Mau Mew

This is a first for me. A hedge trimmed in the shape of a cat with a rat in the mouth! The rat seems to have been just placed there. If you can find it, it is at Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America. The house owner is a cat lover of course. I'd bet she was middle-aged and really nice and smart.. the typical cat lover profile. Cat Hedge - Photo by Lance McCord on Flickr As allowed under the creative commons license I have (I believe!) improved the image a little bit by reducing the contrast, reducing the brightness of the highlights and filling in the shadows a bit to try and eliminate a feeling that the hedge is in an overly lit hotspot. This cat seems to be quite aloof. I am not sure that that was intentional. The eyes seem to be shut and the head thrown back a bit as if so say. "humans...those silly creatures..". Update : Just found this picture from Mary Pratt in Devon, UK:

The brightest emerald color cat eyes that I have seen. Sorry the picture quality is not great. It is a close up and the photographer, a veterinarian or vet tech, probably forgot that the camera could not focus that close. I don't think it matters that much and it may even help as it throws into focus the unusual color of this cat's eyes. This is a straight photograph. There is no post-editing of any kind as far as I am aware to enhance the colors. I added the pictures of the uncut emerald stone as reference and lightened the picture a fraction. Grey cat emerald eyes. Photo Nottingham Vet School on Flickr This cat was at a UK vet's clinic. I have no idea what he or she was in for. The fur color is grey (gray in the USA) and called "blue" in the cat fancy. The face is that of of blue British SH or Chartreux . But the cat might well be random bred. Anyway the Chartreux is rare and has copper/orange colored eyes under the standard. The eye color of the

This photograph by Jo and Paul on Flickr, shows us very graphically the difference in size between the predator, the domestic cat and the prey, the little mouse. It is not always the case that the predator is so dominant in terms of size. Think about the large wildcats, especially. Both the lion and tiger can and do take on prey that is many times larger than them. Lions will tackle Cape buffalo weighing 600 - 900 kilograms, while the average weight of tiger kills in Nagarahole National Park in India was 401 kilograms 1 . That is heavier than the heaviest tiger. However from the standpoint of survival the wildcat will prey on animals that offer the least resistance and chance of being injured during the attack. The serval is much like the domestic cat in preying on rodents in long grass using hearing as a major form of prey detection (servals have notably large ears). The domestic cat has it easy. The mouse is the perfect meal for the domestic cat . Sometimes cats play with a

This is handsome Ramses. He has a classic, bright, blue eyed Ragdoll appearance. He looks astonished, slightly...The diamond blue eyes are a strong feature of this cat. The history of this cat breed is vague, opaque even, but the eyes are clear. The placement of the white on the particolor point is subject to a lot of restrictions under the breed standard. In the cat fancy, "particolor" means colors and patterns that come with white. Curious Ragdoll - Photo copyright Giane Portal . The Ragdoll is in the top 5 most popular breeds under a long term poll of 4,500 votes that I have run . You can see why. This is a large, docile cat noted for his or her tendency to go floppy when picked up. And the coat is stunning. Do Ragdolls really go floppy? I don't believe that - unless someone leaves a comment to the contrary. They would be better described as docile cats with even temperaments although individual cats won't even be that. We are told that they are not

28th April 2012 : The most up-to-date world's fattest cat? Perhaps - at 39.10 lbs he almost equals the world's fattest cat of 1950 - Clauz (39.7 lbs). His name is "Meow"! Imaginative name that. And the former "owner" said that he was a fit kitten until he "suddenly ballooned"! Do you sense a slight abdication of responsibility for the proper caretaking of this cat? Like...what food did you feed him with..and how often? Meow, bless him, is 2 years old. I think he has been eating non-stop since he was born. Maybe he has a medical condition but I doubt that. I have never seen or read about a cat health problem that results in the domestic cat ballooning to 39 lbs in 2 years all on his own. He is now on a diet and is no longer 39 lbs - he lost 2 already.... Here he is, Mr. Meow at 39.10 pounds. I can't embed the video so I made a screenshot still image instead. I hope that is OK. You can see the original story here . How does Meow square

