Nowadays any communication method seems to be good

Cualquier medio parece bueno hoy en día to spread a series of rumors about cats.
 
In the street, parks, social networks, etc., we frequently encounter myths that lack of evidences.

 

‘Experts’ in rumours would say us that cats always fall on their feet, that they must give birth at least once in their lives or that dogs & cats cannot live in peace.

 
Today we go over some false statements that are best known and would try to contradict them.
STRIPPING FALSE MYTHS
 
The purpose of this article is to do justice to the true nature of felines and explain the way they are.
 
1. BLACK CATS BRINGS YOU BAD LUCK
 
This is a completely false state. You will find out why after reading some historic observations:
Even though cats are considered one of most popular companion animals and are really appreciated by humans, a legend that endure during long time.
 
Cats were adored in the Ancient Egypt and appreciated by Greeks and their prestige was changing course towards the Middle Ages, with the witch hunt and the black plague.
 
At the end of XII century the first inquisition was started in the south of France with the aim of combating heresy and witchcraft. Women who did not follow the dogma were considered witches. At that time, cats were also considered suspicious. Soon the legend began that the cats were covert witches.
At the XIII century Pope Gregory IX wrote that cats and demons are associated, the idea that was penetrating among the population, that little by little was exterminating the cats.
 
This prejudice was strengthened in XIV century, when cats were related with the origin of the epidemic that at that time it was ravaging the European continent.
 
They say that ignorance is daring and, in this case, cruel and unjust since, after the extermination of a large number of black cats, it was discovered that the true transmitters of the plague were the fleas of the rodents that, precisely, were responsible to hunt the cats.
 
Fortunately towards XVII century cats started to recover the lost reputation. 
 
At present there are areas where good luck is associated with black cats. Scots believe that having a black cat in the home is synonymous with luck; the Japanese consider their influence to be positive and advise them to women, as a kind of lucky charm to find love.

 

Those who live with a black cat tell us that their experience has nothing to do with false legends and that these animals provide endless pleasant and endearing experiences.

2. CATS ARE UNFRIENDLY 

This is another widespread and false prejudice. Here we explain the reasons:

We cannot compare the way o being of cats with dogs for example and pretend that must have same behaviour while their genes and and genetic heritage are different.

We must not forget that cat still conserve the wild instinct from their predecessors; they love to feel free, to sniff out and make other typical gestures of a hunter.

Like any good hunter, its territory is sacred and will mark it and defend it against the intruders who dare to occupy it.
 
It is true that cats may seem often unsociable, but this behaviour is the result of a hierarchical conception different from that of dogs and even their humans.
 
For the dog, the human is his boss always; for the cat sometimes the boss is himself and sometimes his human companions.
 
The hierarchy of the cats is therefore relative and will depend on the place, the moment and the situation. A cat can maintain the position of leader in the morning and let another take over in the afternoon.
Is curious but until very recently cat was not considered as a social species. It was believed that it is not possible to form a stable relationship like that of dogs with their keepers.

 

Currently, the idea that cats, especially domestic ones, can be included in groups of animals capable to establish hierarchies similar to social species.

 
Our cat will come whenever he wants, but let’s forget about having him at our disposal 24 hours a day, because that is not his nature.

 

All the above does not mean that our cats are able to give us back all the affection we give them.

3. CATS ARE TREACHEROUS

Whoever says that a cat is treacherous, judges it from its own perspective as a human, which has nothing to do with the idiosyncrasy of the cat. The pretensions of the cats do not go by the treacherous paths. It is something that has nothing to do with its nature.

 
Cats are animals that have been tried to domesticate, but still retain the characteristics of the lone hunter.
 
Being lonely does not mean that I can not be sociable.

 

His hunting instinct and his inclination to defend his own space lead him to avoid contact with other animals or humans.

The cat is not treacherous, it simply does not trust those who can take away some of its “prey” that, even being domestic, they keep in their wild imaginary.

4. FEMALE CATS SHOULD GIVE BIRTH AT LEAST ONCE IN LIFE

 

Perhaps thinking that this is a favor, some people still believe that cats, to be happy, must give birth at least once in their lives.

Possibly it would be good if they lived in a habitat where harmony reigned and would exist only natural control of the feline population.

 
But this is just another myth while to feel better, a cat does not have to give birth.

 

In the opposite side, it will live better if we sterilise it, since this will protect it against breast or uterine tumours; We will avoid the marking at home, escaping from home in search of a male who may leave her pregnant, infections and mewing runaways.

The reality is that today there are countless colonies abandoned cats that live in terrible conditions and with the possibility of transmitting various diseases, some of them with very serious consequences.

For these and many other reasons, veterinarians always advise the sterilisation of cats before one year of age.

5. CATS CAN AND SHOULD DRINK COW MILK

 
Although in the cartoons we have seen an infinity of sequences in which the cute kittens were practically nourished with milk, here we come across another erroneous belief.

 

Those who give  milk to all cats, ignore that many of these animals are intolerant to lactose. In these cases, milk and other dairy products can become toxic and cause gastrointestinal disorders.

In general, adult cats lack lactose, an enzyme that is responsible for degrading the lactose contained in milk to facilitate digestion.

 
As with human babies, kittens possess this enzyme while they are lactating, but they lose it after weaning.

 

In general, adult cats lack lactase, an enzyme that is responsible for degrading the lactose contained in milk to facilitate digestion.

As with human babies, kittens possess this enzyme while they are lactating, but they lose it after weaning.

We just have to remember that cats are carnivorous animals, and milk is indicated especially in the lactation stage, when its main food is milk and not meat.

6. CATS ALWAYS FALLS ON THEIR FOOT

They can not always fall on their feet or leave unharmed after a fall.

Cats are very flexible and have the reflex of straightening, which they develop after three weeks of life.

At a certain height, they usually adopt the proper posture to cushion the impact and fall on their feet.
 
At lower altitudes, they have less time to turn on themselves to land on all fours. Interestingly, in these cases tend to suffer more damage than in accidents of greater height.
 
 Anyway, even if they fall on their feet, and whatever the height, the cats can be injured.
 
CATS AND DOGS CAN NOT LIVE TOGETHER
“Like the dog and the cat” is the expression that is usually said when two beings get along and that, in our opinion, is totally untrue.
 
Surely there will be incompatible cats and dogs, as it happens among some people, but there are also some that are accompanied and are great friends of games.
 
Basically, the education that the animals have received has a lot to do with it.
 
A cat that has been socialized since puppy and has learned to live with a dog, will see it as part of his family and will have no problem accepting it.
 
It is also rumored that cats: cause asthma, are not faithful, must not live with pregnant women, pose a danger to babies, do not need vaccines or care, have seven lives, whenever they move the tail is because they are happy, scratching everything that gets in their way, they see perfectly in the dark … In short, false beliefs, that only with nuances approach the reality of our cats.
 
To get rid of doubts, it is best to have a cat at home and discover in person their true idiosyncrasy. With this experience, many of the myths cited will fall under their own weight.
 
Enjoy your cat, without prejudice, but with knowledge!