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Short filmTranscript
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01:24Hi, I'm George Page for Nature.
01:26And as much as I hate to think about it, my cat Clyde may very well think I'm her mother.
01:32At least that's one contemporary theory being offered to explain why cats like people,
01:38and occasionally even show them affection.
01:41The theory goes something like this.
01:44Wild cats are solitary animals once they leave their mother and siblings,
01:48with the single exception of the lion.
01:51But kittens, even wild kittens, are capable of sociability.
01:55So, according to the theory, we humans extend a growing kitten's period of social tolerance
02:02into adulthood, by providing food, shelter, physical closeness, and affection.
02:08All this sustains the closest relationship the solitary cat is capable of,
02:14that between kitten and mother.
02:16And we, therefore, become surrogate mothers.
02:20Well, the cat's always been a mysterious and fascinating figure.
02:25And this time on Nature, we'll try to unravel at least some of those mysteries.
02:39Independent, aloof, often mysterious.
02:48It has lived with people for some 4,000 years.
02:52It's one of the most familiar, yet least understood, animals on the planet.
03:03Their beauty so captivates us that it's easy to forget
03:07that they're one of nature's most perfectly designed predators.
03:11They're one of the most familiar creatures, the domestic cat.
03:18Although they share our homes as pets, cats are often seen as antisocial,
03:24finicky, indifferent to our wishes, and practically uncontrollable.
03:39With this reputation, it's surprising that the cat is vying with the dog
03:44to become America's number one pet.
03:48Come on, bud, come on.
03:53Man's traditional best friend is being upstaged
03:57by an animal that's only a whisker away from its untamed ancestors.
04:03The dog was the very first species domesticated by man.
04:07The cat is the most recent.
04:14By 12,000 years ago, the dog was already sharing
04:18the hearts and affection of early man.
04:21Like all other domestic animals, dogs are by nature social creatures.
04:26Their wild ancestors lived in highly cooperative packs.
04:30Cats, though, led basically solitary lifestyles.
04:38So while the dog's wild heritage prepared it
04:41for our domination and control,
04:44the elusive nature of the cat
04:46has always kept it just beyond our reach.
04:53It is adapted to aisles in every part of the globe.
05:19Yet, to many, it remains the world's most inscrutable animal.
05:31Although it's a member of the cat's spectacular family,
05:35the king of beasts is not really an overgrown taffy.
05:38For one thing, male and female lions look very different.
05:45Like all their kind, they're beautifully adapted predators.
05:50But lions are the only member of the cat family
05:53to live in large social groups.
05:56And they cooperate when hunting,
05:58a job that falls to the females of a pride.
06:02They depend on stealth to stalk their prey,
06:05then dash across open ground to seize it
06:08with outstretched claws.
06:19The kill is quick and clean.
06:22A bite at the nape of the neck severs the spinal cord.
06:25Our house cats execute the coup de grace
06:28in exactly the same way.
06:38The cheetah is the most dog-like of all the cats.
06:41It's the only cat to catch its prey
06:43by a speedy, prolonged chase.
06:46Its claws are not retractable,
06:48and it has only moderately sized canine teeth
06:52so that it needs to choke its prey.
07:00The leopard is a superb tree climber
07:03and tremendously powerful for its size.
07:06This enables it to carry its prey
07:08out of the reach of competitors.
07:13People who wish to draw parallels
07:15between a big cat and their pet
07:17might do well to choose this one,
07:20the tiger, a solitary hunter
07:22whose behavior is fairly similar to our own cats.
07:26And like all cats,
07:27they're specialists at blending in
07:29with their habitats.
07:31Yet they're worlds apart.
07:38Today, in every corner of America,
07:40so familiar we hardly notice them,
07:43you find domestic cats.
07:45Their popularity is at an all-time high.
07:4856 million now live in 30% of American households.
07:55Cats have adapted to such a wide range of lifestyles
07:59that it's hard to find agreement
08:01even on their basic nature.
08:05Are they dedicated, gentle, close companions?
08:09Or just casual hangers-on
08:12around our homes and lives?
08:15Whatever our feelings,
08:17they always seem, in essence,
08:19creatures of the wild.
