Sasha MonkeyAnd The Calico Cat

A True Story

The calico kitty is a pregnant stray,who wanders the streets in searchof a home.

All cats are members of the family Fel-idae. A cat is pregnant for about 58-65days. This is roughly two months.

One evening the calico kitty stepsup to a lady named Genevieve.

Cats have keen eyesight in the dark. Itis almost like they have built-in infraredglasses. A cat�s eyes also have�eyeshine� at night, due to a reflectivelayer of cells called the �tapetumlucidum� that has crystal-like properties.Cats� whiskers can be used as an alter-native sensing device in the dark. Theextreme sensitivity of the hairs can reg-ister very small changes in the air pres-sure, helping cats maneuver in the dark.

Cats have keen eyesight inthe dark. Their whiskersalso act as an alternativesensing device in the dark.

Cats are pregnant forroughly two months.

Genevieve looks down and hearsa faint rumbling. The calico kittyis purring and rubbing on her legs.

Cats have glands around their eyes andbetween their ears, so when a cats rubsup against you, she is actually markingyou as �hers� with her scent.

Genevieve talks softly to the cat.

Cats respond better to women than tomen, probably due to the fact thatwomen�s voices have a higher pitch.

Although long considered a solitary ani-mal, the cat is relatively social. A catwill respond and answer to speech, andseems to enjoy human companionship.Cats do not think that they are littlepeople. They think of people as big cats.This influences their behavior in manyways.

The calico kitty purrs louder asGenevieve rubs her head andback. Purring can be a cat�s wayof saying, �All is well. I am con-tent.�

But many experts report that cats willpurr when feeling any intense emotionor even to reassure themselves. It is afact that female cats often purr whenthey are in labor, as well as when they

Cats have scent glandsaround their eyes, be-tween their ears on theback of the neck and onthe muzzle, so that whena cat rubs up against you,she is actually markingyou as hers.

Cats smell this scent butpeople do not. A cat�ssense of smell is fourtimes better than aperson�s.

Purring can mean deeprelaxation and that all iswell.

are nursing their kittens. Cats purr atabout 26 cycles per second, the samefrequency as an idling diesel engine. Do-mestic cats purr both when inhaling andwhen exhaling.

Genevieve can tell the calico kittyis about to give birth. When kit-tens are born, they are helplessand need to be protected. Theyneed their mothers to keep themwarm and clean and give themmilk.

The calico kitty chirped and walked to-ward Genevieve�s front door. If a cat�chirps� at you and walks away, this is asign that she wants you to follow.

Genevieve lifts the kitty with bothhands and takes her inside. Shenames the calico kitty �Mama�.

First she gets food and water forthe thirsty Mama.

When a cat drinks, its tongue, which hastiny barbs on it, scoops the liquid upbackwards. These small �hooks� alsocome in handy when tearing up food.Cats are carnivorous and hunt and eatsmall animals.

Genevieve gets the kitty a basketwith a soft towel.

Cats are carnivorous andhave an instinct for hunt-ing, but the mother catmust teach kittens to be ef-ficient hunters. Cats catchmice and voles more oftenthan birds.

Cats purr at about 26 cyclesper second.

The original function ofpurring was probably toenable a kitten to tell hismother that he is contentedand all is well. A kitten canpurr and nurse at the sametime but cannot nurse andmeow at the same time.The mother usually purrsback, reassuring the kitten.

Older cats may purr whenthey play or approach othercats, signaling they arefriendly and want to comecloser.

Scent: Both cats and monaguenons use olfactory com-munication. Monas havescent glands and rub theirscent on those they associ-ate with. Cats have scentglands in many place on thebody, including between thetoes, on the shoulders andback of the neck below theears, the anal sac, the rump,under the eyes and on thechin.

By rubbing his face on vari-ous objects, such as legsand furniture, the cat isleaving his scent. Other catsor other animals with a goodsense of smell who pass theobject (furniture leg or legof a person) will often stopand sniff, maybe even rub-bing their faces on the ob-ject to leave their scent aswell.

Scent marks contain mol-ecules called pheromones.The pheromones that comefrom the glands on the facegenerally have a calmingeffect on cats.

The cats� different phero-mones affect a number ofbehaviors including repro-duction and establishing ter-ritory.

The next night Mama has five tinybabies.

Cats mate and bear young to survive asa species, but if left to her own devices,a female cat may have kittens every fourmonths. This is why population controlusing neutering and spaying is so impor-tant. An average litter is three to seven.A kitten will typically weigh about 3ounces at birth.

For the moment, the calico kitty iscontent. Cats knead with their pawswhen they�re happy. But what thegentle Mama doesn�t know is that

her new friend Genevieve is mov-ing to another country very soon.

And that is how the mama kitty--and her basket full of kittens--comes to live in Sasha�s gardenwhen her babies are just two daysold.

Sasha is a four year old mona gue-non (GWEN-un) monkey. Monaguenons are tree loving monkeysthat come from West Africa fromGhana to Cameroon. Mona is theMoorish name for �long-tailed mon-keys�.

Cat paws and claws: Acat�s front claws are retract-able. Cats sharpen theirclaws on tree branches, car-peting and furniture.Scratching uses the scentglands between their toesand is one way cats spreadtheir scent.

One of the reasons that kit-tens knead their mother�sstomach is to stimulate theflow of milk.

The scientific name for the Mona gue-non is Cercopithecus mona. The nameguenon comes from the French word forfright. When guenons are excited theyshow their teeth in a grimace.

Just as there are about 100 distinctbreeds of the domestic cat today, thereare over 150 species of monkeys andfifteen species of guenons. Guenons aresometimes called �the masked mon-keys�, because their facial patterns looklike geometric mask designs.

Sasha lives in a tropical gardenwith other monkeys and lots ofplants.

Mona monkeys are complex social ani-mals and are old enough to have babymonkeys when they are about 5 yearsold. Monkeys do not have litters like cats.

Cat species: There areabout 100 distinct speciesof the domestic cat today.The rag-doll is consideredthe largest. The Siamese isconsidered one of the mostintelligent.

Cat breeding fact: A fe-male cat may have kittensevery four months.

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There are over two dozen types of guenon monkeys and over 150 species ofprimates. Guenons are African monkeys, most of whom have the distinctivefacial patterning that gave them the nickname �the masked monkeys�. Just asdifferent breeds of cats can interbreed and have young, so can different gue-non subspecies. The red-tailed monkeys and the blue monkeys are one spe-cies noted for mating with each other in the wild.

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They usually have a single young andsometimes twins. Some types of mon-keys, like the South American marmo-set, may have triplets. Both monkey andkitten births often take place at night andmonkey young are born in the tree wherethe mother sleeps.

When Sasha was very small, shelearned from her own kitten thatcats of all ages are very special.

Both cats and monkeys have a flexiblespine and share a love of climbing andhunting small animals. Both cats andmonkeys create relationships basedupon physical contact. They need bodilycontact for reassurance and affection.Cats and monkeys both use lots of bodylanguage. Both cats and monkeys canbush up to make themselves appear

The happy cat has straightears and relaxed whiskers.

Expressions: Cats andmonkeys both have facialexpressions that signaltheir emotional state.

The angry cat has laidback ears, forward di-rected whiskers and smallpupils.

The fearful cat has flat-tened ears, flattenedwhiskers and large pupils.

larger to their potential foes. All catsshare certain characteristics and bodylanguage gestures that are unique to thecat family. Monkeys also have specificgestures that signify welcome, threats,display, fear, submissive behavior, af-fection or bonding.

Cats and monkeys are intelligentand can learn to read each other�ssignals, such as rubbing up againsteach other to make friends.

Body language: All catsshare certain characteristicsand body language ges-tures that are unique to thecat family. Cats have morespecific communication sig-nals than the average catowner is aware of.

