Do cats purr when humans aren’t around?

Jan Hoole, Keele University

Why do cats purr? Humans tend to think that purring is a sign of happiness in a cat – and indeed it can be – but there are other reasons why our feline friends produce this particular vocalisation.

Purring is a habit that develops very early in a cat’s life, while suckling from its mother, so clearly it is not a sound that is directed solely at humans. Cat owners will be well aware that a cat can produce more than one kind of purr, just as they have a whole repertoire of meows, chirps, growls, spits and other sounds.

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Ancient DNA reveals how cats conquered the world

Humans may have had pet cats for as long as 9,500 years. In 2004, archaeologists in Cyprus found a complete cat skeleton buried in a Stone Age village. Given that Cyprus has no native wildcats, the animal (or perhaps its ancestors) must have been brought to the island by humans all those millennia ago.

Jan Hoole, Keele University

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An orphaned kitten drinking milk. Look at those ears!

My friends at the Bosphorus University (Turkish: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi) found a stray cat and bottlefed him. Oh, those ears! He’s so precious.

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10 Dog Breeds That Are Actually Friendly To Cats

Cats and dogs fight all the time, right? No. Not necessarily. There is a certain breed of dogs that can get along well with your feline friends.

Good news for cat lovers who are looking into having canine friends as part of the family. It is possible to have them under one roof so long as certain considerations are made.

Do you want to know the best canine companion for your cat? Read on. Here are 10 dog breeds that are actually friendly to cats.

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Le Petit Ramoneur by Jules Bastien-Lepage

Le Petit Ramoneur (Damvillers) is an 1883 painting by the French painter Jules Bastien-Lepage (1 November 1848 – 10 December 1884). The name of the painting means “the little chimney sweeper” in English. In the painting, a little chimney sweep shares his hard-earned food with two adorable cats (a cat and a kitten). A very touching scene.

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10 Human Foods That Are Safe for Cats

The kinds of foods that you think cats may love or that may be healthy for them may not actually be safe for your cats. People have to be very careful about what human foods they give their feline friends, and I want to talk about some of the best human foods that you can safely feed your cat.

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I carried an abandoned kitten 30 km by bicycle

On August 26, 2018, Sunday, I went for a 100-km training ride, as usual. My plan was to ride to the airport. When I reached the airport, which is around 50 km from home, I stopped to take photos of the landing planes. Suddenly, I heard a meow. I looked around and saw an adorable tabby kitten running towards me, crying. She was around 4 weeks old and was looking very hungry.

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