08:23We may never know
08:24whether man first chose the cat
08:26as a companion
08:27or as a way to control rats and mice.
08:30We do know it inspired our awe.
08:412500 B.C.
08:43Ancient Egyptians worship
08:44at the feet of Bastet,
08:46a female cat
08:48seen as the fierce protector of health
08:50and goddess of fertility.
09:01Her form was depicted
09:03in all manner of statues in her temples.
09:10The Egyptians believed
09:11that the male cat
09:12had a different role.
09:14According to legend,
09:16his job was to kill the evil serpent,
09:18which was constantly trying
09:20to stop the sun
09:21from traveling around the world.
09:24Cats were so revered
09:26that when they died
09:27they were embalmed,
09:28mummified,
09:29and placed in caskets
09:31with some model of the occupant
09:33displayed on the outside.
09:34As many as 300,000 cat mummies
09:38have been found
09:39in one temple.
10:01Behind the scenes
10:02in museums and universities,
10:04studies are going on
10:06to discover more
10:07about the significance
10:08of these mysterious
10:09Egyptian temple cats.
10:16X-ray pictures
10:18of these mummies
10:18clearly show the skeleton.
10:20Its hind legs and tail
10:22have been folded
10:23against the belly.
10:24The front legs are straight.
10:26The shoulders and neck
10:27are distinct,
10:28and above that,
10:29the skull.
10:35The neck of this one
10:37is broken.
10:38The skeletons also reveal
10:40that many of these cats
10:41were less than a year old.
10:43Perhaps the priests
10:45sacrificed
10:46these emblems
10:47of their god
10:48in large numbers
10:49and sold them
10:50to the public
10:51as offerings.
10:55The Romans
10:56were probably the first
10:57to introduce cats
10:58from Egypt
10:59into Europe.
11:03During the Middle Ages,
11:04cats suffered
11:05a terrible turn of fortune.
11:07Once gods,
11:09they were now seen
11:09as demons,
11:11the embodiment
11:12of the devil,
11:13familiars to witches,
11:15fiendish servants
11:16to do their bidding.
11:17The church's persecution
11:20of witches
11:20and the animals
11:21associated with them
11:23lasted for more
11:24than 400 years.
11:29During much of this time,
11:31rats and mice
11:31actually symbolized good
11:33and are shown here
11:35hanging the demon cat.
11:45But to some,
11:46during the 14th century,
11:48the cat's unpopular image
11:49began to change.
11:51When the Black Death
11:53sentenced a third
11:54of Europe to die,
11:57cats were man's
11:58natural ally
11:59against the black rat
12:01which spread the plague.
12:07But witch hunts
12:08persisted
12:09through the 17th century.
12:10It wasn't until
12:11the brown rat
12:13swept through Europe
12:14feeding on man's
12:15food supply
12:16that the cat
12:17once again
12:18became a welcomed
12:19household pet.
12:27Finally,
12:28in a total turnaround,
12:30we see rats
12:30surrendering to the cat.
12:35As soon as man
12:36mastered the seas,
12:37cats became part
12:39of ship's companies
12:40and sea routes,
12:42and sea routes,
12:42normally a barrier
12:43to the migration
12:44of land animals,
12:45became a highway system
12:47for cats.
12:48Here,
12:49in the Galapagos Islands,
12:51600 miles
12:51from the nearest mainland,
12:53Darwin discovered
12:54a unique fauna
12:55that had no fear
12:57of man.
12:58Bizarre creatures
12:59evolved
13:00in complete isolation.
13:07never having known
13:08any land predators,
13:10they're incredibly tame.
13:12Their total lack
13:13of fear
13:13has left them
13:14entirely defenseless
13:15against predation.
13:17And the land iguana
13:18is only one
13:19of the species
13:20that has been endangered
13:22by our seemingly
13:23innocent companion.
13:29cats left behind
13:31by visiting ships
13:32long ago
13:33have returned
13:33to a totally
13:34wild existence.
13:36They're lean
13:37and wary
13:37and have gone back
13:38to holding territories,
13:40feeding on whatever
13:42they can catch.
13:43Scientists have found
13:44that surprisingly
13:45over half their diet
13:46is grasshoppers.
