded as the possessors of supernatural powers. This becomes clear from portrayals of cats in art during this period. As early as the 1500s, the famous Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci drew amazing behavioral studies of cats, showing them grooming themselves and playing naturally - rather than using the image of a cat as a symbol. Gradually, across Europe, artists began to incorporate cats into scenes of domestic life, confirming the cat’s public rehabilitation.
The era of the specialist cat painter dawned in 1800s. Typical of this genre is the work of Swiss feline artists Gottfried Mind and Henriette Ronner. Ronner’s work was especially realistic, because she placed great emphasis on the anatomical characteristics of her subject, developing a photo-realistic approach.
Cats soon became popular subjects on calendars and greetings cards, and cute cats appeared on chocolate box lids. This gave rise to an increasingly anthropomorphic view of cats in art as the century drew to a close, which is best seen in the rise of the Catland movement.
As the postal service developed, picture post cards became the fashionable way to communicate and Catland cards provided a novel and amusing way for people to keep in touch. Catland was a world populated entirely by cats, with human characteristics and dress sense - this style of greeting card, in which cats are shown as people, can still be found today.

This app includes:

Contents

Introduction

How to Bond with Your Cat



Touch and Healing



Talk with Your Cat



Super Sense



How to Live with Your Cat



Your Cat’s Sixth Sense



Cat Behavior A to Z