Both cats and monkeyshave flexible spines. Catsare built for hunting andclimbing. Monkeys are builtfor climbing, graspingbranches and hunting forfood.

But there is a first time for every-thing. Mama Kitty has never seena monkey before. One look atSasha and timid Mama�s hairstands up evenly all over. Is shegoing to fight the little monkey?

Aggression: Under thewarm, furry, exterior of bothcats and monkeys, is in-stinctive fearful/aggressiveanimal behavior waiting tohappen. When cats or mon-keys are upset, they don�tcall a therapist. They takematters into theirown....claws, teeth, paws orhands.

Both cats and monkeys arecapable of hurling them-selves at the object of theirdispleasure, a person orother animal, then wildlybiting, clawing and vocaliz-ing. They can back off, circletheir target and fly in for asecond attack, then a third.

Although cats are domesti-cated they still require ad-equate gentling and social-izing, which has a lastingimpact on their adult behav-ior. A monkey, however, isnot domesticated and can-not be gentled or socializedout of instinctive aggressiveadult behaviors.

The wagging tail: Catsand monkeys are intelligentand learn to read each

If a cat is frightened, the hair stands upfairly evenly all over the body; but whenthe cat threatens or is ready to attack,the hair stands up only in a narrow bandalong the spine and tail. If a cat creepslow to the ground, it is stalking its �vic-tim�, so be aware that the cat will start afull speed assault. If a she wants to fight,she has powerful jaws, long, sharp teethand puncturing claws. Mona monkeysalso have dagger-like canine teeth andcan be ferocious fighters.

other�s body language.When the cat�s tail wagslike this, he is curious orexcited about something.

Instead the frightened calico runsin the garden plants to hide.

Unlike the monkey, who walks or runson alternating legs, the cat steps withboth left legs, then both right legs. Thismethod of moving ensures speed, agil-ity and stealth.

But the little monkey doesn�t want

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Aggression: Both cats andmonkeys are capable of fearpowered aggression. Trig-gering such behavior in thecat depends on their fearsensitivity threshold, andwhether escape routes andhiding places can easily befound. If a cat feels threat-ened and trapped with no-where to run, then she willbecome aggressive as a lastalternative.

Play is important for both kittens and monkeys because it increases theirphysical coordination and social skills. Monkeys and kittens develop �so-cial skills� that involve learning how to send and receive signals, like whatan �inhibited bite� means and how far to go in play-wrestling. (Young Sashaplaying with kitten �Spot�.)

Cats who spray: Cats mayspray in response to othercats. The urine shootsstraight out and the tip ofthe tail will quiver back andforth as the cat sprays. Adultfemales as well as male catscan spray urine to mark theirterritory, but unneuteredmales are most likely to.More than 90% of male catswill not start spraying if theyare neutered before the be-havior begins.

trouble either. Sasha is eager toshare her garden with the prettycalico. She is socially curious nowthat the little cat is in her terri-tory.

Both cats and monkeys have a sense ofterritory. Sometimes they fight over ter-ritory and some New World monkeys,like some cats, will scent mark their ter-ritory with urine. Monkeys and cats mayboth fight over territory, but both spe-cies can also learn to share their territo-ries with other animals.

With Sasha out of sight, Mamasettles in with her babies. But thenext morning, before the littleMama knows what is going on,Sasha sneaks back in the gardenand gently climbs in the basket.

Mama is very cool this time. Sheseemed to be thinking, �No prob-lem, it�s just that little monkey Isaw yesterday.�

You can tell a cat�s mood by looking intoits eyes. A frightened or excited cat willhave large, round pupils. An angry catwill have narrow pupils. The pupil size isrelated as much to the cat�s emotionsas to the degree of light.

Because cats are relatively socialthey make good pets. Mama treatsSasha like another friendly cat.Mama doesn�t hiss or growl or run,the way she would if she were an-gry or scared.

Socializing: If properly so-cialized the domestic cat isquite tame. Although manypeople consider cats a soli-tary species, they can anddo live in groups. Cats canlive in groups, but they don�tneed to. Most monkeys livein groups but some monkeysbreak away from theirgroups and live alone (soli-tary monkeys), returningonly once in awhile to inter-act with group members.

Cat history: Most domestic cats of today are thought to have descendedfrom the African wild cat. The relationship between cats and man datesback at least 5,000 years. The domestication process began about 3,000BC in Egypt when cats were enlisted to protect grain silos from rodents.These felines became so valuable that they were regarded as gods. Thedomestic cat was descended from this Egyptian stock.

Lynx point Siamese

Persian Rag doll

Mixed breed Persian

Cats transfer all the social skills meantfor other cats onto humans or other ani-mals they are raised with. Monkeys dothe same.

On the second day, Mama andSasha are like old familiar friends.Mama purrs when Sasha climbs in.Sasha immediately starts groom-ing Mama and her babies. Mamashows her acceptance of Sasha bypushing her face against Sasha�shead.

Social skills: Cats transfersocial skills meant for othercats, like playfulness, ontohuman or other animalsthey grow up with.

Most types of monkeystransfer their social skills toother types of monkeys theylive with in the wild.

If your cat pushes its face against you,it is a sign of acceptance and affection.

Again, Mama lets Sasha�s fingerscomb through the orange, whiteand black fur on her back.

Monkeys groom themselves and theygroom through each others fur manytimes during the day. Although they lookfor dry skin and debris, grooming ismainly a social behavior. Monkeys havespecial concentrated grooming sessionswhere they take turns grooming eachother as they rest. Grooming is friendlybehavior and also relaxes them, whetherthey are grooming or being groomed.

After examining all of thekittens...Sasha wants to hold ababy.

Monkeys live in large social groups inthe wild. Young female mona guenonspractice what is called �aunting� behav-ior. When they are too young to have ababy of their own, the mona will prac-tice being a good mother by borrowinga baby from someone else, usually herown mother, who now has another off-spring. Sasha wants to practice heraunting behavior with Mama�s kittens.

Mama monkeys carry their young byholding them securely to their chest. Inthe beginning, the baby cannot clingfirmly or safely to the mother�s fur, so

Aunting: When the youngmona guenon is old enoughto explore off the mother,�aunts�, in the form of ado-lescent females will comeand benignly snatch thebaby up. Holding infantsgive them practice for be-ing mothers themselves.

Mothers and young: Theyoung de Brazza�s guenonis more drably colored thanher mother. Unlike catswho have eight nipples,monkeys have two.

she holds it close with her hand, espe-cially when she is on the move.

Sasha holds the baby kittensupportively like she would hold ababy monkey. She knows the kit-ten can�t hold on to her.

Sasha picks little orange Teddy to

Monkey facts:Young red-tailed guenon,right, is grooming a youngswamp guenon. Just asone breed of cat, say a Per-sian, may pick an cat of acompletely different breed,say a Manx, as a friend,most guenons specieschoose to hangout withother types of monkeys inthe wild:

Mona guenons associatewith white-throated gue-nons and white-collaredand gray-cheekedmangabeys. They also in-terbreed in the wild withcrowned guenons.

Lesser spot-nosed gue-nons form groups withCampbell�s guenon andDiana monkeys and theyassociate with olivecolobuses.

hold first. At birth, kittens can�t seeor hear well. Kittens usually opentheir eyes between seven to tendays but sometimes it happens asearly as two days.

Contrary to popular belief, even domes-tic cats are not tame from birth if feralborn and/or if not properly socialized withpeople. Because monkeys are not do-mesticated, they are still wild even when

born in captivity. More than the domes-ticated cat, monkeys are strongly gov-erned by instincts that kept them alivein the wild. The wild monkey has a stron-ger inclination toward aggressive behav-iors than the domestic cat. These ag-gressive behaviors develop more as themonkey matures. In contrast to the doc-ile adult cat, the adult monkey is oftenaggressive and always far more difficultto care for.

