Posted on 10/22/2013 12:43:23 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows
Think black cats are bad luck? Think again!
The black coat of these fortuitous felines is an indication of melanism, the opposite of albinism. Of the 37 felidae species, 11 express the gene mutation that results in an ebony coat and yellow eyes. Outside of cats, however, melanism is rather rare.
In addition to giving them a striking color, melanism is believed to provide superior camouflage to the cats making them harder for their prey to detect. Developing research also suggests that the mutation confers resistance to pathogens, meaning black cats stay healthier.
Combined, these two advantages provide a significant evolutionary advantage over their different-colored cousins, meaning they survive longer and pass the genes for a black coat to their offspring.
These new discoveries prove that black cats don’t have bad luck at all! Classic black turns out to be the color of choice for felines born lucky.
Daphne just keeping the bed warm for me. She doesn't sleep on the bed during the night but will occasionally lay at my feel while I nap.
I had a black cat, Charlie, he was mostly very friendly but had a short temper. I was bitten and scratched many times during his 13 year life. He was lucky that I ended up with him, most people would not have tolerated the repeated temper attacks. He also did not know the difference between fighting and playing. Most cats will go easy on you when you are playing with them but with Charlie he was “balls out” all the time.
He was a great cat though. He used to sit on the piano bench with me and paw the keys when I was playing. He knew how to open cupboards and sometimes when I came home all of the ones he could reach were opened.
During his last days I had to hydrate him by sticking a needle under the skin of his back and draining water into him. He took that very well. I was surprised. No temper flareup at all. Maybe he knew it was needed.
Plop! That is too funny.
I am continually amazed at how my cats are able to judge the correct amount of energy for whatever jump they are planning although I have seen them mess up and then they look around to see if anyone saw them.
I'm very sorry to hear of your kitteh but I've had to go through that procedure as well and it's like the kitteh or dog knows it's for their own good. I have to give our cat weekly b12 injections and he takes them easily too.
I don't know what it is about kittehs but when you are petting or grooming them they can go from purring love machine to killing machine in an eye blink. I've got a cat that if he weighed a hundred pounds, I would be in trouble. I don't know what flips that switch but it cracks me up when they go through that disemboweling motion with their back legs. I've found that if they try to bite, I just stick my finger in their mouth between their canines, they can't bite down.
Aren’t our feline critters funny! It looks as if the moggie thought the poofy red pillow was a laser dot....and was capturing it with her whole being. :D
Go BIG or go home!
Our daughter has a black cat with a bobbed tail rescued from New Orleans after Katrina. I think he’s a spirit cat.
Our black cat can’t walk by a ladder without climbing it to see what’s at the top. Doesn’t matter if it’s 8 ft, 16 ft or even our 20 ft ladder; if I leave it leaning up against anything, he’ll be up there looking around. Even more impressive is watching him come down head-first.
You have posted a picture of Lucas Prince of Darkness! Bryan even remarked that your gif looks just like him.
And he is quite a talker, as well.
Kittehs love heights. If I use a ladder to get into the attic, I have to move it or they go to the top and I’m afraid they’ll make the jump to get up there. If I’m inside the attic, I have to put the cover loosely on so they don’t join me too.
On our second floor, the stairs have a wide rail at top and it scares me when I see them jump without care onto the top. My wife thinks we should put something up there to stop them, we just haven’t figured out what to put up there.
[smiles to you, too]
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