Field of Science

The tiger in your house

Here's a link to a blog about the genetic relatedness of tigers and domestic house cats from a recent publication.  This is actually no big surprise, except to the blog author (PZ Myers) who's never had a cat.  Anyone who's had a cat knows that your pet is just a small purring tiger.  And some of them aren't so small; the F1 has a 26 pound beast who looks very impressive, but isn't all that fierce except if you get between him and his kibble.  It's always funny to read about first-timer's impressions of cats. Every couple of weeks, all the cat toys get rounded up and placed in a small basket in the family room near their scatching post/climbing tree.  Then the kitty girls begin rummaging around for favorites that begin to get distributed around the house again, often one to a room, just like a tiger.  

1 comment:

Carol Steel said...

Too true and oddly familiar. We have four cats and they give credence to the old saying that dogs love their owners and cats want to see your resume.