Feline fallacies

BY DR. MARTY BECKER & GINA SPADAFORI Universal Press Syndicate

Although a cat won’t try to smother a baby, common sense dictates parental supervision of all child-pet interactions.

What do you know about cats? A little mystery can be a wonderful thing, but sometimes misinformation can be deadly.

Even though cats have shared our lives for countless generations, there's a lot we think we know about them that's wrong. Here are a few enduring myths and the facts to counter them.

• Cats have nine lives.

Cats are survivors, no doubt of that. More so than any other domesticated animal, they keep their wildness about them, slipping back and forth across the line that separates the feral from the tame.

Finely tuned to the slightest hint of danger, the cat can run fast, climb faster and, if cornered by an adversary, defend himself with a formidable array of claws and teeth. With all this, is it any wonder people came to believe that the cat had not one chance at life, but nine?

The truth is that cats are more fragile than we think. Cats as a species have proven resilient, but as individuals, they are every bit as mortal as we are — and very vulnerable in the world.

Cats have but one life, and they need our help to make that life a long, healthy and happy one.

• Cats purr whenever they're happy.

Cats purr if they're happy, but also often when they're not. They purr while giving birth, and they may even purr while dying. British zoologist Desmond Morris has said that purring is "a sign of friendship — either when (the cat) is contented with a friend or when it is in need of friendship — as with a cat in trouble."

Although the experts are pretty clear on why cats purr, they're not yet certain as to how. The most common explanation has the sweet sound originating in the voice box, with what are called the "vestibular folds," or "false vocal cords." The passing of air across these structures is thought to produce the purr all cat lovers adore.

• Cats are dangerous around babies.

It doesn't matter what well-meaning relatives say. You don't need to find a new home for your pet if you become pregnant. Cats do not maliciously smother or suck the breath out of babies, as the myths hold. While common sense dictates that no pet be left unattended with an infant, you can rest assured that your cat doesn't present any special danger to your child.

A bigger concern involves not infants but pregnancy and the risk of toxoplas mosis. Miscarriages and birth defects can result when pregnant women are exposed to cat feces containing the organisms that cause this disease.

Because of this risk, someone else should take over the maintenance of the litter box for the duration of the pregnancy, and even before the pregnancy in the case of couples who're attempting to conceive. (Litter boxes aren't the only way to contract the disease, so talk to your doctor about additional precautions.)

• A well-fed cat doesn't hunt.

Hunting behavior in cats is very contro- versial, especially if the prey is songbirds or endangered rodent species. Some cats hunt, some cats don't, and it has more to do with what a cat learned from his mother than from the rumbling in his belly. Plenty of well-fed cats are very active hunters.

Putting a bell on your cat has little effect on his ability to hunt. Turning him into an indoor dweller is the only way to protect wildlife from your cat — and to protect you from his thoughtful "gifts" of dead mice and birds.

• Black cats are bad luck.

Black may be an unlucky color all right — for a cat. Black cats have been associated with the forces of evil for hundreds of years, and humane societies warn that this myth has cost many of them their lives. Black cats have been the target of those who want to practice rituals that include the torture and killing of animals.

Black may be an unfortunate color for another reason: visibility. Thousands of cats are killed by cars every year, and the difference between a hit or a near-miss may be the driver's ability to see the cat darting across the road before him. At night, patches of light-colored fur are a distinct advantage to a kitty.