13:55But cats
13:55are renowned
13:56opportunists
13:57and they've found
13:58the defenseless wildlife
13:59here to be easy prey.
14:01Young iguanas
14:03and ground-nesting birds
14:04are especially vulnerable.
14:06Feral cats
14:07are considered
14:08perhaps the greatest threat
14:09to the native wildlife
14:11of these
14:11and many other
14:13oceanic islands.
14:22To this day,
14:24domestic cats
14:25easily adapt
14:26to a life
14:26at sea.
14:27They've made
14:28themselves at home
14:29wherever man
14:31has migrated.
14:35The first cats
14:37to reach America
14:38were rat catchers
14:39on commercial vessels
14:40that brought them
14:41from Europe
14:42around 1620.
14:45They thrived
14:46in the cities
14:47of the northeast
14:47and gradually spread
14:49from there
14:50throughout the country.
14:54Feral cats
14:56also occur
14:56in the American
14:57countryside.
14:58They feed
14:59on small mammals
15:00and birds.
15:01Wildlife here
15:02evolved along
15:03with land predators
15:04and they're not
15:05entirely defenseless.
15:07Sadly though,
15:08the growing number
15:09of feral cats
15:10has begun
15:11to take its toll
15:12on birds
15:12and small forest animals.
15:29other rural cats
15:30have the best
15:31of both worlds.
15:32They continue
15:33to live around humans
15:35and depend on us
15:36in part
15:36for their food
15:37but they do
15:39go off hunting
15:40on their own.
15:45All outdoor cats
15:46have home ranges
15:48from a half
15:49to 40 acres
15:50in size.
15:51Males have larger ranges
15:53than females
15:54and they often overlap.
15:55Both males
15:56and females
15:57mark their home areas.
15:59It's one way
16:00of telling others
16:01of their presence.
16:05Cats that follow
16:06may stop
16:07to sniff the mark
16:08but they don't respond
16:09with a mark
16:10of their own.
16:15Cats live
16:15in a whole landscape
16:17of odors
16:17of which we
16:18are totally unaware.
16:21Different cats
16:22may hold dominance
16:23over a particular area
16:25at different times
16:26of the day.
16:28Scent marking
16:28reinforces
16:29their awareness
16:30of who has
16:31the right of way now
16:32but it doesn't act
16:33as a repellent
16:34and confrontations
16:36are bound to occur.
16:53body postures
16:54convey moods
16:55precisely.
16:57Ears flatten back
16:58in a defensive threat.
17:00Its scent
17:01helps identify
17:01the combatant.
17:02The fur
17:03begins to bristle
17:04to increase
17:05the threat.
17:21ears erect
17:22in an offensive display
17:23one cautiously
17:25exercises
17:26its dominance
17:26while the other
17:28recognizes
17:29that it's time
17:30to back off.
17:35Scent
17:39Yet even solitary
17:41animals
17:41have to come together
17:42for mating.
17:47This feral
17:48female
17:49manx cat
17:50is in heat.
17:51Her body
17:51is producing
17:52scents
17:53that tell
17:53the local males
17:54she's ready
17:55for mating.
17:59The male
18:00picks up her scent
18:01and follows her.
18:02He stays around
18:03the female
18:04until she's receptive.
18:05In more crowded
18:07urban locations
18:08he would have
18:09to fight off
18:09other males
18:10at this time
18:11to hold on
18:12to his position.
18:19The female
18:20begins to adopt
18:21a special
18:22crouching posture
18:23back curved
18:25and rump held high.
18:30The male
18:31continues the pursuit
18:32until he judges
18:33that she's ready.
18:44Males are often
18:45repelled
18:46on their first
18:46approach.
18:47Female cats
18:48exercise
18:48considerable choice.
18:57Finally
18:57with her back
18:58held high
18:59she signals
19:00to the male
19:00that she's ready.
19:06the male
19:07restrains her
19:08by a tight grip
19:09on her neck
19:10and holds her
19:11firmly
19:11just behind
19:12her front legs.
19:13They will keep
19:14this position
19:15for about two minutes
19:16but the actual
19:17mating only occurs
19:18in the final few seconds.
19:25She gives a loud
19:26cry and throws him off.
19:34This curious behavior
19:36is explained
19:37by the tiny spines
19:38on the male's penis.