A very clear, clean picture of a cat's ingrowing claw. You can see how the claw has grown into the paw pad. Cats tend to tolerate this despite the discomfort. This can happen quite easily in cats that are inactive and/or full-time indoor cats. Older cats are particularly susceptible even if they do go outside because of a much reduced activity level. This means that the claw is not worn down naturally during use. The claws of a cat's polydactyl thumbs are sometimes not worn down as they are off the ground and need to be trimmed and not surgically removed, please. The moral is to check a cat's claws from time to time and trim them when necessary . I realised that my old cat had a claw problem when I heard the claws clattering against a hard floor. This indicated to me that at least one claw was too long. A cat's claws retract and don't make contact with hard surfaces if the cat is walking normally over the surface. Teeth and claws need to be checked routinely! Y

Cats and bicycles go together! They look very together in this picture by Bob Hanson. Perhaps the harmony comes from the nice composition and perhaps the harmony comes from the fact that the kind of person who has a cat companion is more likely to have a bike. Four cats and four bikes - Photo copyright Bob Hanson Bob rescued the four cats and he acquired the vintage bikes. He says that the four cats are a mother (far left) and her three sons. They were abandoned by a neighbor who moved home and simply left them behind in mid-winter. That, I am afraid to say, is not particularly unusual. I rescued my late lady cat, Binnie , in exactly the same way in London. Bob had them spayed and neutered and he says cats have always been part of his life. He sees them as companions not "pets". That's what we like to hear.  It is the only way to relate to a cat and respect the cat. Bikes are more likely, I would argue, to be owned by independently minded, intelligent people. T

A very clear picture of a feline oral resorptive lesion and periodontal disease plus gingivitis . In short, multiple feline oral health problems. A feline oral resorptive lesion (FOTL) is damage to the tooth itself in which at the least serious end of the spectrum involves the enamel being "barely" penetrated to loss of the "entire crown" of the tooth in the more serious cases 1 . Please click on the link below to see the image. I can't show it here because advertisers don't like it as it is little difficult to look at. Feline oral resorptive lesion, gingivitis, periodontal disease Photo copyright; Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic Twenty-eight to sixty-seven percent of adult cats suffer from feline oral resorptive lesions 1 . The premolars and molars are normally affected but other teeth can be affected. Loss of the outer layer of enamel probably means pain for the cat. Sometimes cats chatter their jaws due to the pain. Some will lose appetite due to d

The degree of stress suffered by a cat can be a measure of the welfare of that cat. As it is cat caretakers who create the environment that dictates a cat's level of stress or relaxation, the amount of stress in a cat could also be a measure of our cat caretaking skills. Just moved! Photo debcha (Flickr) However,  cat stress is an individual thing and dependent on cat personality . There are bold, dominant cats and shy subordinate cats . The former is less likely to be stressed. There are a wide range of potential stressors in the domestic cat environment such as lack of socialisation and confinement in an area that is too small for the cat to express innate drives. Stressed cats will tend to hide (see picture). We see this when we move home. A house move puts our cat into a strange environment. We get stressed too. Purring is not a an accurate measure of stress or relaxation as it occurs under a wide range of circumstances. A cat that is very vigilant and who sleeps

A picture of an offensive or defensive feline posture? I will leave it to you to decide if this strong and capable looking domestic tabby cat is showing us an offensive threat posture or a defensive threat posture. Comments would help. The obvious answer is that the posture cannot be an offensive threat because the cat is cornered by a large dog. Offensive/Defensive feline posture - Photo by Demond Handy on Flickr However, this cat does not look overly defensive to me and the dog is quite passive, not knowing what to do next. The pupils of the cat's eyes are not dilated but constricted. Dilated pupils indicate a defensive threat posture. He is looking at the dog and looks calm and not fearful and ready to defend himself. Perhaps his behavior is between defense and attack. Offensive threat posture A cat shows: hairs raised along back (piloerection); back legs extended; ears drawn back (to protect them); cat looks directly at the opponent; pupils are constricted;

The vocal repertoire of the jaguarundi is "totally different from other felines". Perhaps this is not surprising as the jaguarundi looks different to all other felines! It looks like a marten or weasel or similar non-feline creature. The jaguarundi is a bit of an anomaly and classifying the species has been difficult. Jaguarundi - Photo Dave Irving . Balazs Buzas and Eszter Gulyas working at the Rare Species Conservation Centre in Sandwich, Kent, England, have raised jaguarundi cubs and in doing so have observed at first hand their vocalisations. They confirm the sounds made by this interesting wild cat as recorded by Cutter (1957) and Hulley in 1976. There are 13  different sounds apparently: Short whistle: used for attention seeking. The response is a single "peep". Long whistle: a greeting. Chirp: calling when the other cannot be seen. Short purr: female calling kittens. Calling each other. Long purr: expression of contentment as for the d