Wild birds sometimes fly over thewild little Sasha monkey. Sashathinks of them as a danger andwhether she is inside or outside,will hide the kitten under her thighwhen she hears their caws abovethe garden lattice.

She will be instinctively protective of thekitten, since large birds of prey havebeen known to swoop down and grab a

Body language:Both cats and monkeys uselots of body language. Thisis the mona guenon�s threatposture. It is a show of in-tent and is accompanied byintermittent grunts of dis-pleasure. Notice the fur pat-tern, which also transmits amessage. The white of theinner arms and legs formsa long sharp toothlike pat-tern which adds to the for-midable looks.

Most of the time cats andmonkeys will attempt toavoid direct conflict througha show of intent.

Cats do this with their backsarched, claws out, and hairraised. Like the mona gue-non, they lock eyes in afierce standoff.

Two cats will hiss and growl,and the occasionally swinga paw, until one cat breakseye contact, ending thebattle of wills.

monkey�s baby.

All of Mama�s other kittens areblack and white and today Sashaseems to like Teddy�s bright colorbest.

Guenons are Old World monkeys and seein color like people do. There is somedispute about the cat�s color vision. Atone time it was believed that they onlysaw black, white and shades of gray. Re-cent studies have shown that cats cansee blue and green. There is disagree-ment as to whether they can see red.Teddy looks golden orange to Sasha buthis orange coat might not look the sameto mama kitty.

Calico cats have litters with kittens ofdifferent colored markings. The gene in

Baby snatching:Adolescent guenons willbenignly snatch babiesfrom older females in thewild in order to practicetheir parenting skills.

At birth the baby guenonweighs about 300 g. Thebabies first movements areat one week. At four weeksthe baby is running andclimbing.

The baby guenon�s firstsolid food is taken at 2months.

Unlike the kitten who isweaned at 2 months, gue-nons are weaned at 6months.

When the monkey infant isborn, unlike the kitten, hiseyes are open.

When a mona guenon explores, she maychoose to walk flat footed. If she sensessomething suspicious, the last third of hertail will pilo erect (bristle).

Monkey facts: Theguenon stands up onits hind feet in orderto get a better viewof the landscape andpossible opportuni-ties or dangers.

The mona guenon who isacting submissive in or-der to avoid trouble, willsit tall and straight butput her head down so theeyes don�t show up. Theyget lost in the mask.Hands are folded belowthe waist.

A frightened guenon may bristle allover when he or she thinks dangeris near.

cats that causes the orange coat color issexed linked, and is on the X sex chro-mosome. Orange cats are always males.Calico cats are always female.

The coat of a baby mona guenon is al-ways the same when born. It is moredull in color than the adult�s fur. Themona monkey�s coat darkens and bright-ens as it matures and develops strongergold and copper highlights.

The kittens huddle together besidethe mother to keep warm. Sashachecks each kitten to see if it is aboy or girl. This is like a ritual forher and she does it each time she

Young mona guenons aremore drab in color thanadults.

Cat fact: By interactingwith their mother and litter-mates, kittens learn how tobe cats. They also explorethe social ranking process(�who�s the boss of who�).

visits them.

Inside her sitting room, Sashadoesn�t want anyone else to touchher kitten. In the wild, she mighthave had to go to great lengths toborrow a baby. Although Mama isvery easy about sharing her ba-bies, Sasha is still afraid someoneelse might want to borrow the babyback from her!

In the wild young, aunting females likeSasha will often chase each other in or-der to steal a coveted baby.

Sasha sits with Teddy in a warmsoft place.

Mona guenons are true tree dwellers and

Socializing the kitten

Take time to acquaint kittywith being touched andhandled all over. Teachyour kitten to enjoy beingpicked up and hugged! Thatway he won�t feel threat-ened, defensive or irritatedwhen he is handled as anadult.

For the older kitten, startthe lessons when your kittyis relaxed. Begin by han-dling him in ways he findspleasurable. Scratch behindhis ears and stroke the topof his head. Stroke down hisback, down the hind legsand tail. Stroke along theside of his body. See if hewill roll onto his side or rollover on his back to accepta tummy rub. Use a gentlevoice and plenty of praise.

often like to sit up high off the ground.Both cats and monkeys prefer to loungeup high, where they have a view of preyor danger.

Teddy�s very relaxed and just takesa nap.

Kittens began dreaming at just over oneweek old. The average cat sleeps 16 to18 hours a day. Kittens should eat orsleep 90% of the time during the firsttwo weeks.

Cats like to sit or lay when sleeping. Gue-nons have small pads on their bottoms(ischial callosities) which make sittingupright comfortable for them when theysleep on a tree branch.

Monkeys have a daily rhythm of restingand traveling to look for food. Mona gue-nons like to start their day early with

It�s a fact:Cats have short toes andfoot pads that enable themto walk on cold surfacesand in the snow. With theirlong fingers and toes, mon-keys are more susceptibleto frostbite and need to livein a warmer climate.

Monkey fact: Guenonshave two hairless, ovalpads of skin under theirtails that make sitting onhard tree branches morecomfortable!

socializing and grooming others. Themost active parts of their day are morn-ing and afternoon when they forage forfood. During the midday heat they restand spend most of their time in socialgrooming. Toward evening they findsleeping trees and congregate to snackand socialize before they sleep.

Mona guenons, like most monkey spe-cies, have social hierarchies. This meansthat each monkey has a certain rank ofimportance. The monkeys with higherrank are more important and have morepower. The lower ranking monkeys getsecond pick of food and friends. Con-trary to popular belief, cats also have a

Below, red-tailed guenons and a swamp guenon (2nd from the right) groomand play with one another. Most monkeys interact with different species in thewild.

Cat games:

There�s something aboutcats and wiggly people feethiding under the bed covers.

They will remind your catsof one of their favorite prey:�Imaginary Mice�.

Watch out because Imagi-nary Mice can be hookedthrough several layers ofcloth! The more they wiggle,the more inticing the game.And if you are sleeping, somuch the better for your cat!

Sasha remains vigilant even whenshe looks relaxed, so don�t thinkyou could take Teddy away fromher when she looks the other way.

Sasha pulls Teddy back up againand takes charge. Right now,

loose social hierarchy when living in thesame area.How do you say

�cat�?

In English, cat is �cat.�In French, cat is �chat.�In German, your cat is�katze.� The Spanishword for cat is �gato,�and the Italian word is�gatto� and Arabiccountries call a cat a�kitte.� Chinese: �mao�,Gypsy: �muca�, Japa-nese: �neko�, Roma-nian: �pisica�, Russian:�koshka�, Norwegianand Swedish: �katt�,Danish: �kat�, Dutch:�kattekop�, Finnish:�kissa�, Hungarian:�kos muksó�, Swahili:�paka�, Albanian:�mace�, Belarusin:�kot�, Bengali: �biral�,

Czech:�kocka�, Hawaiian:�popoki�, Malay:�kucing�, Tagalog:�pusa�, Tibetan: �kunda la�, Turkish: �kedi�,Urdu: �billi�, Vietnam-ese: �con mèo�, Yid-dish: �kaz�.

Draw a cat.

�Chat�?

Teddy is the most important thingin Sasha�s day.

Sasha wants to hold Teddy asmuch as she can. Normally shewould be quite active, running allover her territory, inside and outinto the enclosed gardens. She hasa long attention span for babiesand after an hour, she is still justas interested.

Teddy�s asleep but Sasha remainsattentive. Sasha sometimes holdsthe kittens on her furry feet, whichshe has learned will calm them.Sasha�s feet have four long toesand a thumb, which makes themgood for grasping things. She hasfour fingers and an opposingthumb on her hand like a person.Unlike the monkey, kittens havepaws instead of hands. Their frontpaws have five toes, and their backpaws have four.

Some cats are born with as many asseven front toes and extra back toes(polydactyl).

