#(Ragdoll was the next highest at 6%)

[redafi]

OH THIS IS SOMETHING I ACTUALLY KNOW A BIT ABOUT

Basically, “purebred” cats are really more of a recent thing. Unlike dogs, they didn’t need to be bred for specific purposes to do their jobs. They are born with the natural instinct to hunt mice. (My cat apparently excluded.) (well not excluded, she tries, shes just really bad at it)

Source? Well for christmas I managed to get a DNA testing kit for my cat (from my kinda-mostly-estranged paternal grandfather and step-grandmother, who I recently realized are probably looking at the wishlists sent out for the “young’uns” in my family and just buying the most expensive thing on it.)

And hurray, they gave me a BUNCH of information on the history of cat breeds. And now I know that I should schedule a vet appointment for Blair to specifically check out her teeffers. Because apparently she has bad breath (I don’t know if id be able to tell) and medium risk of periodontal disease.

Point? Well, selective breeding for cats has only been going on for about 200 years or so now (started in the 19th century). And this makes it so that it’s impossible to really define individual breeds—they aren’t as clearly laid out as dogs, with their thousands of years of selective breeding.

As the “history of cat domestication and breeding” section in my beloved beautiful-and-elegant-little-turd’s genetic report says: “The extremely short timeline of human-driven selective cat breeding has yet to overcome the much longer history of cats reproducing freely. Therefore, modern-day cats rarely have ancestors of a defined breed, and the feline genetic code has remained exceptionally diverse even within established pedigree breeds.” (This is from Basepaws. Expensive, but even just the first report—because they send you more as more tests process (or i assume thats why theres a different timeline)—has 68 pages. Granted, some of that is general information, not all of it is about my cat. But regardless whooPEE thats a lot of info and i think that i certainly got my… well, my rather estranged californian set of paternal grandparents… money’s worth from it.)

[ashli2608]