One cat in the back garden ("yard" in America) in close proximity to 22 badgers at night. The cat is curious. The badgers ignore the cat. You'll have to look at the picture for a short while before you see the cat! One badger appears to be looking at the cat. One cat and 22 badgers cohabiting nicely. Photo at John McNab (Flickr) I have found that my cat is ignored by foxes. He is big, though, and in one encounter he got the upper hand . I've seen him close to foxes at night. Recently a fox started to scream at him and he got scared and ran in.  But domestic cats seem to be ignored by wildlife. This is the UK, though. In the USA there are larger wildlife species and some are predators such as the coyote. The coyote kills domestic cats in the USA and it is one reason why people keep their cats in all the time. I'd prefer it if they used secure cat enclosures to protect their cats as F-T indoor life for a cat is not natural enough as it curtails natural be

Cat performer , a photo by fofurasfelinas on Flickr. This is a very interesting photograph of a cat performer who looks like he is singing and dancing. Well, he is definitely dancing, not sure about the singing bit. The cat dancing is Chihiro and the cat watching is Toji. Chihiro is a tabby cat. He appears to be a spotted tabby. The white underside is typical of the wildcats incidentally. In reality Chihiro is probably just playing with Toji and is about to pounce on him. The photograph was taken in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The photographer is Giane Portal. She is probably the best known cat photographer on Flickr. Her Flickr name is fofurasfelinas . Giane used flash to freeze the action. The photo is copyright protected and is published here with Giane Portal's permission.

Feline eosinophilic keratitis is a cat health eye problem in which a lot of blood vessels grow into and across the cornea of the eye. You can see the blood vessel in the picture below coming from the top left and going across the eye. Eosinophils are white blood cells, a part of the cat's immune system. In a cat with this condition, the outer layer of the cornea has many eosinophils and mast cells (another component of the cat's immune system). The eye has a white plaque over it. These cells are associated with immune reactions and allergies. Eosinophilic Keratitis - Photo copyright Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic The cause of eosinophilic keratitis is unknown. Apparently herpesvirus may be the cause or one cause. The treatment is more about controlling the condition by the use of anti-inflammatory drugs (topical steroids and oral corticosteroids) 1 . Associated : Shocking truth about the feline herpesvirus . Thanks : This photo has been used with permission f

Cats love veterinarian sinks because it is probably the best place, the only place, in a veterinary clinic's consultation room to hide. That is not to say that veterinarians are people to hide from, it is simply that the environment looks unfamiliar, the smell of the place is unfamiliar, there are other cats and dogs in the waiting room (perhaps) in close proximity and in short the cat's world is turned upside down. We know cats like the security of routine and familiarity. So what does a self respecting cat do? He or she finds a place to hide, to protect himself. The clinic's sink is far from ideal as there is no top on it but at least the sides and bottom are protected. Cats do like protection from above though. This is probably because a lot of the danger comes from above ( think human, the giants in the cat world ). Vet's patient hiding in a sink looking a bit anxious Photo copyright Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic The cat in the picture is a brown mackere

Is the mobile veterinarian an invention of the United States? Perhaps not but I would bet that there are more in the United States than anywhere else. Mobile veterinarians come to the patient (the cat) and client (the cat's caretaker/guardian). That is really convenient because going to the vet can be stressful for both patient and guardian. The mobile veterinarian is sometimes referred to as a house-call veterinarian in the US. With people becoming busier all the time, the convenience of a veterinarian who comes to you is very attractive. The mobile veterinarian may also be able to make emergency calls when you simply don't have to time to get to the vet. Elderly people come to mind as suitable clients of mobile veterinarians. Apparently the typical client is 30-55 years of age and in work. My mother called out a vet to treat Charlie, her three-legged cat. That is in the UK. Vets do come to your home in Great Britain if you pay for it but these vets don't have mobile u

