How dogs and cats are evolving to look alike and why it’s humans’ fault – new research: Africa Studio/Shutterstock Domestication has made cats and dogs more diverse, but also curiously alike – with serious implications for their health and welfare, new research shows. At first glance, Persian cats and pugs don’t seem like they’d have …
Do cats make good therapy animals? The new trend showing felines may be more complicated than we realise: larisa Stefanjuk/Shutterstock Dogs are sociable, enthusiastic and widely used to comfort people in settings like hospitals, schools and care homes. But an increasingly popular alternative is emerging: therapy cats. The term is often used loosely in the …
The world’s most bizarre secret weapons: how pigeons, cats, whales and even robotic catfish have acted as spies through the ages: The death of a spy is rarely newsworthy, due to the secrecy surrounding it. But when a white beluga whale suspected of spying for Moscow was found dead in Norwegian waters in September, the …
Cats like to play fetch, as long as it’s on their terms – new research: Surprised that cats like to play fetch too? Tzido Sun/Shuttestock Cats have a reputation for being aloof (some may even say lazy) – but our new research has found they interact with their owners in surprising ways. What we discovered …
Big cats eat more monkeys in a damaged tropical forest – and this could threaten their survival: A jaguar in the jungle of southern Mexico. Mardoz/Shutterstock Monkeys are not usually a popular menu item for big cats. Primates are, after all, hard to catch: living in the canopies of large trees and rarely coming down …
Wildcats lived alongside domestic cats for 2,000 years but only started interbreeding 60 years ago – new study: There are very few wildcats like this one left in their natural habitat in Scotland. Mark Bridger You are unlikely to have seen one, but wildcats are still clinging on by a claw in Scotland. Most of …
Are big cats prowling the UK? What the science tells us: Exploring the British countryside? Unlikely, says big cat expert. Karel Bartik/Shutterstock Rumours that there are big cats in Britain stubbornly keep cropping up. The thought of a large predator lurking in the rural landscapes of Britain is an exciting one. The most recent widely …
How cats and dogs affect the climate — and what you can do about it: Are dogs as polluting as private jets? elbud/Shutterstock According to Patrick Hanson, the CEO of Luxaviation, a Luxembourg-based luxury airline firm, having pets can be just as polluting as travelling by private jet. In defence of his own industry, he …
Dogs and cats can be expensive – five ways to save money on pet care as the cost of living rises: Some pet owners are facing heartbreaking choices due to rising prices. Budimir Jevtic/Shutterstock For anyone with a pet, you’ll know how much happiness they can bring to your life. Pets are part of the …
Data bombing and dead cats – how PR uses practices of secrecy to influence media and society: Microgen/Shutterstock More than 100 years ago, sociologist Georg Simmel wrote that secrecy is a core part of all human relationships. The ratio of secrecy to openness in a society, he argued, can tell us much about that society. …
How to tell when cats are fighting or just playing: six important clues to watch out for: Notice how the claws are sheathed Anastasiia Skorobogatova/Shutterstock Cats and dogs famously don’t get on with each other. We seem quite able to recognise a fight between these two species. However, even experienced cat owners can struggle to …
Cats in the middle ages: what medieval manuscripts teach us about our ancestors’ pets: Cat king, Germany, circa 1450. Scheibler’sches Wappenbuch – BSB Cod.icon. 312c Cats had a bad reputation in the middle ages. Their presumed links with paganism and witchcraft meant they were often treated with suspicion. But despite their association with the supernatural, …
Sabretooth cats hunted on South Africa’s coast 5 million years ago: this old one was in pain: Skeletal reconstruction of the Langebaanweg sabertooth, with highlighted elements to indicate the bones examined in this study. Adapted from Mauricio Antón (2013) Over five million years ago, before our ancestors dominated the landscape, southern Africa’s west coast was …
Pet therapy: how dogs, cats and horses help improve human wellbeing: Monkey business images/shutterstock We’ve all heard of the psychotherapy couch, and the dynamic between a client and their human therapist. But perhaps less well known is the increasingly popular pet therapy. And no, that’s not therapy for your pet – it’s the relatively new …
How the first cat-like sabre-tooth predator was discovered – and why it differs from modern cats: Diegoalerus was probably around the size of a bobcat Erick Toussaint, San Diego Natural History Museum (licensed under CC by 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Although they are currently the greatest predators on land, it’s likely that modern-day cats wouldn’t have been …
Hydroelectric dams take toll on endangered big cats, study shows: Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock Big cats are among the most widespread top predators on Earth. Lions stalk zebra in the African savanna, tigers ambush antelope in the forests of Asia and jaguars hunt deer in the jungles of South America. They play an important role in ecosystems …
250,000 cats have no owners in UK urban areas – but there are ways we can help: NicO_l/Shutterstock The UK is home to around 10.8 million owned pet cats. But the number of unowned cats living on the streets in the UK has remained largely unknown – until now. Our new research, published in the …
Why the pandemic made some cats sick with stress – and how we can help them: Cats were likely stressed because we interrupted their daily routine. Tatyana Vyc/ Shutterstock Those of us who own pets probably enjoyed their company in the depths of the pandemic. Not only are pets potentially good for our physical health, …