A lot of people won't be aware of this but from the age of 14-16 my mum ran a hotel/pub, where we lived (my room was the first very top window on the roof). I loved and feared this place so much. After we moved out of here my mum let me in on secrets that I pretty much already knew were true but I was to scared to acknowledge them when we lived there. I blamed everything I heard and saw on my imagination, guests in the hotel or the wind (that one will make sense soon). You see, this place is classed as one of the most haunted places in the Scottish borders. Orginally a coach house with accommodation for travelers back in the 1800s so you can only imagine what shit went down 😂. I never get to speak about this to anyone because noone quiet understands what it was like living here, the fear, excitment and the weird warm fuzzy feeling that you'd get every now and then, they usually just stare at me with glazed over eyes and nodding when they need too just to shut me up. I guess I'm only writing this so I can finally put down everything that we witnessed and felt in our 2 years there. We'll start from one side of the building to the other side, so bare with me guys....this is going to be a Bible of creepiness. (We had paranormal investigators out to understand what was going on so I'll include breif descriptions of what they told us about each area of the building) Lets start with the old coach house stable - dark dingy garage like place really, I never stepped foot in there because I just felt a major no no (first door from the right that you can see on the photo). My mum told me a story of a time she went in there early morning and the feeling of fear over came her, she heard paint pots drop behind her and ran out the door as fast as possible. This is probably the least exciting thing on this list because noone really went in there after that. Our investigators informed us that the spirit in the stable was of an old man who looked after the horses, he was very angry and unhappy about the changes that happened to the hotel over the years. Next we'll go onto the back cellars - 3 different rooms, one for beer kegs and stock, one with a washing machine and tumble dryer in and another one for dry stock like crisps etc which also contained a freezer, these rooms lead onto a hall way which looked into the kitchen. I always had a warm feeling in the keg cellar, we were told that there were 4 men sitting in the corner playing some sort of board game. We'd occasionally hear chattering coming from that room. We were welcome in that area (I say we, as in direct family). We went on holiday and left our chef in charge of the hotel when we were away, we were told by him that he had bottles thrown at him and bins that he had just taken out thrown back at him also out in the corridor and someone telling him to leave, this was after lockdown. Bar area - bar area consists of 3 platforms, main bar area, seating area and pool room. TVs would turn on randomly, bar stools would move, shot glasses would flip right in front of your eyes and land perfectly, you could hear the pool table being played after hours also. The door to the toilets would always swing open and closed. My mum and step dad walked through to the bar one morning before opening, before any cleaners had arrived and my step dad shouted "good morning" as a joke to scare my mum but much to his surprise he heard a hushed "good morning" back in a man's voice. The kitchen and bar side of the hotel wasn't bad at all, it was pretty quiet on the activity side of things...so let's get creepy. (My bedroom light is on now because it's 3am and I've officially freaked myself out thinking about all this) Connecting the kitchen to the hotel is a long thin corridor that have the toilets in that are used for the restaurant and another cellar which went 2 flights down, we can skip that bit because noone would ever go down there. This always felt like the cross over point between heaven and hell, the temperature would change and the atmosphere always became heavy and scary. The office/living room - this was situated to the right of the hotels main door as you walk in, whenever a guest arrived to check in a buzzer would sound to let us know someone was there. We were sitting in the office enjoying your usual Saturday night family TV, catching up on MSN that kinda thing, the buzzer goes off so I assumed that the wind had blew it open (told you that would make sense😉) so I looked back at my computer and my mum get up and looks through the glass door before opening it and walking upstairs slowly with my step dad (just to make it clear, the main door was shut and there was no guests staying at the time) they came back in and sat down saying nothing at all and we got back on with our night. Now when I think back on it, I remember seeing a shadow pass the office door after the buzzer sounded and my mum has confirmed that this is why they had a look up the stairs as they saw it too. Restaurant - opposite the office, I personally LOVED going in here. Our investigators confirmed with is what we already knew, there was two children who played in there. When we used to clear up after service you could hear them laughing and you would always just catch them out the corner of your eye. The investigators confirmed that the children loved to play and were constantly playing hide and seek. The room was such a lovely fun atmosphere. We're going to skip right over all the rooms in the hotel except one particular room. Room 6. This room, was undoubtedly the worst place in the world. The door would never close properly even after slamming it shut and locking it. We've had guests book into that room and without a word, would up and leave the hotel without taking any of their belongings or informing us of their departure. My sister in law stayed in that room with my brother, she was woken up through the night, whilst we were all down in the bar after hours and no guests in the hotel at the time, violently being sick and upon inspection she was covered head to toe in black and blue bruises and scratch marks. Our investigators told us that there was a man in that room who despised woman. My step dad had a bath on the ensuite in this room one night, he was in it for a whole of 5 minutes before running out the room in fear, he won't tell any of us what happened. It was a room that you would always have to put your head down and run past as fast as you can (think about that feeling when you run so fast back to your bedroom at night when you've got up for a pee because you feel like demons are going to get you - that but so real). There was always a chill and a sickening feeling around that room. Then we come to my room, woohoo. My room (as you can see from the photo) is the highest room in the hotel, I had my own private door which locked, a stair case and bathroom (Paris Hilton, what you saying? 😉). My mum used to walk me up to my room because I had to pass room 6 and I'm the biggest shitebag ever. Before coming on to the main hallway there was a smaller hallway at the top of the main stairs where my mum had a ragdoll sitting on a seat for decoration. We walked up to my bedroom one night and oh yes, you guessed it...the ragdoll was sitting right in front of my door, bearing in mind this was 4 massive rooms away and a flight of stairs, once again there was no guests in the hotel at the time. Another night, around 1am I heard my door unlock (even though I left the key in the door on my side) and it creaked open and I could hear heavy footsteps coming up my stairs slowly, my heart still sinks now thinking about this, I text my mum to say there was someone in my stairs and as soon as I heard my step dad bounding along the corridor the foot steps shuffled away and my door banged closed. I returned from a school trip after a week and went to bed early, I woke up to a sound of someone moving around, assuming it was my mum I woke up to see her...that was definitely not my mum, there was an old lady sitting on the edge of my bed combing her hair, she turned and smiled at me then stood up and walked away. I used to suffer so badly from sleep paralysis when I stayed here and feel these hauntings were apart of the reason I had them. Function room - despite being the easiest place to sneak alcohol from with my bedroom door being right next to the hotel side door that was never locked, this room was WILD. Like I said, it had two doors, one for the hotel side and one for the bar side. We used this room for everything, parties, weddings, me and my mum used to do yoga in it, me and my friends used to just chill in there and be stupid like kids do. My mum was painting the skirting boards in here (same day as the coach house incident, hence why she was in there to, to get paint) she was close to the door that leads down to the main bar and heard footsteps outside of the door, she text my step dad asking what it was he wanted and why he needed to be up there but he replied that he was busy in the area and there was no punters that had went through that way, she looked again and could see a shadow coming in through the bottom of the doorway but no feet. My brother, sister in law, step dad, mum and investigators decided to docs oujia board in there one night and the results were apparently horrible, there was bottles being smashed and shot glasses turning themselves over, they eventually stopped the board and went to pour a drink up at the bar where my step dad was assaulted by something that was unseen, it's as if though he was being pulled back by the scruff of his neck and then thrown to the floor. The CCTV footage was really scary and just to throw in there aswell, there was a helium balloon in the function room for 2 years that never went down. I know there isn't anything majorly creepy but so far this is all I know from my mum. Next time I visit her I'll ask for more stories and let you all in on the details of the creepy going ons but it's now 4am and I'm throughly freaked out. 👻