This is an outtake from videos made by me with video material generously provided by Kathrin Stucki of A1 Savannahs. A1 Savannahs is the premier Savannah cat breeders in the world and they are located near Ponca City, Oklahoma, USA. Oklahoma has a wide open landscape with a big sky; and a warm wind. Leonie is Martin and Kathrin's daughter. She has grown up a bit since this video was filmed. I think she looks very cute carrying Magic, a female F1 Savannah cat, raised at A1 Savannahs who was soon, at the time of filming, to become the world's biggest domestic cat and the world's most celebrated and exotic domestic cat. You have probably seen Andreas with Magic in the famous boy/cat relationship video also made by me with video material filmed by Kathrin. You can see that Magic is a beautiful cat in more ways than just appearance. She has a great character. She was socialised really professionally. Being a first filial wildcat hybrid she has a lot of wild cat serval

Cat scent exchange is well observed but little understood. That is a personal view. Is it purely functional in nature or is it about expressing emotion or a mixture of both? We tend to think of animal behavior as mainly functional - supporting survival. If a form of behavior helps in survival it will happen. But the question is, do animals operate on a higher plain? We know cats have emotions . As cats have an excellent sense of smell they rely on it or use it much more than we do. As humans with a relatively poor sense of smell we are unable, as yet, to fully understand olfactory communication in cats. We just don't get it. Although we observe it. A cat's sebaceous glands are distributed throughout his or her body particularly the head (think head-butt), perioral region (around the mouth), perianal area and between the toes (think scratching and depositing scent at the same time).  Cat sniffing provides "olfactory clues" - information about the source of the sme

A picture of three valuable Savannah kittens. I say valuable because these are special cats. They are at the very top end in terms of quality and when they grew up they no doubt went to great homes with, I hope, cat caretakers that are of equal quality! Three classy Savannah kittens - Photo: Michael at PoC. Anyone is free to use the picture under a creative commons license provided it is used "as is" and a link and credit given. In fact you can hot link to this image because it is a direct link from Flickr and Flickr lets you use their website as a server. This by the way is the Flickr page . These darlings where being socialised at A1 Savannahs . There were born and raised at A1 Savannahs. You can see how the coats change. The coats of these kittens are undeveloped. The contrast has yet to develop as have the spots. Servals have deep, rich spots and the objective of the Savannah cat breeder is to mimic that. This is not the same objective as the Bengal cat breeder

This is the real life Calvin and Hobbes. If you have seen the well known video , I apologize. This is a still from an outtake of video material made with a Flip camcorder - not bad quality under the circumstances. I don't think there is anything approaching this on the internet. It was taken some time ago but is still worth publishing. I have been meaning to do this for a while. The boy is Andreas, the son of Martin and Kathrin Stucki and the cat is the famous, Magic, at one time the Guinness World Record largest domestic cat and a female F1 Savannah cat . They had a great relationship as is clear from this picture and the videos. Both Andreas and Magic were raised by Martin and Kathrin at A1 Savannahs, Ponca City, OK, USA. Calvin and Hobbes: Fiction and Reality. Montage: Michael at PoC. If anyone wants to use this montage they can but please link back to this page and provide a credit: " Montage by Michael at Pictures-of-cats.org (PoC) ".  I don't expect

Rarely, do we see cats with perfectly symmetrical patterns . Sometimes, perhaps most times, it is due to selective breeding. Cat breeders focus on appearance so in certain breeds a nice symmetrical pattern will make the cat more desirable. Siamese cats are naturally symmetrical. The classic inverted "V" on the forehead of the Turkish Van is symmetrical. That cat is all white except for a patterned tail so the classic Turkish Van is symmetrical. You'll find that the most attractive Japanese Bobtails have symmetrical patterns. These are bicolour cats and the bicolour lends itself to nice symmetrical coat patterns. Tabby coats are more random. I would say that there are more purebred cats with symmetrical patterns than there are random bred. But when random selection, Darwin style, throws up a nice symmetrical pattern is it a sign that a cat has better health than other cats? In purebred cats I don't think that a symmetrical pattern means better health because the p

Here is a veterinarian's photograph of a cat with gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). It is quite educational, I think. We all need to spend a bit of time looking at our cat's teeth! It is easy to forget about them. They are rather tucked away in the mouth aren't they? LoL. However, judging by the number of photographs on the Flickr channel of the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic , periodontal disease is commonplace in dogs and cats. Often mouth disease can progress to a serious state. This can be avoided. The source of this photo is Flickr channel referred to. This photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this website. Cat with gingivitis - Photo Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic In a healthy mouth the gums surround the teeth is a nice, clean fit along the gum line. Cats with gingivitis have gums that have been pushed away from the teeth in an irregular manner because of a build up of rough-edged, dental calculus. At these poin

