Famous Cat Stars

Do you know how many cats have became famous in the movies, on TV and in the comics? A cat as a main character has always been popular especially with children. Listed below are some of the more well know cat stars.
Duchess: Appeared in Walt Disney's "Aristocrats" with O'Malley the Alley Cat.
Garfield: Appeared in his own comic strip and cartoon movies. Still used in commercials and toys.
Felix: The star of the first talking cartoon. Felix was used as the very first television test broadcast.
Fritz: Invented by Robert Crumb as Fred the Cat. Crumb made a movie about Fritz but eventually stopped any further episodes.
Sylvester: " I thought I saw a puddy cat". Tweetie's favorite nemesis in the cartoon series.
Krazy Cat: The star of the first cat comic strip with Ignatz Mouse.
Morris: Rescued from a Chicago animal shelter by Bob Martwick, a professional animal trainer. Morris did commercials for Purina's 9 Lives cat food. Morris died in 1978.
The Cat in the Hat: Made famous by Dr. Seuss, it is a children's book classic. Eventually made into a video.
Socks: Pet cat of President Bill Clinton.
Tom: Portrayed in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. You would always find Tom scheming something up to try and catch Jerry.
MTM kitten: Symbol of Mary Tyler Moore's company and a take off on the MGM lion. Mimsey died in 1988.
Puss'N'Boots: He was first written by the Brothers Grimm but in later years was made into cartoons and starred in "Shrek II".
Bagpuss: The BBC's favorite children's show of all time.
Pepper: A gray cat who worked with Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle and the Keystone Cops.
Orangey: Appeared in "Rhubarb", "Gigot", "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Our Miss Brooks".
Solomon: A white Chinchilla longhair who appeared in "Diamonds are Forever" and "A Clockwork Orange".
Topcat: Cartoon series featuring Topcat as the leader of a group of cats in a city.
There were many movies that also feature a cat. Secret agent D.C. in "That Darn Cat". Pyrewacket, a Siamese, in "Bell , Book and Candle". Si and Am, two Siamese cats, in "Lady and the Tramp". Jiji, a black cat, in "Kiki's Delivery Service". A ginger tom cat called "cat" in "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Various cats in "National Geographic's Caressing the Tiger". Isis, a black cat, and Sylvia in "Star Trek". Winky, a black cat, in "Escape to Witch Mountain". The Cheshire Cat in "Alice in Wonderland". Various cats in the Broadway musical "Cats". In addition, a cat was usually included in many horror and suspense movies, television shows and novels.
The cat has had an influence on the media and has provided entertainment for young and old. Who knows what will be the next cat star!

Frank Loethen, lives in Georgia with a wife and three cats, Sunny, Sinclair and Midnite and has 4 grandchildren. Please visit my website http://www.purrfectcatproducts.com, your one stop site for all your cat and kitten needs. Cat beds, cat treats, cat gifts and cat trees are among the many items on the site. You can also meet my three cats there.