Kittens like to nurse often, so it�stime to put the butterball Teddyback with Mama. Transitions arehard for little monkeys. Sasha is

If you�re gonnalaze around, then

I�ll just lazearound too...

Cat fact: Cats sleeproughly two-thirds of theirlife away!

Polydactyl cat facts: Dur-ing embryological develop-ment, polydactyl cats de-velop extra toes, a domi-nant characteristic. Somecats develop an extra �paw�on each front foot withthree toes and a �palm� pad(a total of 7 toes on eachfront foot!). The back feetmay have just have oneextra toe (making 5 oneach back foot). All thepaws and claws are fullyfunctional!

offered another kitty as a trade forTeddy. It�s not and easy thing. Shehas to be coaxed.

When she goes back to the cat bas-ket, Sasha sits awhile enjoying thecat family. Then she reaches herhand into share Mama�s dry catfood.

Cats need a diet that is about 30% pro-tein and this is fine for some kinds ofmonkeys too. Sasha would hunt for smallbirds and lizards in the wild just as Mamawould. Both cats and monkeys can creepthrough leafy boughs and come up si-

Like cats, mona guenons arequick and effective birdhunters. Like cats, they willalso hunt lizards and smallrodents. Most monkeys arealso excellent at catching in-sects like spiders and mothsas part of their diet.

lently on unsuspecting prey. Both catsand monkeys can leap into the air andpounce like lightening on small prey.Both cats and monkeys need special di-ets, not table foods, at every stage oftheir lives.

The cats� hooked claws are used for grab-bing and holding onto prey. The clawson his front feet are retractable but theback feet claws are not. The back clawsget worn down from being walked on soare not as sharp as the front claws.

Monkeys, with the exception of marmo-sets and tamarins, have fingernails in-stead of claws. The monkey uses hishands to grab the prey and transfer it tohis mouth. With his sharp canine teethplanted in the prey, the guenon monkeyshakes his head back and forth toweaken it.

Both cats and guenon monkeys havestrong muscles, which are needed tomove in a slow controlled manner. Catsand monkeys can freeze while waitingto sneak up on prey. Guenons also freezein response to danger when they arebeing hunted themselves. Their strongmuscles allow them to freeze hidden ina shadow much longer than a personcould.

Sasha has shown a preference forgirl kittens before, so maybe shewill pick a girl kitten next.

How do you say�monkey�?

In English, monkey is:�monkey�, In Italian,monkey is: �scimmia�,In Portuguese, a mon-key is: �macaco�, InFrench: �singe�, InSpanish, monkey is:�mono�, German: �affe�,Norwegian: �ape�,Danish: �abe�, Dutch:�aap�, Finnish: �apina�,Hungarian: �cölöpvero�,Japanese: �saru�,Swahili: �tumbili�,Swedish: �apa�, Alba-nian: �majmun�,Belarusin: �malpa�,Bengali: �banor�,Cebuano: �amo�, Czech:�opice�, Estonian: �ahv�,Hawaiian: �keko�,Malay: �monyet�, Roma-nian: �maimuta�, Taga-log: �matsing�, Tibetan:�sprel�, Turkish:�maymun�, Urdu:�bandar�, Vietnamese�con kh�, Yiddish:�malpe�.

�Bandar�?

Auntie Sasha chooses boy kitty,�Tucker�. Maybe she is attracted to

The stir crazy cat:Indoor cats oftenbecome bored withtheir static environ-ments and theabsense of nature.

�Oh boy. Locked in the house A-gain!O-kay! Guess I�ll be forced to spend

my entire day..... snagging the drapes,shredding the end of the couch, leav-

ing foot-long hairball trails on theshag, eating houseplants, shedding

extra fur, napping.....�

The kitten�s psychologi-cal adjustment:

Providing kittens a widerange of sensory experi-ences will help prevent fearof the unfamiliar. Introducekittens gradually to normalindoor sounds such as thetelephone, door bell, wash-ing machine, garbage dis-posal, vacuum cleaner,blender, etc. Exposure tooutdoor sounds, such astraffic, birds overhead andbarking dogs will help theiradjustment also.

�Deja vu, deja vu,deja vu...�

his interesting face. Suddenly sheloves him just as much as Teddy.Even little monkey Sasha picks akitten up with both hands. Peopleare not supposed to pick kittensor cats up by the scruff of theirnecks. Only mother cats can dothis safely, and only with their kit-tens.

Tucker gets a nice hug underSasha�s fluffy chin.

Monkey tails:

Some monkeys, includingmona guenons, sit with theirtails twined together. Thisdemonstrates the closenessof two monkeys who are kinor a bonded male and fe-male.

Pick a cat up gently withboth hands.

Now Sasha falls asleep with Tuckersnuggled safely under her thigh.When she wakes up again, she

Cat Humor

�Cats instinctively know the precise moment their owners willawaken ... then they awaken them ten minutes sooner.�

I�m awakealready, I�mawake!

Kitten facts: Kittens needtheir mothers through atleast the first 8 weeks of life.Some experts recommendthat kittens stay with theirmothers for 12 weeks forbest social development.Kittens who are taken fromthe mother before 8 weeksdo not have the full benefitof their mother�s teaching(most of their learning isfrom observation) and theyoften develop neurotic be-haviors.

The main features of the mona guenonare a dark bluish face with a dark eyemask, a flesh colored muzzle, a lightyellow stripe on the forehead and yel-low cheek whiskers. The body is brown-ish green with copper tones. The handsand feet are black. The chest and innersurface of the dark limbs are light to yel-lowish gray. The mona guenon has anathletic build and when mature, weighsabout eight and a half (female)to 13pounds (male). The tail is up to 75 cmlong and has a white oval spot on eachside of its base.

Adult female mona guenons are shorterand weigh about half as much as adultmales. The canine teeth of the males arealso longer and are used for fighting.

gets a closer look at Tucker�s in-teresting markings.

The nose knows: Aromaticmarkers called pheromoneshelp establish and maintaina cat�s territory. These pow-erful scents are critical ele-ments in communicationsbetween cats, and are emit-ted by different glands lo-cated strategically through-out the cat�s body.

Rubbing: Rubbing in bothcats and mona guenons actsas a means to pick up orleave scent markers.

Monas usually rub by strad-dling or placing a leg or tailover another animal. Theymay also rub with just theunder side of their chin.

In both cats and mona gue-nons, contact can commu-nicate urgency, from gentlereminders of feeding time toa demanding insistent rub.Rubbing may also be a sig-nal of social rank (who�s theboss of who), particularly inmonas.

Male monkeys are the watch dogs, andwhen make deep warning sounds whenthey see a predator.

Tucker and his liter mates weighabout six ounces. As kittensshould, they have doubled theirbirth weight in about one week. Itis hard to believe now he will weighseven to twelve pounds whenadult. Sasha starts to groom him,smacking her lips as she carefullyruns her hand through his fur.

The lip smacking is a sound that othermona guenons know is friendly. The kit-tens learn the meaning of this too. Catsand monkeys both make many differentsounds, also called vocalizations.

Sasha examines Tucker�s tiny face.

Mouthing off, the cat�svoice:Cats purr, they do long me-ows and short chirpy me-ows, caterwaul meowing (aloud, drawn out yowl whenlost, confused or in regardsto mating), growling, hiss-ing, spitting (a spitting catsprays moisture) andshrieking (when in a seri-ous fight or in pain).

A cat who is about to throwup a hairball will make along, low moan. Cats do notopen their mouths whenpurring but do open themduring most other vocaliza-tion.

Most cats have no eyelashes. Monaguenons have a fine line of eye-lashes much like a person�s.

The cat�s whiskers are organs of touch.Most cats have about 24 whiskers ontheir upper lips, four rows of whiskerson each side. The upper two rows canmove independently of the bottom tworows. A cat uses its whiskers for mea-suring distances. These extra thick whis-ker hairs grow on the upper lips, cheeks,chin and over the eyes. The muzzle whis-kers can help a cat decide if an openingis wide enough to squeeze through. Catshave foreleg whiskers too, which canhelp them decide that a mouse is tryingto escape its paws.

