Cats: Caressing the Tiger

They're independent;

they're affectionate;

they're loyal; they're beautiful;

they're sagacious; they're mysterious;

they're ineffable; they're inscrutable.

Cats are magic.

They really are magic.

Probably the most mysterious

creatures in the world.

They're also very vicious;

they're very cruel things.

That's another thing

I like about them

their ability to be

one thing and then another.

The domestic cat harbors

a sort of split personality.

Within even the most demure pussycat

lurks a creature of the wild.

Even after thousands of years,

we still know little about

the behavior of domestic cats.

Now, scientists and laymen alike

attempt to understand them to

demystify this elusive feline.

For them, the domestic cat is

every bit as intriguing to study

as the lion or the tiger.

To share one's life with a cat is to

invite a bit of wildness indoors.

Perhaps the writer was correct

when he philosophized:

"God made the cat that man might have

the pleasure of caressing the tiger."

Today, the Western world enjoys

an unparalleled love affair

between man and beast.

Cat coming through.

The cat now surpasses the dog

as the number one pet,

and annually we spend more on cat food

than on baby food.

On any weekend proud owners

display their pampered pets

to thousands of fellow enthusiasts.

Some three dozen breeds

compete longhairs, shorthairs,

and some that seem to have no hair.

There are nearly 58 million pet cats

in the United States alone.

While many are common alley

cats of little monetary value,

some exotic breeds sell

for as much as $3,000.

And, although many people

dislike and distrust cats,

a far greater number adore

and indulge them.

Keeping cats and their owners happy

has become a major industry.

It's extremely durable

It's synthetic fur.

Look at the beads in the middle there.

You see the beads?

Oh, yeah.

Okay, listen.

You hear that little scratchy sound?

Drives the cats crazy. They love it.

This is one of our kitty condos.

We have a birthing area

or a litter area.

Kitty pan comes down on the bottom.

It's made of solid0-wood construction

stain-resistant carpeting...

The cat, as you can see

has a tubular body;

everything is in line.

It's got the long body

the long tail,

the long head to go with

the rest of the body.

Long bones.

The people keep it in wonderful

condition, because he's very muscular.

He's not skinny at all; he's just

slim and hard like an athlete.

Like a specter floating from the

mists of prehistory

into the shadows of modern times,

two species of wildcats still prowl

parts of Africa and Europe.

Presumed to be the ancestors

of today's house cat,

they even look like tabbies.

But wildcats are fierce and formidable

animals, in no way tame.

In ancient times many became tame

when farmers fed and sheltered them

as valued rodent killers.

The farmers were Egyptian.

The time more than 3,000 years ago.

The cat became adored

and revered in Egypt.

Never since has the cat's honored role

been matched anywhere in the world.

One goddess in the form of a cat

symbolized pleasure,

fertility, and maternity.

Cats were also associated with the

deity believed to start the sun

on its daily course

and one who symbolized life itself.

The Brooklyn Museum maintains one of

the world's finest Egyptian collections

Its curator is archeologist

Richard Fazzini.

He divides his time between

ancient ruins and ancient artifacts.

Prized in any such collection

is a cat mummy,

embalmed as were the

ancient pharaohs themselves.

This pussycat has been

this way since,

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