[purrcraze]

Here Is How Smart Persian Cats Really Are

Come to think of intelligence in animals, you will agree that it’s much easier to measure it in dogs than in cats, particularly in Persians. However, every cat parent knows some tricks which can be useful in checking whether these furballs are smart or not.

So, how smart Persian cats really are? According to the statistics, not so, ranking 4 out of ten. There are two main reasons for this- they are slow learners, and their hunting and survival skills are rather poor. It seems like innate instinct is pretty undeveloped.

But, intelligence is not the single criteria one uses when choosing a cat pet, but there are many other values one looks for. For that reason, besides giving a short explanation on their (poor) intelligence, we shall point out some good sides of this adorable breed.

Persian Cat Intelligence Explained

Remember the tricks we mentioned? Well, now is a good time to confirm that they indeed exist, but the truth is that not every cat will react to them. Not because it is rude, but simply because it doesn’t ring a bell to it what to do.

Like with people, not all the felines are equally brainy, but that certainly doesn’t make them less worth as pets.

Nature decided to treat each cat breed with a different level of intelligence. That’s something we cannot change.

Of course, we can train our pets, try to teach them some tricks, motivate and encourage them. But we cannot do wonders way beyond boundaries established by nature.

Speaking of Persians, every owner will confirm that these adorable felines are slow learners. Trying to teach this lovely bundle of fur something new requires lots of patience and devotion and countless hours.

And this goes even for the simplest thing such as figuring out how to use a cat door. Even though this breed has a sweet temper and really enjoys the human’s attention and company, still all the same, learning is not quite their cup of tea.

We mentioned their low hunting and survival skills.

This somehow goes hand in hand with the previously described learning process.

Moreover, this instinct (or the absence of it) also reflects and determines intelligence in a cat breed.

So, Persians are the best to keep as indoor cats. If you let them outside, you should either supervise them or keep them on a leash. Otherwise, you seriously risk them, getting lost or hurt by other animals.

As for their interest in hunting, here’s a funny yet true description.

Their hunting instinct is so low that you could almost imagine a mouse sleeping right next to this lovely feline who is not even aware that the tiny guest is present.

While some cats really enjoy chasing and catching mice, birds, and lizards, Persians show no interest in it at all.

As a matter of fact, they are not likely to survive if left outside for some longer period of time. They would, quite sadly, become prey for some bigger animals.

Cats Ranked By Their Intelligence Level

We would like to make one thing clear at the very beginning. This ranking goes in general, as you would rank people, dogs, elephants or whichever living creature that comes to your mind.

Each breed and species has some more and less intelligent examples featured because every rule has some exceptions.

Therefore, this list we gave you here goes for cat breeds in general. Every owner can agree or disagree with it, as every single feline is a story for itself.

Measuring the intelligence on a scale from 1 to 10, with ten as the highest level, here it comes:

The only one that got 10/10 was the Sphynx.

Balinese, Bengal, Colourpoint Shorthair, Havana Brown, Javanese, Oriental, and Siamese got a high 9.