Mouthing off, monkeysounds:The Young and femalemona monkeys will squeak(a short exclamation), lip-smack as an appeasmentsound usually to startgrooming, but also duringgrooming.

They will say the word�meow� more phoneticallythan a cat (an exclamationof surprise or acknowledg-ment), grunt (displeasureor warning threat), scream(all out aggression, theequivalent of the cat�s hissand spit or can also be anexclamation of pain), andcough (warning of predatoroverhead like a bird or dan-ger from another animal inthe area, like a big barkingdog).

The mona�s mouth is usu-ally closed while vocalizing,with the exception of therare scream.

The mature male mona hasa different voice than the fe-male, as is common in theguenon family. Instead ofthe higher sounds, he hasa low voice with which hewarns the group about dan-ger.

The dominant male (alsocalled �the old male�) alsouses his voice to stake outhis group�s territory.

Mona guenons have short curved whis-kers called guard hairs on their upperlip, chin and brows. The guenons whis-kers give them some of the same infor-mation that cats get from their whiskers.

It�s a fact: Cats have pawsand monkeys have hands!Most monkeys have oppos-ing thumbs like people. Mostmonkeys also use their feetas hands, since they have abig toe that is like a thumb.A guenon may hold or carrya piece of food with her foot.

It�s a fact: In Great Brit-ain, black cats are thoughtto bring good luck. In Indiamonkeys are considered sa-cred.

Monkey sounds: This isthe mona guenon lip smack-ing as she grooms a spot-nosed guenon.

The chin whiskers can feel something onthe ground that the cat or monkeydoesn�t see.

One reason Sasha loves kittens somuch is because she was intro-duced to many of them as a young-ster. At first, Sasha was fearful ofall cats and kittens. As you can see,she has learned to get over it.

Monkeys are known for their adaptiveintelligence.

Now whichever baby kitten Sashahas seems to be her favorite forthe moment. Sasha adores Tucker.She goes from a one-armed hugto a two-armed hug, one aroundhis neck and the other around his

waist. Tucker is very calm andsleepy.

Soon she knows it�s time to putTucker back and she�s resistant.But now it�s time for Sasha to goback to the kitty area and saygood-bye to them for the day.Sasha has been holding babies foralmost two hours. Each time Sasha

returns a baby to Mama, mamakitty grooms him.

Cats spend about 30% of their wakingtime grooming.

Mama has started rolling over toshow Sasha her belly. If a cat rollsover on her back to expose herbelly, it means she trusts you.

Cats who wag their tailslike this are agitated.

Telling cat tails

If a cat is afraid or is tryingto avoid a confrontation witha dominant cat or other ani-mal, it�s tail will become piloerected, (puffed up orbristled). It will then lowerit�s tail as a sign of submis-sion.

A smooth raised tail is afriendly tail.

If the cat is really excited,as when he anticipates hisdinner, his upraised tailmight begin to twitch withanticipation. The cat willprobably next try to commu-nicate by rubbing againsther owner.

With prey the tails of hunt-ing cats show more subtlemovements. Other cats inthe area will understand thepredator�s intention, but theprey will not.

A cat�s tail acts as an extension of itsthoughts, an indicator of its mood andas a warning of intention. When a cat�stail quivers, this is an expression of greatlove. Twitches (as opposed to swishes)can also mean excitement and curios-ity. If the cat�s tail starts thrashing, hismood has changed and maybe it is timeto distance yourself. Cats wag their tailswhen they are in a stage of conflict. Thecat wants to do two things at once, buteach impulse blocks the other. Once thecat makes a decision, the tail will imme-diately stop wagging.

Guenons have tail language too, but sci-entists are still speculating as to its ex-act meanings. Monkeys are more com-plex and difficult to understand than cats.

When we leave the kittens, Sashais unhappy and would like to holdthem more. She doesn�t under-stand why she can�t. So to expressher opinion, she puts her hand onmy arm and gives me a big pinchwith a hard twist. If she were older,maybe she would protest by giv-ing some bites. Like cats, monkeysdo not think they are little people.They think of people as other mon-keys and treat them accordingly.

Mama�s kittens are two weeks oldand have their eyes open now.

Kitten facts: At the age oftwo weeks, competition forrank (�who�s the boss ofwho�) and territory (�thisland is my land-so get outof my space�) starts.

Telling monkey tails:Mona monkeys pilo-erect(stand their fur up) on theirtails and their overall bodyfur, including cheek fur,when upset and frightened.This puffing up makes themlook bigger, just as a catlooks bigger when hearches his back, pilo-erectsand hisses.

Monas are known to usetheir long, strong tails asweapons and they whipthem back and forth like abull whip.

Monas hold their tails overtheir backs in a jaunty archwhen walking, as if to say�look how cool I am�, andtheir tails are held downwhen running. A pair ofmonas will also twine theirtails to affiliate or show abond with each other.

When their eyes open, they are al-ways blue at first. They changecolor over a period of months. Attwo weeks of age, kittens are alertand trying to stand.

The final eye color, which is determinedby the individual cat�s genes, can begreen to gold to copper or blue. The eyeshape may be round, slanted or almond.Kittens begin to develop their eyesightand hearing at approximately two weeks.They begin to walk at 20 days.

Sasha comes running from herspecial room and opens the doorleading out into the garden. She

Cat facts:

Kittens start to walk atabout 20 days of age.

Sometimes a cat may haveone blue eye and one greeneye.

always climbs right in the cat bed.She likes all the kittens and takesturns holding different ones.Sometimes she wants to hold twoat a time, but one is always takenaway. So now she has learned topick up only one.

This time she picks up a girl named�Licorice�. Sasha�s human friendJana is visiting. She carries Lico-rice over beside Jana�s feet.

Kittens and monkeys are both quick,playful and curious. Unlike monkeys, allcats are digitigrade. This means theywalk on their toes with the back part of

Cat Games Cats love toplay with �imaginary mice�and often find them rustlingaround within the darkspace of the crinkly paperbag. Whether on his way inor on his way out, your catis sure to enjoy the myster-ies of the paper bag.....

the foot raised. Monkeys like Sasha walkusing both the pads and digits of theirhands and feet.

Licorice and Sasha go under Jana�slong skirt to explore. You can seeSasha�s long dark tail and Licorice�stiny black tail sticking out. The cat�stail is used to maintain balance,as is the tail of the mona guenon.

Like all Old World monkeys, monas donot have prehensile tails, meaning thatthey cannot grasp objects with their tailslike some New World monkeys can. Thedomestic cat is the only species able tohold its tail vertically while walking. Monaguenons hold their tails either vertically

· Kitten facts: Kittens are most playful

during roughly the thirdmonth of life. Their sociallife includes snuggling,wrestling, grooming, chas-ing, pouncing, leaping andambushing play. They willalso practice pawing, toss-ing, and mouthing objects,all in mock practice forhunting.

or down.

Now Sasha climbs on Jana with boykitty �Tucker�. She trusts Jana notto take her kitty away. If Jana triedto take Tucker, Sasha would gettricky, grab Tucker and run. Mon-keys can usually act more quicklythan humans and they know it.

The little monkey has Teddy again.He likes to meow a lot. He is thefussiest of all the kitties. WhenSasha is told to �make the kittyhappy�, she knows that means toget him calm and quiet. Sasha gets

Kitten facts:

The �sensitive period� forcat-socialization lies be-tween 2 and 7 weeks ofage. If you buy a kittenfrom a �cat mill breeder� itis unlikely that he will beproperly socialized.

