7 cat myths and their explanations: we’ll also discuss milk drinking

Myth 2: Cats cannot be trained

In reality, cats can be trained just as well as dogs, although the motivation differs between the two pets. While a dog may learn solely for the attention and praise of its human, cats are most motivated by food. Teaching them requires a longer process as their attention needs to be continually captivated. The reason why owners spend less time training cats can be explained practically: while a cat, as an excellent hunter, naturally performs household duties (such as pest control) without any training, a dog’s abilities are mostly harnessed through training.

Nevertheless, training can make your cat’s life easier. Firstly, spending time with them strengthens the bond between you, which is essential for the animal’s mental well-being. Secondly, teaching them, for example, to use a carrier, can reduce stress during travel.

Myth 3: Curiosity killed the cat

The saying goes that a cat’s curiosity is so strong that it will risk its life for exploration (which likely led to the belief that they have 9, or sometimes 7, lives). However, the reality is that the level of adventurousness varies from cat to cat. During mating season, their instincts may indeed lead them to take risks. Courage can be advantageous for a cat, for example, if they are the first to secure food. But it can also lead to their demise, as they are both predators and prey. Hence, caution can also be beneficial.

According to Science Focus, the earliest record of this saying dates back to the 16th century when it was phrased as “care killed the cat,” with “care” meaning worry and stress. It’s interesting that this phenomenon, which still holds true today, was noticed back then. Cats are very intolerant to stress, which can manifest in physical ailments like bladder or skin inflammation. Therefore, it’s crucial to provide a stress-free environment for your purring companion.

Myth 4: Cats are domesticated animals

Myth 5: Cats know what their owners are thinking

Scientists have long been interested in whether animals, besides humans, are aware that another being also thinks. While this is an integral part of our communication and our understanding of our fellow humans, it works differently for our pets. Based on observations, dogs can assess whether another dog understood their signals and can modify their behavior accordingly, but this cannot be equated with our thought process. The same goes for cats; they don’t read our minds.

However, our pets can read us, that is, they can interpret various physical and physiological signals from us! Is this contradictory? No, it’s not about mind-reading but decoding different physical and physiological signs. Our emotional changes affect our hormonal processes, so if we’re stressed or anxious, it can be deduced from our sweat or breath. Our body language and vocal tone also speak volumes. In this sense, animals can indeed read us.

Myth 6: Dogs have a more sensitive sense of smell than cats

Myth 7: The origin of domestic cats can be traced back to ancient Egypt

It’s still true that based on archaeological evidence, the earliest domestic cats indeed come from Egypt, specifically around 4000 years ago, but the latest research on cat DNA pushed this story back by about 5000 years.

Dr. Carlos Driscoll and his colleagues at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, examined the mitochondrial DNA of hundreds of domestic and wild cats. They concluded that domestic cats diverged from the African wildcat Felis silvestris lybica not 4000 but 10,000 years ago. After this, domestic cats spread from their place of origin throughout the Near East and North Africa. Occasionally, they interbred with wildcats while gradually becoming more distinct from them, especially concerning their tamability.

The exact location of this place of origin is still uncertain: the DNA of today’s wildcats from that region should be very similar to that of domestic cats worldwide, but due to the prevailing political situation in the region, it has not been possible to collect enough samples to determine this.

It seems, therefore, that domestication of cats did not occur in a single event in Egypt but rather gradually over thousands of years from wildcats. Over time, they became increasingly domesticated while retaining their hunting abilities, which proved invaluable in keeping food stores free from rats and mice.