However, China has valued cats for more practical qualities. After all, rodents have plagued its people enormously. Are these animals for admiring in this situation? The main thing is they catch rats and mice. That was the main criterion for buying the future, "myo" (that sounds "cat" in Chinese).
The appearance of cats in China.
Their journey begins from Egypt, where the cat was kidnapped from, thereby incurring the wrath of the Egyptians and the threat of death. After this there was a long time of its domestication in West and Central Asia, and only in 6th century BC kitties directly appear in China. The Han dynasty is associated with their domestication by man (206 BC - 221 AD). In the 9th centurythere ar first long-haired cats besides cats with short hair.
During Tian dynasty you can find in the books the description of the god of cats, whom people worshipped by all the rules and even devoted him laudatory lines. His image with the tiger's head symbolized threat to all rodents. After all, this was the main thing that the cat was supposed to do in the house - to hunt. For women giving birth, she was the sign of successful labour and the promise of a happy life to newborn. Therefore, during the birth of a baby people put a little hair near it.
Attitude towards cats
The first, what the Chinese thinks about looking at the cat what - is it huntress? This is a crucial thought in determining the attitude towards it.
If she regularly catches rats and isn't lazy, then it will be cherished and honored. She will be given a high-calorie feed (because hunting needs strength) - rice with boiled fish or meat. However only twice a day (satiety doesn't stimulate). The freedom of movement should be also forgotten, as the cat, who had gone to another owner, will have to be given way, and it is an unattainable luxury. Most often a pet is kept on a leash or clog is tied to a rope that she couldn't escape.
When it drinks peppermint brew, bathe her and then it's placed on a bedding of hay and peach leaves mixture (it helps of fleas), though far from the hearth. A cat mellowed from the heat becomes lazy and forgets about its responsibilities.
The attitud to cats is radically changing if they do not deserve the title of honorary rat-catchers. The fact is the Chinese use cat meat in cooking as well as in medicine. It is the fate of "defective" individuals.
Selection criteria.
Cat in China is faster-moving-item. It isn't cheap. Therefore, each seller wants to sell a kitten endowed with certain external signs. How these symptoms are associated with hunting qualities of the cats judge by yourself:
- The body mustn't be long, it must be proportioned. Otherwise, the animal is able to catch only chickens, it's different swagger and a tendency to vagrancy;
- Head is like a tiger's head - large and round;
- the tail is long and comes back around to the shoulder, but it isn't thick, as this is a sign of laziness. Especially valuable cats were the owners of the tail with a flattened tip bred in Sangpan;
- The ears must be large, and ideally a little wiggle while walking. Soon, due to the selection of this quality, there were individuals with hanging ears and they were considered as the most valuable. The larger ears are the better hearing is;
- Eyes are yellow ("gold") or silver ("sparkling water purity");
- It could be of any color, but preferrable were white and motley cats with black tails. "Black cloud in the snow" is another favorite Chinese color (white chest and abdomen on a black body);
- whiskers are preferably rigid and very thick;
- When the animal sits its claws are clearly visible;
- But the surest sign was the presence of nine strips on the palate. That has guaranteed year-round hunting. Seven strips also isn't bad, half-year hunting is assured. Absolutely unlucky are the owners of at least of five strips - it was promised less than three months of hunting.
In such a way the Chinese has chosen a cat for himself. Moreover, there were experts at this area who accompanied the buyer in the market and made their verdict. For example, you can't look at cat's mouth so easy, but you also can't believe the seller's word. After all, there are more signs of cat unfitness to catch rats: spots on its legs, around its mouth and paws, legs with long hair, snoring during sleep. It was hard to decide. But when the choice was right rodents from home feeling the closeness of grave danger disappeared as if by magic.