It is far more beneficial tothe kitten to have someoneput in the time socializinghim at the right age, ratherthan have to solve a cat be-havior problem later in life.

a worried look on her face whenTeddy fusses. But almost rightaway she sits him in a positionwhere he calms down. Her expres-sion says, �See? He�s very happynow!�

Kitten facts:

Behaviorists believe thatkittens who are handled anaverage of half an hour aday during the first eightweeks are more likely todevelop larger brains. Theywill develop into more play-ful cats who are betterlearners.

Although most cats are stillconsidered kitten-likethrough the first two yearsof life, skills not acquiredduring the first eight weekscould be lost forever.

She puts her arm around Teddy tomake him feel safe. He�s asleepnow and Sasha is about to fallasleep too.

When Sasha returns the borrowedbaby, Mama grooms him again.Mama gives all her babies a thor-ough tongue licking. Sasha doesn�tlick the babies as much as Mamadoes and sometimes she licks her-self like a cat.

Cats groom each other and they groomthemselves. The cat�s way of groomingis by licking with its rough tongue. Oc-casionally the cat may bite dirt out withher tiny front teeth. The cat is limberand reaches to lick all parts of her own

Cat grooming: Cats seemto lick themselves moreduring hot weather. Catsdon�t sweat, so behavioriststhink that the saliva evapo-rating from their bodiesmay help them to coolthemselves.

body but the face, head and ears. Forthese she first licks her paw, then usesthe paw to rub over her face like a wetwashcloth.

Cats and monkeys both have true fur,which means that they have both an un-dercoat and an outer coat to groom.

A tongue cleaning is as wet as cats gen-erally like to get. Mona monkeys are dif-ferent. Sometimes they purposely getwet. Some guenons like a warm sprin-kling rain and will lick the water off herfur to help dry off.

Unlike guenons, most cats avoid waterand must be handled carefully duringbathing.

Monkey grooming: Monaguenons will lick them-selves during grooming butusually only when their furis damp, such as after alight rain.

Mama guenons also licktheir newborn infants offwhen they are born.

Monkeys, like cats, devote time each day to grooming. While cats mainly usetheir tongues for grooming, monkeys mainly use their hands, parting the furto look for dry skin, wounds or parasites. Grooming is also a social behavior inmonkeys.

�Oreo� is a little girl kitty. She hasa tiny white tip on the end of herblack tail and one black freckle onthe end of her pink nose. Oreo isvery cuddly and more docile inpersonality that Teddy. Oreo hasjust finished drinking milk fromMama before Sasha picks her up.At three weeks, the kittens arestarting to walk on wobbly legs.They can climb all motions aredone slowly.

Oreo is too young and too sleepyto play, so Sasha gets silly by her-self. This is one of Sasha�s playful

All kittens are fluffy andappealing. But if you don�tlike full grown cats, or wantthe responsibility of caringfor one, don�t get a kitten.

Cat fact: Genetic factorsare one influence on a cat�stemperament. Also, well-adjusted parents are prob-ably more likely to producefriendly offspring.

poses.

Mama�s kittens are still young, but at fourweeks, all of the kittens should be ableto walk, run, and play. Mama cats startweaning their kittens at about six to eightweeks old. Kittens are able to eat solidfoods when they are around 3 to 4 weeksof age. Kittens are attracted to meaty,fishy smells and experts recommend thatthey be fed specially formulated kittenchow.

Cats can�t taste sweets but monkeys can.Monkeys eat many fruits and greenplants when they live in the wild. Catsalso love to chew on green plants likegrass, catnip, parsley or sage.

Look at Sasha�s long nose and Oreo�ssmall nose. Cats and monkeys both smell

Ear facts: Cat and monkeyears communicate feelings.Monkey ears may stand outmore when upset. Monkeyears are shaped more likehuman ears, but are oftenhidden in fur.

Cats rotate their ears toshow many states of intent.

with their noses but cats have an addi-tional way to smell. Besides smelling withtheir noses, cats can smell with an addi-tional organ called the Jacobson�s organ,located in the upper surface of themouth. The Jacobson�s organ analyzessmells - and is the reason why you willsometimes see a cat �sneer� when theyencounter a strong odor.

At first Sasha is feeling very alertwhile Oreo sleeps. But Sasha getsworn out too. It�s nap time again...

When cats are asleep, they are still alertto incoming stimuli. If you poke the tailof a sleeping cat, it will respond accord-ingly.

It is very quiet when Oreo and

Smelling with the mouth:The Jacobson�s organ causescats to wrinkle their noses,cock their mouths open in asneer when they encountera strong odor.

This called the �flehmen re-action� or �flehming�. The catis drawing in air, capturingthe scent and transferring itto a small specialized sac ,the Jacobson�s organ.

Sasha are asleep. Oreo is safelysnuggled with Sasha. When Oreois outside she is able to climb outof Mama�s cat basket to explore.

Cats hear extremely well. If a sleepingcat hears a noise he will cock an ear.

Cats have 32 muscles that control theouter ear (compared to a human�s sixmuscles each). A cat can rotate its earsindependently 180 degrees.

Monkeys have less ear control but cocktheir ears forward or backwards to catchsounds better. If a sleeping monkeyhears a sound, he will most likely boltawake like the wild animal he is.

Cat and monkey ears do more than justhear. They also communicate feelings.When the cat�s ears are back and theposture is steady, the cat is unsure ofwhat move to make, considering its op-tions. If the ears are back, and the bodyis low to the ground, this is a display ofshame or remorse.

Socializing the kitten

If you want your cat to so-cialize freely and happily,you must give it plenty ofopportunity as a kitten tosocialize and play with dif-ferent people and other ani-mals that are friendly.Kittenhood socialization hasa pronounced and long last-ing effect on your cat�s per-sonality.

Cat facts: Cats respondwell when you offer them adaily rythym of feeding,grooming and play. Cats arecreatures of habit so theylike to have schedualedplaytime, schedualedgrooming, etc. Patient catowners may also teach, andschedual in a nature walkfor with the cat wearing aharness.

Female monkeys makethe best grooming part-ners, so females oftenmake stronger ties withother females.

Fourteen of the Fifteenguenon species are areforest guenons. Theremaining species in-habits the savannahsand plains.

Monkey facts: Gue-nons are found only inAfrica, south of the Sa-hara desert.

Guenon enemies includethe crowned eagle, thepython, the leopard(weighing up to 60pounds) and the goldencat (a middle-sized catweighing up to 16pounds).

Branch shaking is onethreat that guenonsand some other kindsof monkeys use toscare off intruders.

Adult female monaguenons are shorterand weigh about halfas much as adultmales.

The cat�s pricked ears show its interestin what�s going on around it. When acat raises its head directly, this is anattempt to display dominance. If thehead is lowered, that means submis-siveness, or even a feeling of inferior-ity.

Mama is a very submissive cat andseems to be a cat that was notused to living with other adultcats.

Draw.

Smelling with the mouth:This Jacobson�s organ is lo-cated high up in the roof ofthe cat�s mouth. It traps theodor molecules and sendssignals to the brain regard-ing the scent.

Flehming can occur withmany scents but most oftenoccurs when the cat smellsurine. Many male cats havethe �flehmen reaction� whenthey smell the genitals orurine of a female cat in heat.

Jacobson�s organ.

Fighting cats....

The cat dominance hier-archy An outdoor male catmay control as much as 50acres as his territory if thecat population is sparse.

Male cats decide dominance(�who�s in charge�) bystrength. As with guenons,the males and females haveseparate pecking orders,one for the males and onefor the females.

The strongest, most muscu-lar male cat, usually thelargest, will be dominantand will defend his territoryfrom all encroachers.

The female cat with the larg-est with the largest liter ofkittens will be at the top ofthe female hierarchy. Al-though female territories aresmaller, they may defendthem more fiercely.�Queens� with kittens areusually most aggressive.

She and Sasha touch noses whengreeting each other out in thedappled light of the enclosed gar-den.

Sasha�s tail is arched in the posi-tion of the happy confident monaguenon.