Kitten Stare , a photo by broadsurf on Flickr. Gorgeous F2 Savannah kitten playing at home. He is being socialised. He has a very intense stare. Perhaps this is the look of a wild cat hybrid. "F2" means second generation from the wild cat serval. So there is quite a bit of serval in this little charmer. I had lots of fun photographing these kittens. They were very inquisitive and active. What else? The photograph was taken at the home of Martin and Kathrin Stucki owners of A1 Savannahs. The kittens are socialised at their home. He is playing on one of the chairs. This was a very nice chair. One thing about this chair that we all recognised was dangerous was that it was a recliner and one or perhaps two of the kittens had a habit of crawling into the mechanism space under the sofa. That could prove very dangerous so it was locked into a static position as I recall. This eliminated the danger. This is the kind of thing you have to watch out for when kittens are growing

I am creeping into the world of dogs for one page. Please forgive me. I felt I had to because this purebred dog is weird looking and I think we need to ask some questions about this. Also there is an overlap with cats here. They are both companion animals and the breeding of dogs and cats are subject to the same rules which are sometimes broken. I am not saying that it happened in this instance. Chinese Crested Dog - Photo copyright Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic This interesting Chinese crested dog picture comes from the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic . This photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this site. There is a lot of discussion recently about the over breeding of dogs. There are far more purebred dogs than cats so there are far more over bred dogs than cats (see criticising the CFA ). There is more opportunity for it. Is this Chinese Crested Dog over bred? He or she certainly looks like it (personal view). The eyes are what I noti

This is a lion cut picture of the classic kind except that it was taken in a veterinary clinic. I think it was sensible of the veterinarians of Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic to decide to photograph their patients with their guardian's permission. It gives a different perspective on cat photography whilst also being educational. This photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this website. As you probably know the lion cut as applied to the long haired domestic cat is a hair cut that leaves the cat looking like a lion in that a false mane is created plus a brush of hair on the end of the tail. Also, in this lion cut picture, you'll see the fur on the legs below the hock. Why request a lion cut? Would the cat consent if asked? The cat is the patient. Note : I don't know if the lion cut was done at a vets or at this clinic. It might not have. Vets do sometimes recommend a lion cut, however. So it must be for health reasons mainly. Lion

This is a photograph taken at the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic of, what I have referred to as, a wise Devon Rex cat . He is wise looking. That may be because he is dressed up and I am anthropomorphising this cat (see another intelligent looking cat ).  I don't like dressing up cats as it is unnatural but in this instance it does seem to have given this cat an air of wisdom! I cleaned up the photo a bit from the original as there was a tungsten light color cast and the face was burnt out. There is still a slight underlying distortion to the color balance. Devon Rex Cat at vets - Photo copyright: Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic He is terribly cute isn't he? The hair is sparse and downy. This is typical of the Devon Rex . The breeding is a little bit extreme for me. I am referring to the very large ears and the high cheekbone appearance. Domestic and feral cats don't have ears this large. The eyes are very big too in relation to the head size, which is small. I th

Dominance hierarchies or subordinance hierarchies are formed to avoid or mediate aggression between cats due to competition for resources in groups of cats. Cats form groups and become social animals when there is a suitable food source . Group living has benefits. Mates are on hand. The downside is that competition is close by too. Hierarchies help to keep the peace in groups. Competition for food for feral cats and even for litter boxes for the domestic cat are sources of aggression between cats. Dominant cats in a hierarchy can control a subordinate's access to the food source. Sometimes higher ranking cats may threaten lower ranked cats for no immediate reason or hog the food source while not utilising it. A subordinate cat gives way to a dominant cat based on past experiences of interaction. You will only get simple linear hierarchies in small groups of five or less and they are rare. Large groups of cats have complex partially linear hierarchies 1 , which can also change