19:39Although it's evidently
19:41somewhat painful
19:42it's necessary
19:43to stimulate
19:44ovulation
19:44in the female.
19:46Then she indulges
19:47in a bout
19:48of rolling,
19:49rubbing,
19:49and licking.
20:03The male
20:04waits close by.
20:06Over a three hour
20:07period
20:08he may repeat
20:08the process
20:09as many as
20:10sixteen times.
20:39The male
20:40is
20:42Once away from human influences, domestic cats reveal a repertoire of behavior patterns
20:48that closely resemble those of their more awesome cousins.
20:57A tiger in the wilderness of India, scent-marking by rubbing with the side of its head, just
21:04like our own cats.
21:05Then, to complete the picture, it sprays on a well-used landmark in its territory.
21:19The rubbing records its own identity and condition for all that follow it.
21:24The spray message seems to serve as a more general advertisement.
21:28As it rubs, it senses which others have rubbed there recently.
21:45A tiger learns where to find prey, then waits in ambush.
21:52Males and females hunt alone and pounce to make a capture.
22:04A male looks on while a female, which also operates in this territory, cuts the carcass into pieces
22:11with her shearing side teeth before swallowing it in chunks, just like our pets are equipped to do.
22:38This male has been busy spray-marking his territory.
22:41When a muddy female approaches, they briefly investigate the sides of each other's faces,
22:47probably to confirm identities or to match the particular scent with that on the rubbed landmarks.
23:07The encounter apparently over.
23:09She continues on her way.
23:16Then, she suddenly reverses her tracks and lies down provocatively near the male.
23:28Mating involves the identical neck biting by the male and the subsequent batting off by the female.
23:43In such ways, our domestic cats apparently carry with them much of their behavior from the wild.
23:51Even to the female indulging in a bout of rolling.
23:59And the male staying close by, waiting for another chance to mate.
24:13And then there are cats in other jungles.
24:21These animals also depend on using the same basic instincts to survive.
24:26But here, their habitat is a far cry from the wilderness.
24:35There are an estimated 15 to 25 million strays in America.
24:40This represents about a quarter of the total cat population.
24:43These unwanted street cats are often unhealthy and lead short, miserable lives.
24:52Every year, more than three million cats have to be killed by animal welfare organizations.
25:02At the other extreme, we spend almost two billion dollars on cat food each year.
25:09And many more millions on vet care and special products and services.
25:13.
25:15.
25:59Those that have been rejected by human society survive by scavenging for any leftovers, an all too common sight.
26:44In the other world of cats, owners come together with pride to display their pets.
26:49A top purebred cat may cost as much as $3,000.
27:11There's close attention to detail.
27:25At a typical cat show, you can see more than 30 breeds that are recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association.
28:04More likely, since they have little potential as working animals, cats have not been subjected to the same intensive selective
28:12breeding.
28:22But at this cat show, the title of queen is awarded to a non-pedigree house cat.
28:28Presumably, on the grounds that with cats, everyone is equally entitled to the description of Regal.
28:36If this seems a bit excessive, it may be little more than our pets are used to receiving in their
28:42daily lives.
28:57Cats have their own ways of demanding and getting attention and manipulating our behavior to match their wishes.
29:08But when a cat rubs you, it may not be showing affection.
29:12It's said that only when it rubs you with its forehead and nose is it recognizing you as a member
29:18of its cat family.
29:19All the other places that a cat normally uses to rub with, like the sides of its head and mouth,
29:26its flank, or even with its tail, are simply to mark you with one of its personalized scents.
29:33As well as demanding attention, it's probably claiming you as part of its territory, even though it may not always
29:41be the most convenient time.
30:02When this cat rubs on the edge of a table, it's clearly not passionate about the wooden legs, but is
30:09simply marking it with its odors.
30:12Since most cat owners have more than one cat, each will stake its claim to share the territory.
30:22The other cat in the household will commonly go over and sniff the rubbed area before adding its own personalized
30:30scent to the same spot.
30:42This house cat is sharpening its claws, or so it appears.
30:46But this animal had its claws removed as a kitten.
30:49The fact that it continues to rub may give us a clue to the significance of this behavior.
