CAT LITTER HOW DID IT START?

The Scoop on Litter
Before the advent of kitty litter, cat boxes were filled with newspapers. Entrepreneur George Plitt came up with the idea of packaging ashes from burned wood for cats to use. The cat litter industry had its birth one day in 1947 when one of Edward Lowe's neighbors who was tired of dealing with sooty paw prints, asked for some sand. Edward's father owned an industrial absorbents company in Cassopolis, Michigan so instead of sand, Lowe suggested using absorbent clay. The neighbor loved the product and soon returned for more. READ MORE; http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/housesoiling/the_scoop_on_litter.html

IS MY KITTEN / CAT A MALE OR FEMALE ?

Determining the sex of a kitten may be difficult especially before about 8 weeks of age. The male and the female kitten's genitalia look remarkably similar. If kittens of both sexes are available to compare, it makes the process easier and more likely to be correct. In the male kitten, the scrotum is located below the anus and above the back of the hind legs. The testicles are descended into the scrotum presumably at the time of birth. READ MORE @ PET EDUCATION http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1388&articleid=923

HOW OLD IS A CAT IN HUMAN YEARS? CAT AGE CHART

Cat's Age Human's Age

6 months 10 years
8 months 13 years
1 year 15 years
2 years 24 years
4 years 40 years
8 years 48 years
12 years 64 years
14 years 72 years
16 years 80 years
18 years 88 years
20 years 96 years
21 years 100 years

It was once thought that 1 year in the life of a cat was equivalent to 7 years of a human life. Recently, a new scale has been accepted: after the first 2 years, the cat's life proceeds more slowly in relation to human life and each feline year is approximately 4 human years. The general consensus is that at about age 7 a cat can be considered "middle-aged," and age 10 and beyond "old."

WHY DOES A CAT HAVE WHISKERS

Why do cats have whiskers?
Also known as "tactile hairs" or vibrissae, whiskers are the long, thick, flexible hairs on a cat's face. These hairs are located in horizontal rows on the whisker pad, the puffy area between the top corners of your cat's mouth and the outer edges of his nose. Whiskers, like hair and nails, do fall out and are replaced. But whiskers are different from the cat's body hair in a few ways:
Whiskers should never be cut or trimmed (we'll discuss why later).
Whiskers are two to three times thicker than the cat's hair.
Whiskers are rooted very deep in the cat's face, in an area rich in nerves and blood vessels. In addition to having the long tactile hairs on their cheeks, cats also have shorter ones above their eyebrows, on their chin and on the back of their front legs. Since we are most familiar with facial whiskers, let's look at what they are good for:
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Mood indication
Measuring an opening Whiskers help the cat feel his way around. Whiskers are so sensitive that they can detect the slightest directional change in a breeze. At night, for example, this helps a cat slink its way through a room and not bump into anything. How? The air currents in the room change depending on where pieces of furniture are located. As the cat walks through the room and approaches the couch, he'll know which direction to turn based on the change in air current around the couch.
In addition to having sensory properties, a cat's whiskers are also a good indicator of his mood. When a cat is angry or feels defensive, the whiskers will be pulled back. Otherwise, when the cat is happy, curious or content, the whiskers will be more relaxed and pushed forward.
But the whisker's primary use is to help a cat judge whether or not he'll fit through an opening. A cat's whiskers are roughly as wide as his body -- sort of a natural ruler. The whisker tips are sensitive to pressure. You'll probably see a cat stick his head in and out of an opening before he puts his body in. He's judging the width of the opening, and is determining if he can fit into it. An interesting note: cats don't have a true collar bone, like humans. This allows them to turn and twist their way through very narrow openings