Needle & thread perforated stomach. Photo copyright Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic Below is an X-ray picture of a needle inside a cat. This cat swallowed a thread that was attached to the needle - see picture on the right. It is so easy to drop a needle and thread on the floor, then forget about it or not notice that it has happened. Your cat might just start playing with the thread, chew on it, and voila, before you know what has happened she has swallowed the lot. Photo right : this photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this website. Cats do swallow what appear to be strange things yet may refuse to take a pill that helps them, as the vet who took these pictures, rightly says. The photographs on this page were taken at the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic . Photo below : this photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this website, a subdomain of the mains site: PoC . Cat swallows needle. Photo copy

This is a well produced picture of a feline rodent ulcer. Incidentally, rodent ulcers have "no direct connection" with rodents 1 . Is there any connection? I don't know. Another name for them is eosinophilic ulcer or indolent ulcer. Eosinophils are white blood cells that are part of the immune system. It gives a clue as the origin of the ulcer - a possible allergic reaction or immune system problem. They only occur on cats and the cause is unclear. This photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this website and it was created by Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic .  Thanks for the license to publish it here. Please ask the clinic if you'd like to use it. Thank you. Feline rodent ulcer - photo copyright Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic This ulcer would appear to be in the classic position, on the upper lip just off-center position. Sometimes they occur on the lower lip or the back of the jaw or tongue. Feline rodent ulcers may

A common symptom of liver disease is jaundice, which causes a change in color of the skin. Often the change in color of the skin can be first seen inside the ear (the pinna or ear flap of the cat's ear ). Bile accumulates in the tissues. The skin and eyes turn yellow. Alcoholic people can be jaundiced because ethanol alcohol damages the liver. Other signs of a cat with liver failure are weakness, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drinking and pain in the abdomen. A blockage of the bile duct (uncommon) can also cause a jaundiced appearance. Jaundiced cat - Photo: Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic This photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this website, a subdomain of PoC . The source of the photo is Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic . Thank you for the license to use it here. Visitors : If you want to use it please ask the clinic first. What causes liver disease and liver failure? Here is a list: Idiopathic hepatic lipidosis - Feline

This page has been moved. Sorry. It has been moved because I believe that Google is going to close Blogger within 2 years. CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE THE PAGE

Mediterranean cats are often white, short haired, slender, with Van-type markings and sometimes they have odd- eye color because of the presence of the while spotting or piebald gene . The medical term is heterochromia iridum . Having looked at a lot of cat pictures, the above description is quite typical of Mediterranean cats. I am thinking mainly of the Greek Islands and surrounding areas. That is not to say that a lot of other coat types can't be seen as well. You will see a wide range. It is just that this type is fairly typical. You'll see Van-type cats in Morocco too . Mediterranean cat - Odd eyed cat - photo by ihasb33r (Flickr) The above picture is a slightly cleaned up version of the original that was taken on Greece as far as I can tell. It is a nice picture, particularly when cleaned up a bit (my personal opinion). That's why I picked it and thanks to the photographer for the license to publish here. For me the look is so typical of Mediterranean

The well known video of a cat copying boxers on television is an example of cat social learning through observation in the domestic human environment. The experts in the video don't mention this and don't make comment on why this is happening. Cats are first class observational learners . Young cats learn from watching mother and preferably other relatives. They can learn skills that were not used by ancestors; in other words entirely new skills by copying ( Chester 1969 and other studies). The classic cases of observational learning are kittens and cubs going out with mom on their first hunting trips. Before that the mother (the queen) brings dead prey back to the den or nest. The next stage is to bring back live prey at about 4 weeks of age for feral cats. When live prey is released in the den the mother catches the prey and thereby shows her offspring how it is done. The kittens practice what they have learned under mother's supervision. In studies it

Apparently, the vets at the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic are often asked by people who own cats "what do fleas look like?" I guess when that happens the veterinarian concerned flea combs the person's cat and shows them or in the case of this picture, gives the kitten a Capstar® pill and waits. The person retires to the waiting room and within 30 minutes the nasty little parasites are falling off the kitten and being brushed up into the test tube that you see in the picture below. This is not quite what happened in this instance but the kitten was given a Capstar® pill and these are the fleas, saved for a subsequent customer to see. Tube of fleas - Photo copyright : Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic 3305 State Road, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223 This photo has been used with permission for teaching/educational purposes at this website which is a subdomain of PoC . If you would like to use the photograph please ask the veterinary clinic first . Note : the cat fle