30:58When a cat scratches a tree, not only is it keeping its retractable claws in top condition, but it's almost
31:05certainly putting scent marks from its pads on the roughened surface, as well as leaving a visual marker of its
31:12presence.
31:16The cat experiences a sensory world that's totally different from our own.
31:27It's easy to misjudge precisely what messages cats are picking up from their environment.
31:33As they carry out their familiar lives around our homes, they're responding to a world of which humans have little
31:40awareness.
31:40Their seemingly psychic abilities, such as being able to sense the vibrations of coming earthquakes, may be achieved simply by
31:49using sensory information we cannot experience.
31:53All of it adds to their mysterious image.
31:59The hearing of cats is considerably better than humans.
32:03They have greater sensitivity and can detect high frequencies several octaves above the limit of our hearing.
32:15The cat's outer ear is very flexible and can scan and localize sounds with great precision.
32:25It's moved by an elaborate complex of tiny muscles.
32:36A cat's keen sense of smell provides a wealth of information, information that is intensified by the special organ in
32:43the roof of the mouth.
32:48A cat's pupil can occupy the whole of the eye or can contract into a vertical slit, allowing it to
32:55see in almost any light condition.
33:01They've sacrificed color vision for extra sensitivity in low light.
33:06They can detect blues and yellows, but can't really distinguish red.
33:12With this array of senses, cats are well equipped for survival.
33:17But pampered pets cannot automatically become accomplished hunters.
33:21Only experience from early kittenhood can prepare them for life on their own.
33:33Cats spend 80% of their time resting, or at least catnapping.
33:40By monitoring their brain waves, we know that they first enter a phase of light sleep, lasting 20 to 40
33:47minutes.
33:48During this time, they will readily open their eyes at the slightest disturbance.
33:53Then they finally go totally limp, and their third eyelid closes in from the side as they enter another world.
34:06Like humans, their brain wave pattern suggests that cats dream.
34:11Sometimes their muscles start to twitch as if hunting.
34:15Perhaps they're dreaming of a situation like this.
34:20We've got good news.
34:22We've got good news.
34:23We've got good news.
34:23We've got good news.
34:23I'm putting in all that over time.
34:25So we don't.
34:26WHISTLE BLOWS
35:06WHISTLE BLOWS
35:26WHISTLE BLOWS
35:30WHISTLE BLOWS
35:31The cat first twists the front end of its body downward,
35:34quickly followed by the rear.
35:36It can right itself after falling from an upside-down position
35:39in less than one second.
35:46WHISTLE BLOWS
35:54WHISTLE BLOWS
36:06They have comb-like spikes on their tongues
36:09which are primarily designed to scrape off meat from the bones of their prey.
36:13But there are pockets behind these spikes
36:16which act like a sponge to soak up the milk.
36:18Then the tongue is sucked dry in the mouth.
36:25When a cat cleans itself, it uses that same rough surface to comb and lubricate its fur.
36:39The saliva actually contains a cleansing, deodorizing agent
36:43which helps keep the cat clean and healthy.
37:05This motel in Florida plays host to many guests.
37:09But there's a resident here too,
37:12a calico cat that makes her home base in the storeroom.
37:20She made it about 64 days ago
37:23and has produced a litter of five kittens in a cardboard box.
37:27These youngsters are less than a day old.
37:34Their eyes won't open for another six to eight days
37:38and their hearing doesn't function until about another week after that.
37:46Because they feed exclusively on their mother's milk for the first five weeks
37:50and also because they must stay close to her for warmth
37:54these young kittens are equipped with several powerful instincts
37:58to help them survive.
38:00Initially, their most important senses are smell and touch
38:04as well as temperature awareness.
38:09If they move away in the wrong direction
38:11they can recognize by smell where they should be
38:15and take steps accordingly.
38:19Its sense of smell also helps the kitten identify its own nipple.
38:24It will suckle from that one exclusively.
38:27Another of the kitten's most crucial skills
38:30is to recognize up from down
38:32so that it can always keep its belly downward
38:35and be properly positioned to nurse.
38:42To be lying on one side is a cause for frantic struggle.
