Feline fine

By Michael Evatt

Your in Southeast Asia exploring the area, hoping to see some exotic wildlife. You remember there being a tiger warning sign and are hoping to get a beautiful picture. Suddenly you see bright yellow-orange eyes with a black slit watching you. You see the glowing eyes creep closer until a striped, orange and black figure emerges. A tiger creeps closer to you, ready to pounce. You make yourself big and back away slowly. The tiger stops and begins to back away slowly due to your increased height. You let out a sigh of relief and decide to return where you came from, thinking that there has been enough action for today. Tigers are majestic giant cats that are sadly dying out. They are part of the feline family meaning they are related to animals like common house cats and ¨The Kings of The Jungle¨, lions.Lions are beautiful creatures that usually stay secluded, preferring not to stray close to humans. There beauty however comes with a price. Poachers hunt their fur and sell it for hundreds of dollars. The tiger´s population is dwindling and fast. Luckily, there are people who are on the job.

Tigers are most commonly known for their appearance. Tigers have a coat of orange fur with black, brown, or grey stripes. Their bellies are white and their tails can be white or black. That is known as the common type of tiger. There are also other species that have a white coat of fur and another that has sort of a brownish, cinnamon. No two tigers have the same stripe patterns, kinda like fingerprints. Siberian tigers weigh from 400 to 675 hundred pounds with the smaller species, Sumatran weighing between 220 to 310. All species have the average male being bigger than an average female. Tigers are carnivores like most species of cat but unlike most felines they are very bold with what they hunt. Tigers are known to eat big animals like deers, wild pigs, water buffalo and gazelle. Tigers are so fearless that they even hunt crocodiles, sloth bears, leopards, and pythons (Tiger, n.d.). Even though they are beautiful creatures it doesn't mean they are nice creatures. In the classic Disney movie ¨The Jungle Book¨, it portrays the villain, a tiger named Shere Khan as a tyrannical yet sophisticated character who wants to kill a little boy. This is actually how some tigers are. When a tiger is injured and/or old, it is not afraid to attack a person. This is not uncommon, an estimation of 373,000 people died between 1800 and 2009 and it may not seem like a lot in the given time period but the numbers aren't exactly stopping. Government, scientist, and animal preservation specialist are trying to help however and seem to be making a good starting impact. Hopefully they can find a safe solution good for people and animals (Raan, 2015).

Tigers mate in tropical climates around some of the more temperate seasons.The mother carries the babies for 103 days until birth. Tigers produce 3-4 cubs each reproduction period. The babies wait until 8 weeks to leave the den with mother. They become independent around 18 months and then move out around 2 ½ months. The mother is very protective of her babies so that she doesn't have to mate again. Most tigers are usually solitary and live on their own (Tiger, 2018)They are very territorial with their home in forest, swamps, grasslands, marshes, and rocky countries. It truly is amazing how adaptable they are. Tigers live in Asia, China, and Russia but only in small numbers. A good portion live in zoos and animal centers so that they are population may increase. Speaking of population, In 2016, the population of tigers has actually increased for the first time in 100 years. In a survey they found 3,890 tigers in the wild, which may be small but it used to be 3,200. Luckily for tigers, everyone that is involved is trying their best to preserve the lives of tigers. There are over 100 organizations around the world trying to save tigers but one of the most well known is the organization PETA. Hopefully they succeed (Tigers in the wild increase for first time in 100 years, 2017)

Tigers are truly a curious species of animal. They are loved for their appearance and are revered for their hostile nature. It is true that tigers aren't the as nice as a kitten but they are still a beautiful race of animal that deserve to live and strive. This is why so much work is put into their rescue. These creatures deserve to be alive for another 100 years. They are truly living, breathing beauties.

Zdanowicz, Christina. (April 11, 2016). ¨Tigers in the wild increase for first time in 100 years¨. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/11/world/wild-tigers-rise-first-time-century-irpt/index.html

Tiger. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger

Tiger. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://defenders.org/tiger/basic-facts

Max Raan. (September 24, 2015). ¨Tigers Kill People a Lot More Often Than You Think¨. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gqmd37/this-wasnt-nearly-the-first-time-a-tiger-has-killed-a-zoo-keeper

It eyes narrow, it's legs are perched, claws are at the ready, then, it goes for the kill. Then the squeak of a toy mouse echoes across the room. The cat then slashes at the felt of the mouse as a person holds it by a string. Domestic cats are now a big part of our society. Almost every household holds one of these fluffy mammals as a playful pet. It's hard to think that these creatures are actually related to tigers and lions. Domestic cats are known to be mean, mysterious, harsh , and autonomous but some are actually really playful and loving.. They can be found almost anywhere in the world. They are misunderstood fur balls that can be either a person's best friend or a persons living nightmare.

Domestic cats otherwise known as house cats can have various looks depending on their breed. A house cat can be skinny, fluffy, big, small. Their color can vary from white, black, orange, ginger, grey, yellow, and other colors that aren't in the rainbow. Most cats average around about 28 in tall and weigh around 5 to 20 lbs(Domestic cat, n.d.). A domestic cat can weigh a lot more if it has owners that feed it extensively. Just like other felines, house cats are carnivores. They eat nothing but meat and have evolved to eat raw meat without side effect. Their biggest tool when consuming food is their tongue which allows them to lick any and every last piece of meat off an animal's bones. Cats that are pets adapt to what their owners feed them so it is possible for cats to eat non meat products such as kibble. If a house cat gets desperate or is just a stray than their instincts will kick in to use their hunting abilities. Do not be fooled by a domestic cats appearance. All house cats that are fit are expert predators. This is not an understatement, there have been reports of house cats severely injuring people just by being playful. They hunt best at night do to their amazing night vision. They also have very good hearing and are highly agile (Domestic cat, n.d.).

A female cat can have kittens between ages 7 to 12 months. The female has what is called a ¨litter¨ of cats. The number of cats is usually 4 but can be less or more. Babies are usually born bald and blind. It takes 10 to 12 days for their senses to form. There are 58 different types of breeds of just house cats. More and more are being made each year (Michael W. Fox, n.d.). There are currently 220 to 600 million cats in the world. Most people think that dogs are better and more popular but in a recent survey people found out that more people own cats in the world than dogs, so deal with it (Karen Kirkpatrik, Dec 10, 2015). Like I said, Domestic cats are everywhere. Somehow domestic cats have populated every part of land except cold places like Antarctica. Just like humans the cats population is rising do to how many kittens are born per litter. Sadly, a domesticated cats life last about 4 to 5 years but if they are housebroken than they are likely to last three times as long. Some people even try to poach some stray cats which is not only weird but wrong. There are organizations like PETA that focus on protecting animals such as cats and to put the poachers and mistreaters in jail. PETA is currently doing a really good job with almost no reports of purposefully killed cats reported.

Cats are very majestic animals. They are mysterious, mean, playful, happy, cute, dangerous, and cuddly. Cats are very unpredictable and you never know how they will act. Cats deserve a long life on earth and hopefully their species will strive with the help of organizations like PETA. Cats are truly amazing creatures and have truly earned a spot in the populations heart. They will forever be loved by people because who doesn't like cat videos.

Domestic cat. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/d/domestic-cat/

Michael W. Fox. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/animal/cat

Karen Kirkpatrik. (Dec 10, 2015). Retrieved from https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/just-how-many-house-cats-are-there-the-world.htm

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