Although Mama will puff up her furand hiss at Sasha�s other cats, shecontinues to treat Sasha like a lov-ing friend.

Kittens develop rather rapidly when com-pared to human and monkey babies. By3-4 weeks of age kittens are mobile andmoving away from the nest. They eattheir first solid food and begin litter boxtraining.

Mama�s kittens are almost fourweeks old now. Sasha is keepingcompany with the fluffy orangeTeddy. Like Oreo, he has developeda cute white tip on the end of histail that wasn�t there when he was

Sleeping cats: Cats seemto realize that plenty ofsleep is needed to fuel theirnocturnal cat games!

When cats are asleep, theyare still alert to incomingstimuli. If you poke the tailof a sleeping cat, it will re-spond accordingly.

born.

Sasha snuggles him beside her ona towel. He is very alert and holdshis neck up strongly.

When she sees someone comingtoward her to take a picture, shethinks maybe that person would

Cat humor...What Ilearned from my cat...

...that it�s OK to wear thesame thing everyday,sleeping is very underrated... as is stretching, groom-ing requires a serious timecommitment, remember towash behind your ears, inbetween your toes and un-der your arms, eat whetheryou are hungry or not, playwith your food, try not toobsess about cholesterol,make your own hours, ex-ercise daily, go barefoot,obey your instincts, claimyour own chair, recognizethe toy in everything, makethe most of unstructuredtime, everyone is entitled toan occasional mood swing,the faster you run upstairs,the more likely you are toforget why you went upthere in the first place,avoid company you do notlike, scratch when andwhere it itches, invite your-self to dinner, just becauseyou�re home, you don�thave to answer the phone,enjoy your own company,yawn like you really meanit, flaunt your hair loss, es-pecially around living roomfurniture, shred all docu-ments.

like to steal Teddy. So with asneaky look on her face, she pullsthe towel up to hide little Teddy.

Once she thinks it�s safe again, sheuncovers Teddy for some moregrooming. She would like to holdhim all day and all night but hestill needs to keep company withMama cat and his liter mates.

Cat humor...

Introducing cats withinyour household A catdoesn�t have to have themortgage in his name toclaim your home as HISPROPERTY. Your house-hold is your cat�s home turfand it is usually easier forhim to share it with you,his human caretaker, thananother of his own kind.Because the cat social or-ganization is flexible, a wellsocialized cat or kitten maywelcome a new kitten play-mate fairly readily. Playingwill ensue. Older cats mayget along with some catsbut not others.

Is it true that peoplewho hate cats, will

come back as mice intheir next life?

Cats in a multi-cat house-hold:

Experts agree that cats puttogether in the same house-hold are not always able towork out their differences.The more cats you have try-ing to share the same terri-tory, the more likely it is thatfighting will take place be-tween some individuals. Thisis partly because cats are soterritorial, more so thandogs. Also, cats do not es-tablish a firm pecking orderlike dogs do. Don�t allow catsto keep fighting. Keep theproblem cats separated un-less you are present to moni-tor their behavior. a loudreferees whistle is an excel-lent way to stop a fight inprogress. Pulling fightingcats apart is not recom-mended.

At four to five weeks, kittens are be-ginning to run, to play and to washthemselves. They learn from playing to-gether and by themselves.

Feral cat facts:

A feral cat is one that is do-mesticated, but has beenabandoned, lost or ne-glected and forced to surviveon his/her own as a stray.The offspring of stray catshave had little exposure tohumans, or bad experienceswith humans, and are veryskittish and afraid. Thesecats form groups known ascolonies.

At five weeks, Teddy�s more ath-letic. He is able to run up the backof the couch.

Sasha sits out in the garden withMama and her brood. She puts

Vaccinations:

Although no vaccine is100% effective, they havesaved the lives of countlesscats. Vaccinations are es-pecially important for theoutdoor cat. Vaccinationsmost commonly recom-mended are:

Panleukopenia (inacti-vated) at 8-10 wks, 12-14wks, then yearly.

Calicivirus, (inactivated) at8-10 wks, 12-14 wks, thenyearly.

Rhinotracheitis, (inacti-vated) at 8-10 wks, 12-14wks, then yearly.

Rabies, (inactivated) 12wks, 64 wks, thentriannually.

Leukemia, (inactivated) at9 wks, 12 wks, then yearly.

Chlamydiosis, (live attenu-ated) at 8-10 wks, 12-14wks, then yearly.

her arms gently around Mama�sshoulders as a sign of affection.The kittens play all around them,darting in and out of the plants,play-hunting bouncy plant stemsand fluttering leaves.

Now Sasha plays with Licorice. Shehas used her left foot to help gen-tly boost Licorice into her arms so

Cat facts:

Cats who were brought uphaving pleasant experi-ences with other cats aremore likely to be friendlyand sociable toward a newlikewise friendly cat thatcomes into their territory.Cats from small liters, or-phaned cats, or cats thatdid not stay with theirmothers and liter mateslong enough (from 6 weeksto 8 weeks makes a differ-ence and from 8 weeks to12 weeks makes a differ-ence, the closer to 12 weeksthe better) will be lessadaptable sociably withother cats. Although Mamakitty was a street cat, herready friendliness towardpeople (not found in feralcats) showed that she hadbeen kept as a pet. She didnot, however, get alongwith Sasha�s tabby cats.

she can carry her.

She waits while Licorice exploresunder the couch.

Now she�s looking. �Where are youLicorice?�

Feral cat facts:

Feral cats who are in thehabit of fighting with othercats in order to defend theirterritory and food re-sources, usually don�t dowell when confined in aspace with house cats andare probably better takencare of as mainly outdoorpets. Sometimes the bestyou can do with a feral catis provide it with outdoorbowls of food and water.When you can, catch it in ahumane trap and have itfixed, then resume outdoorfeeding.

When Licorice comes out, Sashauses body language to invite herto play.

Kittens and cats need different kinds ofplay. They can play with an object bythemselves or they can play with some-one else (social play). This goes for mon-keys as well.

Now Licorice gets a snuggle beforeshe goes back to see Mama.

Cat fact:

Cats love to sleep, day ornight and don�t display �thework ethic�. Rats, pigeonsand monkeys will endlesslypress levers to earn foodrewards. Cats are morelikely to fall asleep on thejob.

Time seems to pass so quickly withgrowing kittens. They are 5-6weeks old now and soon they willbe too big for Sasha to pick up,

What can you do forconservation of re-sources to save mon-keys habitats in thewild?

Have your group orclass write to the presi-dent of the World Bank(1818 H Street NW,Washington DC 20433.Ask that the World Bankmake loans to primatehabitat countries likeSouth America, CostaRica, Africa, etc., condi-tional on the settingaside of and protectionof national parks andwild life refuges in areasinhabited by lemur(half-monkeys), mon-keys and apes.

but she will still hug them, sit withthem and groom their soft fur. Shewill love them just as much!

The �sensitive period� for cat-socializa-tion lies between 2 and 7 weeks of age.By 6-8 weeks they start to show theirhunting skills. By 8 weeks they are fullyweaned.

By 12 weeks they are playing less withtheir litter mates and engaging in morehunting skills. Kittens are most playfulduring roughly the third month of life.

Cat games: Cats need fewprops with which to play.�King� or �Queen� of thepillow is a good game. Catslove to play with emptypaper rolls, which may re-mind them of the mysteri-ous mouse hole as theystick their paws in.

When in a playful mood,cats easily become fasci-nated by moving objectsand prepare to play gamesof �leap and tackle�.

Their social life includes snuggling, wres-tling, grooming, chasing, pouncing, leap-ing and ambushing play. They will alsopractice pawing, tossing, and mouthingobjects, all in mock practice for hunting.

When she plays outside, Sasha sitsin the kitty basket and helps eatthe kitten chow.