Uniqueness of a Cat's Eyes

It has been said that eyes are the window to the soul. When gazing into the eyes of a cat, you get the feeling that the statement is very real. But there is more to a cat's eyes. A cat's eyes have some unique features that are different than humans. The best known is a cat's ability to see at night.
The eyes face forward on a cat improving their depth perception but limit their field of view. The cat has a vision of 20/100 enabling it to see far away but not up close. A cat's central vision is not as sharp as a humans because of the eye's construction. A cat cannot see directly below its' nose. A cat can see colors and distinguish between the colors especially the blues and violets. A cat's ability to see colors is limited as compared to humans.
The color of a cat's eyes varies but orange, green and golden are the most common. Blue eyes are associated with Siamese cats. There is a misconception that all white cats with blue eyes are deaf. A white cat with one blue eye and one of another color has a higher risk of deafness on the blue eye side.
The pupils of the eyes should be the same size. The pupils of a cat's eyes are vertical and much larger than a human. If the size of the pupils differ, this can be an indication of possible harmful conditions: inflammation of the eye (conjunctivitis), Horner's syndrome, FeLV, tumors and central nervous system injury. A cat can have other conditions including cataracts and glaucoma. If not treated, high veterinarian expenses and even blindness can occur.
A cat has an inner, third eyelid called a nictating membrane to protect the cat from dryness and/or damage. A cat does not have to blink it's eyes like humans to lubricate them. If the third eyelid is partially closed and a cat is not sleeping, this may indicate a cat is sick.
A cat has much better night vision than a human. Although the cat cannot see in total darkness, the cat only needs one-sixth of the illumination required by a human. The muscles of the iris narrow the eye to a slit in bright light and fully open in dim light. A reflective layer behind the cat's retina called the tapeturn reflects the incoming light and bounces it back amplifying the light. In daylight, this amplification is too strong. A cat's eyes will narrow to a slit-like condition to minimize the light to improve it's ability to see in the daytime.
A cat will express it's mood with it's eyes. An angry cat will have narrowed pupils. An excited or frightened cat's eyes will be wide open. A happy cat's eyes may appear a shade darker. A cat will kiss with it's eyes by gazing at you and then blinking it's eyes.
The uniqueness of a cat's eye has long been recognized by many people. Many rare gems have been referred to as a cat's eye. Even in the game of marbles, it was something special to have a marble that resembled a cat's eye.

My name is Frank Loethen. I live in Georgia with my wife and three cats. I have 5 kids, all grown and 4 grandchildren. For your one stop site for all your cat and kitten needs, please visit my website at http://www.purrfectcatproducts.com Available are cat toys, cat beds, cat treats, cat gifts and catnip among the items on my site

Serval Cat

Recently, two Serval cats were delivered to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas. The nine month old cats are named Bosco and Amos. The kittens came from the Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The Serval cat is considered one of the best hunters in the wild with the ability to catch it prey over 50% of the time.
A Serval cat is a medium sized African wild animal. It is a strong, slender cat with long legs and relatively short tale. It has a small head and oval ears. The fur of the animal is striped on the head and back of the neck and the body is spotted. The coloring is tawny with black stripes and spots. The Serval has traits similar to the cheetah. From a distance, a Serval will resemble a cheetah but up close the Serval is a smaller animal. A Serval cat will weigh from 20 to 50 pounds. It has a lifespan of 12 to 15 years. Besides it's normal sounds, it can purr like a domestic cat.
The Serval cat lives in savannas and likes to feed on rodents. It will feed on other prey like fish, frogs and insects if it finds them. A Serval is very fast and has excellent jumping ability making it a good hunter. The cat tends to eat quickly causing it to regurgitate it's food. If the prey is small enough , it will swallow it whole. It is also a very intelligent animal enabling to outwit it's prey. Although the Serval does very little, it is a great swimmer. Larger cats like the leopard prey on the Serval.
The cat is normally bred in the wild but can also be bred in captivity. In the wild, the young are raised in sheltered locations for protection from bigger cats. The litter can contain up to five kittens. A kitten can mature to an adult in as little as 190 days.
A Serval cat can be domesticated. The animal is friendly, good-natured and easily tamed. But like any wild animal, the cat may become destructive and dangerous before fully grown. A Serval is very loyal to it's owner and is difficult to transfer to a different owner. The cat popularity's as a pet has increased in the United States. In the United States, a special license is required to have a Serval as a pet. A Serval has been bred with a domestic cat called the Savannah. Most states consider the Savannah as a domestic cat and do not put special conditions on the breed.
The Serval population has been shrinking due to humans encroaching on it's habitat and hunting the animal for it's fur. Since the Serval is a relatively small cat, it takes numerous pelts to make a garment. In many countries, the Serval has become a protected species. The CITES organization has put the Serval on it's watch list.
This article does not endorse or recommend a Serval cat as a pet.

Frank Loethen. married, owner of an Internet business for cat products and grandfather of 4. Visit my one stop website, http://www.PurrfectCatProducts.com/, for all your cat and kitten needs. Available are cat beds, cat toys, cat treats and cat gifts among the many items on the site.