Cat History

Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/ 

Here's your outdoor tip on the history of the domestic cat—and many of the cats that continue to live in our outdoors.  One hundred years ago there were very few cats that lived inside.  There is no universal agreement as to when cats became indoor species living in the homes of people.  We do know that for more than 10,000 years cats have lived outdoors sharing their habitat with wild creatures, and millions of feral cats continue to live outdoors today.  It is an accurate statement to say that cats continue to be prolific inhabitants of the outdoors in many parts of the world.

Human civilization and domestic cats co-evolved, but the feral cat population was not created by humans.  Cats are not new to the outdoors and did not originate from lost pets or negligent pet owners.  The have had a place in the natural landscape beginning in early times.

Evidence of domesticated cats was found on the Greek island of Cyprus where several animal species were introduced by 7500 BC.  At one of the early sites a sculpted head of what looks like a combined human-cat being was found. Some argue that there might have been some domestication of the cat in Egypt.  One of the developments in the ancient Fertile Crescent region where human civilization developed was agriculture.  Where people stored their grain rodents were attracted.  It is thought the Middle Eastern wildcats preyed on rodents around these early towns scavenging the garbage around developing human societies—the predecessors of feral cats today.

A new species of cats evolved over thousands of years ago as it naturally made its home around people.  Today, pet, stray and feral cats belong to this species of domestic cat.  Cats formed mutually beneficial relationships with people and many say domesticated themselves.  Valuable on ships as mousers , cats traveled around the globe.  Cats continued their service as mousers throughout history even serving as employees of the US Postal Service in early America.  Toward the end of the 19^th century, Americans began to keep cats for company and utility.  The first cat show was in 1895 in Madison Square Garden.  Cats were accepted as household pets by the end of World War I.  Back in Calvin Coolidge’s day no one considered confining a cat indoors—even the President of the United States.

The development of middle class families greatly changed the role of felines in society.  Cats were no longer seen just a rodent wranglers and started to fill a companion role.  Very recently they have replaced dogs as the most common companion animal in the United States.  Unfortunately, even with their appreciation as pets, research shows that cats are less likely to be taken to the veterinarian, provided with proper identification, kept indoors where they will be safe, and not running wild creating damage in neighborhoods. 

Unlike the dog, the cat’s evolution did not have close oversight by human partners.  Cats did not have the extended genetic selection that produced specialized breeds of dogs for hunting, herding, or protection work.  Because of this cats have retained much of their original feline behaviors.  Also, exosts the mistaken impression that cats can exist on their own without human support.

Cats have adapted to our lives independent of the dominating need to work for us.  People remain divided into dog people and cat people, but both groups appreciate having a pet in the home. Pets are thought to have psychological benefits to humans today as we face the stress of society.  And fortunately or not, depending on your perspective, cats are still abundant in our outdoor environment.

 

This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/

Additional outdoor tips can be received by subscribing to the Outdoor Professor Tips on iTunes or Stitcher.  If you enjoy outdoor tips, you’ll also find an e-book at Amazon.com with a collection of the Outdoor Professor Tips.

 

References-Additional Reading

The Natural History of the Cat
http://www.alleycat.org/CatHistory

Cat History
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/cat-history

Cat History and Domestication
http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/cat.htm

Nature Quotient.
eBook @Amazon.com

Outdoor Professor’s Tips: Exploring the Wonders of Nature
eBook @Amazon.com

 

 

Check out this episode!

Water Hyacinths

 

Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/ 

Here's your outdoor tip on water hyacinths.  You often see these floating perennial plants in backwater areas or along the edges of rivers or ponds.  They display their light blue to violet flowers on terminal spikes coming out of the plant. The average person often sees these beautiful plants as a pleasant addition to our waterways. Unfortunately, many people find water hyacinths as a destructive invasive species.

It is thought that the history of the water hyacinth in the United States dates back to before 1880 in Brazil.  In 1882, the National Cotton Planters Association planned a centennial exposition to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the cotton industry.  New Orleans was chosen for the event and the city was decorated as never before with December 16, 1884 being the opening day of the exposition. The Exposition built Horticultural Hall, the largest greenhouse in the world.  It remained in use on the site until it was destroyed in a 1915 hurricane. More than one million visitors attended the exposition and the water hyacinth captured the interest of many of the attendees.

The beauty of the hyacinth soon carried it to Florida and it spread throughout the Southern United States.  It was quick to naturalize in many southern states.  Fast forward to today, and the water hyacinth is considered a noxious weed and one of the worst aquatic plants.  It’s illegal to export or import them into several states.  They grow so quickly that they block waterways and are difficult to control.

The water hyacinth is generally described as a free-floating perennial plant that can grow as high as three feet.  Its dark green leaves are circular to elliptical and attached to a spongy inflated petiole.  Underneath the water the plant has a thick dark fibrous root system.  Blue to violet flowers are seen on terminal spikes coming from the plants. They have a yellow eye on one petal and last about one day—but will bloom throughout the season. It is an aggressive invader and can form thick mats that cover can cover the entire surface of an area of water depleting oxygen and killing the fish.  Hyacinths must be controlled so they do not cover the entire area of a body of water.

On the positive side, water hyacinths bear leathery foliage that helps to provide shade and the roots provide filtration, a spawning area for the fish, and absorb nutrients from the water, helping to reduce algae. It’s also an excellent water clarifier. An excellent habitat for many micro and macro invertebrates is provided underneath these plants.  These creatures in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife such as amphibians and ducks.  After they die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provide food form aquatic invertebrates.  Makes the plants sound helpful and beneficial—but unfortunately, the water hyacinth is a good example of “too much of a good thing, however.  It is easy for them to get out of control and take over a body of water making it inhabitable for other life forms. The actual water hyacinth plant in itself has no known food value to wildlife.

Don’t confuse the water hyacinth with another tropical floating-leaved plant, called water lettuce.  Water lettuce doesn't have showy flowers and has large ribbed leaves. It is much less cold-tolerant and is not able to survive in cold climates

Remember the characteristics of the water hyacinth:

    They are floating plants with round to oval, shiny green leaves

    Leaves are held upright and can act like sails moving the plant on the surface of the water

    The leaf stalk is thick and spongy keeping the plant buoyant

    A mass of fine roots hang underneath the plant

    The flowers are large (2-3 inches) blue-purple or lilac in color with a yellow spot

So when you see water hyacinths in the outdoors, you can recognize their attractiveness, but remember their beauty is deceiving and they can be invasive, destructive plans destroying the nature environment of an area.

 

This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/

Additional outdoor tips can be received by subscribing to the Outdoor Professor Tips on iTunes or Stitcher.  If you enjoy outdoor tips, you’ll also find an e-book at Amazon.com with a collection of the Outdoor Professor Tips.

 

References-Additional Reading

Water Hyacinth
http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/water-hyacinth/

Non-native Invasive Freshwater Plants
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/hyacinth.html

Harmful Aquatic Hitchhikers: Plants: Water Hyacinth
http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhikers/plants_water_hyacinth.php

Nature Quotient.
eBook @Amazon.com

Outdoor Professor’s Tips: Exploring the Wonders of Nature
eBook @Amazon.com

Check out this episode!