Cats and Dogs

Cards

How did we become friends?

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  The ancestors of dogs were wolves

  All dogs come from an old kind of wolf that no longer lives today. Their closest living relative is the grey wolf. Dog bones about 15,000 years old that look like today's dogs have been found.

  Why? Some wolves came close to the places where people lived, looking for leftover food. The tame wolves that were not afraid of people stayed near them, and their pups grew up tame too. Over thousands of years these wolves became friends who helped with hunting and guarded the home.

  Try at home: Look at a picture of a dog and a picture of a wolf with a grown-up. What is the same about their ears, noses and tails? What is different?

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  Cats came to live with people thanks to mice

  On the island of Cyprus, a grave about 9,500 years old was found with a person and a cat buried together. It is one of the oldest known signs of friendship between people and cats.

  Why? When people began to grow grain and keep it in stores, mice came to the stores. Wild cats that hunted the mice settled near the people. People liked these hunters that kept their food safe, and the cats stayed because they wanted to.

  Try at home: Watch a cat you know play with a toy mouse or the end of a string. Does it crouch and wait first, then jump?

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  The Kangal and the Van cat come from these lands

  The Kangal dog takes its name from the town of Kangal in Sivas, and it guards flocks of sheep. Some snow-white Van cats have eyes of two different colours, one blue and the other amber.

  Why? A Kangal grows up with the flock and looks after it like its family, and it is wary of strangers. Van kittens are born with grey eyes. Their eye colour starts to change when they are 25 days old and shows clearly at about 40 days.

  Try at home: Find Sivas and Van on a map of Türkiye. Are the two cities close to each other or far apart?

How they sense the world

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  A dog sees the world with its nose

  A dog's nose has up to 300 million smell sensors, and ours has about 6 million. One scientist says a dog could smell a teaspoon of sugar stirred into two Olympic pools full of water.

  Why? The part of a dog's brain that works out smells is, for its size, 40 times bigger than ours. A dog that sniffs every tree on a walk is really reading the news. It finds out which animals have passed by.

  Try at home: Close your eyes and let a grown-up hold a lemon, a piece of orange peel and some cinnamon under your nose, one by one. How many did you guess? A dog would find it much easier.

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  A cat's whiskers work like a measuring tape

  A cat's whiskers are twice as thick as its other hairs and their roots sit three times deeper than the other hairs. At the root of each whisker there are lots of nerve endings.

  Why? The whiskers spread out about as wide as the cat's body, so they work like a measuring tape. If a cat pushes its head into a gap and its whiskers touch the sides, it knows it cannot get through. Whiskers also feel the air moving, so a cat's whiskers must never be cut.

  Try at home: Watch the whiskers of a cat you know. When it is curious they point forwards, and when it is scared they press flat against its face.

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  Purring usually means happy, but not always

  Cats usually purr when they are happy and relaxed. A mother cat purrs to tell her kittens that all is well, and the kittens purr while they feed.

  Why? Cats can also purr when they are ill, hurt or frightened, perhaps to calm themselves down. So we do not only listen to the sound, we also look at the ears, the eyes and the body.

  Try at home: When a cat you know is purring beside you, look at its ears and eyes. Are the ears relaxed and forward? Are the eyes half closed?

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  Dogs hardly sweat, they cool down with their tongues

  We sweat all over our skin, but a dog's sweat glands are mostly in its paw pads. Dogs cool down by putting out their tongues and panting fast.

  Why? When a dog pants, the wet inside its mouth dries off and cools its body, but this does not work as well as sweating. When it is 22 degrees outside, the inside of a closed car can quickly reach 47 degrees. So a dog must never be left in a car.

  Try at home: In summer, put a bowl of clean water outside your door or on your balcony with a grown-up. The cats and dogs in the street get thirsty too.

Understanding and caring for them

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  A wagging tail does not always mean “I'm happy”

  A wagging tail tells you that a dog is excited. The excitement can be joy, and it can be anger.

  Why? A wide, slow wag that wiggles the whole body shows a relaxed dog. A tail held high that shakes stiffly and fast shows a tense dog. So we look at the ears, the eyes, the mouth and the way it stands as well.

  Try at home: Watch a dog from a distance. How is its tail wagging? What are its ears and body telling? Tell a grown-up what you saw.

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  A slow blink tells a cat “I trust you”

  Scientists blinked slowly at cats. The cats blinked slowly back and came closer to the person who had blinked.

  Why? Staring hard at a cat for a long time can make it uneasy. Slowly narrowing and closing your eyes is like saying “I trust you”. A tail held straight up is how a cat says hello.

  Try at home: Look at a cat you know from a little way off. Slowly narrow your eyes, close them for a couple of seconds, then open them. Does the cat blink slowly back?

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  If a dog you don't know comes, be a tree

  If a dog you don't know runs towards you, don't run away and don't shout. Stand like a tree, fold your hands in front of you like branches, look at your feet and count in your head.

  Why? To a dog, a running child looks like a playmate running away, so the dog follows. A tree that does not move is boring, and the dog usually sniffs and goes away. Then walk away slowly and tell a grown-up what happened.

  Try at home: Play “be a tree” with a grown-up. When they say “a dog is coming”, fold your hands, look at your feet and count to 10 in your head.

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  No milk for cats, no chocolate for dogs

  Most cats cannot digest the sugar in milk once they grow up, so cow's milk can give them a tummy ache. Chocolate, grapes and onions are bad for cats and dogs too.

  Why? A kitten's body can digest its mother's milk, but this ability fades as it grows. Not everything that tastes good to us is good for them. Ask the owner before you give an animal any food.

  Try at home: Look at the food in your kitchen with a grown-up. Which foods must a dog or a cat never eat? Make a list and stick it on the fridge.

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  If an animal bites or scratches you, tell someone at once

  If a cat or a dog bites or scratches you, tell a grown-up at once, even if the wound is small. The wound is washed with plenty of water and soap for at least 15 minutes, and then you go to a doctor.

  Why? Some illnesses can pass on through an animal's spit, and the most dangerous one is rabies. Washing the wound at once and the vaccine the doctor gives stop rabies. That is why it takes courage to tell, not to hide it.

  Try at home: With a grown-up, find out where your nearest health centre or hospital is.

What is it telling?

Piko is learning the language of animals. On each page, look at the dog or the cat and read Piko's note. Then choose what the animal is telling and what you would do.

Cats and Dogs quiz

Ten questions, one at a time. A wrong answer is not a loss: try again, and a hint is there.

Games and fact pages

• Piko's page
• Kind Words Workshop
• Feeling Faces
• Animal Explorer