When she plays inside with Oreo,Oreo is full of mischievous activ-ity. She runs and pounces and doesnot have time to be cuddled.

After kittens are weaned, the growingkitten enters a stage of rapid growth,which lasts through the first 6 monthsof their life.

Although Mama kitty was a streetcat, her ready friendliness toward

people (not usually found in feralcats) showed that she had oncebeen kept as a pet. Mama andSasha�s tabby cats continue tohiss, growl and spat at one an-other, so they are kept in separateareas.

Kittens have baby teeth and get theirpermanent teeth around the age of 7months. Cats have about 30 teeth.

Mona guenons have about 32 teeth.Since guenons eat a variety of foods,their teeth have low ridges (called cusps)for grinding food, but like cats, they havelong sharp canine teeth as well.

Cat fact:

By 8 weeks of age, kittensare fully weaned. If takenaway from the mother at anearlier age, they may de-velop neurotic behaviors.

Cats with abdominal painhave a leaning posture.

Unkempt fur is another signof illness.

Cats also assume this pos-ture when throwing up furballs.

What can you do forconservation of re-sources to save mon-keys habitats in thewild?

Get your local school,zoo or other communityorganization to adopt awildlife preserve in adeveloping country.Support them with fundraising projects andideas for conservingtheir wildlife.

Join the Peace Corps.The Peace Corp. hasmany wild life conserva-tion projects in primatehabitat countries.

When Sasha plays with Mama andthe kittens, she always has a stem,leaf or flower to chew on. Whenshe eats kitten chow, she some-times pouches handfuls of it so shecan snack on it later.

Unlike cats, mona guenons have cheekpouches for storing their food. Thepouches, which begin at the lower teeth

Draw cheek pouches

The guenon diet: Guenons are omnivores. Theyeat plant and animal food. Plant foods includetender leaves, stems, shoots, fruits, seeds. Ani-mal food include birds, lizards, frogs, insects andeggs. A cat or a monkey might rob a nest of ababy bird. A monkey would also rob a nest of itseggs.

and run along both sides of the neck,can hold as much food as the stomach.

Since monkeys compete for food in thewild, they need to be able to store itquickly to keep another monkey fromgetting it. Later the monkey can go to aquiet spot and eat the food in peace.

The mona monkey�s diet is omnivorous.That means it contains some of every-thing, consisting of a variety of vegeta-tion and carnivorous fare.

Sasha always plays with the catsduring the day. For all monkeys butthe small South American OwlMonkey, nights are for sleeping.

Guenons roam their territory during theday, on the alert for food. Day roaminganimals are called diurnal.

Guenons and water: Al-though they don�t seek outdeep water, mona guenonsare able swimmers if theneed arises. If they fall in alake or gully, they paddle tothe shore like dogs. Again,like dogs, the monkeys firstshake themselves to get ridof excess water. Then likecats, they lick their fur tohelp dry off. The monaguenon�s fur is sleek, notthick and is tapered to acrest under the belly, whichhelps drain water off.

Cats are more active at night, makingthem nocturnal. Cats� eyes are adaptedfor vision in dim light for hunting justafter dusk and just before dawn, theprime hunting periods.

The cat�s third eyelid:Cats have a third eyelid atthe inner corner of the eye.It is pale pink in color, andwill be prominently visibleif they are ill or have some-thing caught in their eye.

The cat�s nosepad: Unlikethe monkey, cats have nosepads. Every cat�s nose pad,or nose leather, has uniquecharacteristics. Just as notwo humans have the samefingerprints, no two felinenose prints are alike.

Cats see about six times better than aperson at night, but a cat cannot seedirectly under its nose. This is why thecat often cannot seem to find tidbits onthe floor.

A domestic cat can live twenty or moreyears. A mona guenon in the wild liveson the average of 16 years but underthe best of conditions could live to be 40or more in captivity.

It�s a fact: Cats are oftenbored inside and becomesedentary without thestimulation of nature.

Mona guenons are sometimes found inAfrican wildlife refuges and zoos. Theyare very adaptable and live in a varietyof habitats in the wild, including second-ary rain forests, mangrove swamps, gal-lery forests, and woodland areas. Mo-nas are also found in farmlands such ascacao plantations and gardens wherethey are considered crop pests.

It�s a fact: Both monkeysand cats like to relax them-selves by warming in thesun.

Health benefits and cats:

It has been scientificallyproven that stroking a catcan lower one�s blood pres-sure. In other words, catshelp people relax. In 1987,cats overtook dogs as thenumber one pet in America(about 50 million cats re-sided in 24 million homesin 1986).

Each day Sasha continues to playand snuggle with the kittens. Soonthey will be grown up and readyto leave Sasha and the calico kitty.There are too many domestic catsliving in the world today, so Mamawill be spayed when she is donenursing her kittens.

At 6 months it is possible for female catsto go into heat. Male cats are matureenough to seek out mates when they are9 to 12 months old. During these timesthey are old enough to be spayed andneutered also.

Between 1-3 years cats enter social ma-turity where they will begin to show moreserious territorial behaviors.

Unlike cats, there are no longer enoughmonkeys living in the world today. Allprimates (monkeys and apes) are eitherendangered or threatened. They are al-

Conservation facts: Mostmonkeys (like this red-tailed guenon) and apes, in-cluding gibbons which arelesser apes, are consideredeither threatened or endan-gered in the world today.

Cat fixing facts:

Cats who are not fixed maycaterwaul, display frenziedbehavior and spray urine.Getting your cat spayed orneutered should stop most,if not all, of this behavior.

Your cat can be spayed assoon as she is six monthsold before her first heat.You will be sparing her thefrustration and nuisance ofgoing through a heat pe-riod.

After your male is castrated,there will be a rapid declinein the incidence of roaming,aggression, fighting andspraying in most cats.

The average neutering timeis about 4 months of age. Ifyou wait too long, some-times these behaviors willhave already become in-grained as habits.

ways threatened by the same things,hunting and habitat destruction. To in-sure that we see them in the future,monkeys need a secure place in the wild.They need people who will set more wild-life habitats aside for them. They needeach and every one of us to be respon-sible for human population control andconservation of resources, so that mon-keys can have the habitats they needfor future life.

As for Sasha, the little mona gue-non monkey is safe, secure andhappy in her tropical garden ofmonkeys and cats. And maybe oneday she will have a real monkeybaby of her own.....!

Conservation facts: Recy-cling resources (paperbags, glass jars, newspa-pers, plastics, aluminumcans, etc.) helps save natu-ral resources, and it helpssave monkey habitats in thewild.

Monkey see, monkey do:Infant monkeys try foodsthat their mother�s eat.

Glossary:

adapt: To change in order to live in acertain habitat, adjust to new territorywith new foods and new animals.

carnivore: Animal that eats mainlymeat.

communicate: Send signals or informa-tion with the voice, with scent or withfacial expressions or body movements.

daily rythm: the daily pattern of activi-ties of a species.

diet: the food that an animal needs toeat.

diurnal: Day living animals that sleepat night.

diverse: Many kinds of members.

groom: To clean, or pick through thefur.

habitats: Places in the wild where mon-keys live.

ischial callosities: two cushioned sittingpads found on the Old World monkeys�bottom.

mate: A male and female animal join-ing to produce offspring.

muzzle: An animal�s mouth and nosearea.

New Wrold monkeys: Monkeys living inSouth and Central America

nocturnal: Night living animals thatsleep during the day.

Old World monkeys: Monkeys living inAfrica etc.

omnivore: Animal that eatsplantsand animals.

predator: Animal that hunts andkills other animals as food.

prey: Animal that is hunted andeaten by a preditor.

social animal: Animals that travelin groups and have a social bond.They eat, groom, forage and sleeptogether. They have a group sys-tem for dealing intruders or preda-tors.

solitary animal: animal that livesalone outside of a social group.

species:

wild: Living in uncivilized, naturalareas of countryside.