38:54In these early days
38:56the muscles of the kitten's rear quarters
38:58are not yet under control
39:00so their mother licks them
39:02not just to keep them clean
39:04but also to stimulate their bladder and bowels.
39:20Yet they will develop quickly from these feeble beginnings.
39:23The onset of puberty
39:25is just four months away.
39:41By five weeks of age
39:42the kittens have become fully coordinated.
39:45now their mother begins to leave them
39:47for short periods
39:48while they explore more and more
39:50of their immediate environment.
39:57They're full of curiosity
39:58and learn by watching and imitating their mother
40:01and by playing with each other.
40:04man
40:08wheeze
40:17wheeze
40:36The mother now has a new responsibility.
40:43As dusk approaches, she leaves her offspring and goes out to hunt.
40:48Initially, she kills the prey she catches and takes it back to eat in front of her youngsters.
40:54This enables the kittens to recognize it as a food source, and soon they learn to eat with her.
41:00As her offspring get older, she changes to catching mice but not killing them,
41:06so that she can take them back alive to her kittens.
41:21For domestic cats, about one pounce and three results in a capture.
41:47She sets off back to the storeroom to deliver the hapless animal to her brood.
41:52She knows that her kittens are ready to begin learning the skills they will need to survive.
42:08This gives the youngsters a chance to learn how to handle a small rodent.
42:15Kittens have no instinctive knowledge of how to kill their prey with a precise neck bite that cuts the spinal
42:22cord.
42:23They must learn from experience.
42:39The mother looks on but does not interfere.
42:47This may look cute, but it's actually a deadly game.
43:03This time, the mouse gets away, but soon these kittens will need to perfect their killing skills to survive.
43:15In the center of this litter is convincing evidence that cats need experience to learn to view mice as food.
43:28This white mouse is a family pet that the mother cat came to know and accept when she herself was
43:35a kitten.
43:36Now it's treated almost as a member of her own litter.
43:43Her own instincts are not triggered by the mouse, and it's allowed to be around without provoking more than sleepy
43:50curiosity.
43:51If a cat has not been exposed to opportunities to learn hunting as a kitten, it will be an ineffective
43:58predator as an adult.
44:00In order to survive in the wild, even big cats, such as lions and tigers, must be taught by their
44:07parents to recognize that prey is food.
44:10It's highly unlikely that these kittens will grow up to be efficient mousers.
44:25Domestic cats offer innumerable opportunities for the study of animal behavior.
44:31Yet surprisingly, very little research has been done.
44:35It's almost as if scientists have felt that pets are not worthy of serious study.
44:46Even obvious questions, such as the meaning of their different calls, have just begun to be investigated.
44:54Zoologist Patricia McKinley is in the first stage of work on a cat dictionary.
44:59She analyzes their calls with a machine that separates the different frequencies and displays them on a chart.
45:13She's found that cats produce about 15 basic calls, several of which can be combined to give a total vocabulary
45:21of approximately 25 different vocalizations.
45:33The meow is a composite call made of two different components.
45:38The first part, the me sound, is often used alone and it serves as a friendly greeting call.
45:44The ow sound on its own is normally a defensive call, meaning keep your distance.
45:51So, when a cat meows at you, it's really saying,
45:55I'm willing to be friendly, but beware, I've got rights here too.
46:00Cats almost always meow at people and very rarely at other cats.
46:11Purring is the cat's way of trying to ensure the continuation of some contact.
46:16They do it as they suckle their kittens and also when humans stroke them.
46:21The purring was once thought to be an involuntary noise, like human snoring.
46:26But now we know that it's a deliberate process.
46:30And unlike other vocalizations, it continues as they breathe in and out.
46:35All cats seem to purr at the same frequency, 25 vibrations per second.
46:43The two clear components of the meow call.
46:53The purr call is non-stop. Only the tone changes.
47:04Several of the insistent calls that cats make have sound characteristics similar to the cries of a human being.
47:11This might explain the contrasts of pleasure and annoyance they can generate in people.
47:21Another unstudied aspect of cats is why women in general have a stronger preference for them than men.
47:28Most owners are couples.
47:30But if you look at single people with cats, you'll find that there's a larger percentage of female owners.
47:50Psychologists offer several possible explanations.
47:53One is that women typically have less of a need to dominate their pet than men.