Receiving a high 8 felines include Russian Blue, Siberian, Singapura, Burmese, Devon Rex, Turkish Van, Japanese Bobtail, Korat, Chartreux, Turkish Van, Egyptian Mau, Tonkinese, and Norwegian Forest Cat.

Still remaining on the “brighter side” of our list, with 7 out of ten are British Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Ragdoll, Scottish Fold, Abyssinian, Cymric, American Wirehair, Maine Coon, Somali, American Curl, Snowshoe, and Manx.

The list of those receiving 6 is a rather short one. Keeping it short, the first to start is American Shorthair, along with Bombay and Birman.

Getting to the very bottom of the list, now is the time to mention our beloved main character of the story, Persian cat, ranking 4 out of ten.

But, the good thing is that it’s not the last one on the list, as the Himalayan and Exotic Shorthair received 3 out of ten.

But once again, it’s not only intelligence that matters when choosing a pet cat. There are some other more important factors, such as lifespan, general health, shedding level, grooming, affection level and few more.

These are the best parameters that may be of help when deciding which would be the most suitable breed for you.

Common Facts on Persian Cats

Being among the most popular pedigree breeds in the world, this easy going and sweet-tempered feline is the ultimate lap cat. As long as there is a loyal human companion nearby, to take good care of it, it’ll be gentle and satisfied.

To confirm that, it’ll meow in a soft and melodious voice. What it lacks in intelligence, a Persian greatly compensates with a high level of affection towards owners.

But, there’s one important thing you should know about them. Besides not being so bright, nature has given them another not so good gift.

These lovely felines are prone to numerous health issues, mostly inherited. The most common ones have to do with their flat-faces and obesity.

Speaking of, this is the thing where a responsible owner can be of help. Having in mind that they are indoor cats, obesity is among their greatest enemies.

That’s why a cat parent needs to establish a strict routine when will a cat have a meal and be precise with the amount. Of course, giving your pet a quality food is a must. Besides this, provide it with enough fresh water.

So, whether you are planning to buy or adopt one, it is of vital importance to get to know the breed well. Only that way you will be able to take proper care of a pet.

Moreover, make sure you take it from a reputable breeder or adopt it from a shelter where conditions are satisfactory. A health certificate is also a significant thing to ask for.

So, leave the intelligence aside, if you are ready to a commitment which pays of in the cuddliest way you can imagine, then Persian cat is just the one you need.

As long as you are informed how to look after it properly, and ready to devote some significant amount of time grooming it, you will get the greatest unconditional love a cat can give to its human parent.

Can They Learn Tricks?

Now, we discussed their intelligence, or to be precise, the absence of it, but still, we hope. Not just we, but every other Persian cat parent hopes that maybe there’s a way to make the kitty look brainy. So, we try our luck with some simple tricks.

High five is the first that comes to one’s mind. Remember all the devotion, patience, and time we mentioned? We have all of them, in significant amounts. Plus, some food to make the offer more attractive.

The first thing to do is pet the kitty to make it feel relaxed, say some good and encouraging words, show the feline what to do and… Nothing happens!

After a few attempts fulfilled with an aspiration to get the cat to understand what to do, something happens. The cat makes a move that really looks like exactly the same as high five!

It makes you wanna jump with joy, as it was like, the fifteenth attempt, but at the same time, some doubts appear.

Did the cat really realize what you want it to do? Was it by accident? Or was it the food you were holding in your hand the feline was trying to reach for?

So, you repeat the whole procedure over and over again. Sooner than you realize, the whole day is gone, and all in all- you have just three or four high five (wannabes).

We did it on purpose, making all this sound funny. But it is more or less the truth. They are really slow learners, some would be brutally honest and say-no learners at all. But again, we cannot blame them because that’s what nature decided.

You can always try, but don’t let the fails disappoint you. And do not use too much food, as you know that obesity is their great enemy.

If the price of a trick learned is a fat kitty, it’s not worth it. They are meant to be cuddled and they really make great pets.

Related Questions

How long do Persian cats live? Having in mind that you should keep them as indoor cats exclusively, they have a rather long lifespan. It goes somewhere between 12 and 17 years, with 14.1 as an average.

Are Persian cats good with children? Due to their laid-back temper, they may be labeled as kid-friendly cats. Still, never leave younger kids without supervision as sudden movements, screaming and over-affectionate behavior may disturb the animal.