The Hometown Treasure March 2011 | Page 37

Cats Free Estimates! 59323 CR 35 Middlebury, IN 46540 We Specialize In Customer Satisfaction! Custom Built Vinyl Windows 1-888-660-1128 - Voice Mail Standard Sizes in stock for your new house! Shop & Buggy Shed Thermo Pane Windows Installation Available! BEFORE YOU BUY Check our quality and lower prices! It will be worth your time. Stop by and see our workplace showroom! since we have moved that our cat’s favorite color is purrrrrrrple! The domestic house cat is a small carnivorous mammal. Its most immediate ancestor is believed to be the African wild cat. The cat has been living in close association with humans for somewhere between 3,500 and 8,000 years. The sound a cat makes is unique and is rendered onomatopoeically as “meow” or similar variants (“miaow”, “miau” etc.) in most European languages as well as Mandarin Chinese. Japanese has it as “nyaa” or “nyan”; Korean as “yaong” or “nyaong.” In Arabic the sound is transcribed as “mowa’a.” KiKi was adopted into our home back in July and we have really enjoyed her company. She stays out of trouble for the most part but, she’s a cat in her own nature and personality. Reasons for the meow can vary. Cats can call out to indicate pain, request human attention, or even as a greeting. Cats can be very vocal, yet others rarely call out. Cats are capable of as many as 100 different vocalizations, compared to about 10 for dogs. We know for sure what our cat’s call (meow) can indicate. Time to get up. Time for my belly-rub. Time to feed me. Time for treatment (she jumps up on the toilet and wants you to rub her abdomen such as a chiropractor treatment) and time for my bath. A kitten’s call first starts out as a high-pitched squeak-like sound when very young, but then deepens over time. However, some cats do not exercise their voices often, so their call may remain similar to that of a kitten through adulthood. Cats can produce a purring noise that typically indicates that the cat is happy. Less typically it can also mean that it feels distress. Cats purr among other cats. For example, when a mother meets her kittens. There were many competing theories to explain how cats purr, including vibration of the cat’s false vocal cords when inhaling and exhaling, the sound of blood hitting the aorta, vibration of the hyoid apparatus, or resonation directly in the lungs. But currently, it is believed that purring is a result of rhythmic impulses to the cat’s larynx. Purring may also be a way for the cat to calm itself down. For example, some cats have been known to purr when hurt. Though not proven, research has suggested that the frequency of the vibration produced by purring may promote healing continued on next page Page 37 We manufacture to your needs: • Single Hung • Double Hung • Slider • Basement • Casement • Bay • Picture Window Do yourself a favor: take advantage of the energy efficient vinyl windows! on Phone: 260-463-4901 • Fax 888-439-6528 • The Hometown Treasure Hello everyone! It’s good to be back writing once again after a break from writing in order to move and what a huge move for us, to say the least. We finally got the move completed but not in any certain order. You see, we haven’t moved in over fifteen years, that adds up to a lot of collection and accumulation. The joke that was made the day we moved was, “where does it go… David’s office,” but most of the boxes were marked. I am glad the worst is over and I am sure our cat “Kiki” is relieved as well. We ALL were stressed out to the max. I hope not to move anytime soon. God has everything under control and in his timing, without him we would not be where we are today. I hope I do not have to call my wife at work anymore and ask her, “Where is it?” KiKi is a spotted Tabby colored domestic shorthaired cat. We never have a problem in her getting lost in our new house because we can always find her, because she is always “spotted.” We also discovered March 2011 March 2011 Spotlight Nature by David Lane, Indiana Master Naturalist