47:58Anyone who wants a cat to do something on command is likely to be very frustrated.
48:10However, there are ways of developing extraordinarily close relationships with your cat.
48:16Just handling kittens for 20 minutes each day for the first 30 days of their lives actually speeds their rates
48:23of development
48:24and intensifies the closeness of their bonding with humans.
48:28Don't cry.
48:30In one study, kittens handled in this way open their eyes a day sooner and emerge from the nest box
48:37three days earlier than usual.
48:42Well handled kittens stand the best chance of being trained by their owners.
48:51And when they become adult cats, they're more likely to develop close and affectionate relationships with human beings.
49:05This mother cat has been handled extensively since birth.
49:09Her kittens have been experiencing the same affectionate daily handling
49:13and have developed a close and trusting relationship with their handler.
49:20Which, in this case, just happens to be a baboon.
49:30Appropriately called Boonie, she's a resident of a small zoo.
49:36This mother cat was born here herself two years ago.
49:40And at that time, the baboon decided to share in her upbringing
49:44and to groom her as if she were a young baboon.
49:48Boonie still enjoys grooming Sunshine, the ever-patient mother.
50:08Boonie also shows a strong attraction to the kittens.
50:12Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello.
50:17hi-redGE
50:22Given the slightest chance, she'll pick one up and carry it around.
50:34With the daily handling they're getting from birth,
50:37it's highly likely these kittens
50:38will develop their own attachment to baboons
50:41which will remain with them throughout their lives.
50:48perhaps in a year or two this one might return to repeat the process
50:59but for now it seems to be in good hands
51:15contrary to popular belief cats are trainable this is how a professional goes about it
51:22starting with four-week-old kittens now watch it take a piece of food here and i'm holding a leg
51:30the aim here is not to let the kitten use its front paws so it will learn to sit upright
51:36unaided
51:36yes better see she's better now very good as in all animal training the most important thing
51:46is the bond of kindness and consistency on the part of the trainer
51:59from small uncertain beginnings progress is made one step at a time
52:07very good boy one more oops one more yes very good see he keeps legs down
52:17so for that is better than the other one whoops very well done very well one more
52:36the other one whoops very well done very well done
52:39stimulated only by rewards and encouragement this tiny kitten is beginning a long process
52:45that will eventually enable it to reliably go through its paces on command and in totally
52:51strange surroundings the trainer dominique lapour is a professional clown who entertains with his cats
53:02in a miniature circus act
53:20and now
53:41And although we can see that cats are trainable, many cat owners would admit they are the ones
53:48who have been trained by the subtle influences of their pets.
53:55In the end, it's the companionship and affection cats offer that makes them such a fulfilling
54:01part of our lives.
54:18Many people also admire their independence, and cats give us something no other pet can
54:24match.
54:29They provide their owners with a deep-rooted spiritual pleasure that comes from living
54:34with an animal that retains so many obvious links with the untamed world of nature.
54:49Perhaps in that lies their greatest charm.
55:02These kittens are orphans from a local adoption agency, aptly called Forgotten Felines.
55:09Nationwide, fewer than one out of three cats in shelters ever find a home with people who
55:15will take care of them.
55:16The rest will be either put to sleep, become experimental animals in some laboratory, live
55:22out deprived lives in a shelter, or escape, go wild, and become both nuisances and health
55:29hazards.
55:30Anyone who thinks domesticated cats and dogs can take care of themselves in modern America
55:35is dead wrong.
55:37Believe me.
55:38Believe me.
55:38A couple of suggestions.
55:40One, if you want a cat for a pet, please adopt an orphan like these fellows, unless you
55:46plan to breed and show cats.
55:48And two, please have any orphan kitten you take into your home neutered.
55:54Neutering will definitely make a better pet.
55:56And we have enough orphans.
56:00I'm George Page for Nature.
56:03Nature is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by annual financial
56:08support from viewers like you.
56:10And by Canon, providing the power of imaging to express your visions at home and work.
56:17And by Ford, maker of the new Ford Contour, a world car for the 21st century.
56:27The End
56:27The End
56:28The End
56:35The End
56:36The End
56:38The End
56:40The End
56:42The End
56:44The End
56:56The End
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