THE PREDITOR Felines are remarkable hunters, each with its own special abilities. There are many similarities among the big cats and also many differences. Senses The hearing and sight of a cat are used when hunting. Their sense of smell, although very good, is used more in identification. The sight of a cat is amazing; a cat can see movement very far away and can see exceptionally well at night. The hearing of a cat is very accurate and sensitive. Cats can hear high pitched sounds that are made by small rodents and can tell the exact direction from which the subtle sounds come from. Attacking Prey Most cats do not hunt in the open. The cheetah and the lion often hunt in the open. A silent stalk begins when the prey is spotted. When the cat gets close enough to the quarry, it will leap for the prey and try and bite on the nape of the neck. If it does not catch it on the first leap, a short pursuit will be made in attempt to catch the animal. If unsuccessful in the first few hundred yards, then cat will give up. If a catch is made, most cats will hide their catch, eat a bit, then come back to it later. Some cats such as the cheetah need to eat as much as possible before scavengers come to steal its food because it does not have the strength to carry the large animal or bring it up in a tree like a leopard.

CATS INTERACTING Cats have interacted with both other cats and with humans. Here I will describe the process of reproduction and touch on the history of domesticating, or attempting to domesticate cats. Reproduction Reproduction varies from cat to cat. Larger cats, such as the lion, mountain lion, tiger, jaguar, etc. have longer gestation periods, around 90-100 days, then smaller cats such as the serval or fishing cat. Because most cats are solitary, when the male cat detects through smell or by hearing the females calls that the female is in heat, the male has to literally hunt the female down. After finding the female, they generally spend some time together; hunting together and licking and rubbing heads with each other is common, then copulation occurs. During the process, the male often will bite the back of the females neck as a means of making sure she doesn't leave. Cats Interaction with Humans 4,000 years ago the African Wildcat was domesticated by the Ancient Egyptians. After years of both evolution and selective breeding, we now have the descendant of the African Wildcat - the common house cat. You can still see today the similarities from the domestic cat and wild cats such as the way they birds or small rodents. People have tried to domesticate larger cats, such as the mountain lion, but because of the size and history of the species, attempts have been unsuccessful. Domestication isn't the only interaction cats have had with humans. Lions were once used as killing machines in the ancient coliseums. For years cats have been caged in zoos. Not until recently have the zoos begun to use the zoos to the advantage of the animals. Today many zoos have actual wildlife habitats instead of small cages.