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Outgoing US President George W. Bushs black cat India died at home at the White House at the age of 18 on January 4, 2009.
India Bush has been a beloved member of the Bush family for more than 10 years. India was acquiured in late 1990s when twin daughters of the US President Barbara and Jenna Bush were 9. When Barbara and Jenna moved away to college, India, affectionately called Kitty by the family, stayed at the White House with the President and Mrs. Bush.
The President, Mrs. Bush, Barbara, and Jenna are deeply saddened by the passing of their cat India (a.k.a. Willie).
In reality, the cat is not named for the country of India, yet rather for baseball player Ruben Sierra who was nicknamed El Indio, during his time with the Texas Rangers when Bush owned the team but through some controversy reported in India several people were upset with the cats name.
In India, the people believe that BLACK CAT are inauspicious. It is also said that when a black cat was seen people used to believe that some ghost must be also weavering somewhere near black cat.
They even have this belief that if a black cat crosses your path, it is considered as a bad omen.
As well as having nine lives, and always landing the right way up, cats are credited with the ability to SEE IN THE DARK. Is that true? Can cats really see in the dark? I have some interesting evidence which sheds light (!) on this curious question. Some time ago a cat tried to leap right through me, like you might imagine a cat trying to leap through an invisible person! It was a dark night and I had the bedroom curtains shut, and I was standing by the bedside in a dark dressing-gown, and along came the cat and tried to leap onto the bed! Not aware I was there the cat's trajectory onto the soft bed was interrupted by the person quietly standing there. The sudden change of flight plan resulted in the emergency deployment of claws, which was not pleasant. However it was the shock which was worse than the pain, as you just don't expect to be suddenly attacked by a relatively tame well house-trained pet cat when about to go to bed.
It's a known fact that cats can see well in low light conditions, certainly much better than humans can, but cats definitely can not see in total darkness. Outdoors by dim moonlight, cats can mooch around confidently knowing where they are going. But indoors at night with the curtains closed, they can make mistakes.
The ability of cats to cope with darkness is improved by other factors. Without going into too many experimental details, I have observed a cat walking around without any ability to see, and what I noticed was that the four footed configuration is much more stable and less likely to trip over things than the two footed mode of walking. Even if a cat tripped up, there would still be three feet on the floor, whereas a human tripping up has just one foot remaining in place. Also the cat has less far to fall. These dynamic factors give the cat much more confidence to walk around in the dark.
My vet said their night vision is 10 times better than the army's most sophisticated night vision equipment. How they see at night is a function of the cones in the backs of their iris and that their iris can dilate to such width allowing superior night vision. They see exceptionally well in the day through the little slits that let in only enough light as they need. Cats can distinguish red, green, and yellow in any light, day or night. They see like any human with the cones in the backs of their eye, but it is primarily the iris shape and its ability to open so wide that give cats their remarkable ability to see.
Cats are nocturnal, so yes, they see very well in the dark, and that is why they play like that at night when you are sleeping. I've heard so many people complain about the cats "acting up" when they are trying to sleep, i guess people don't understand that they are nocturnal animals and are at the peak of energy when we are sleeping (well, most of us are anywase lol) They see better in the night time if i am correct, because most nocturnal animals have more rods than cones, and rods are the part of the eye for night vision.
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Bushs cat India dies, age 18
Is it True that Cats can See in the Dark ?
ttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090104192530AA9yzh4
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Outgoing US President George W. Bushs black cat India died at home at the White House at the age of 18 on January 4, 2009.
India Bush has been a beloved member of the Bush family for more than 10 years. India was acquiured in late 1990s when twin daughters of the US President Barbara and Jenna Bush were 9. When Barbara and Jenna moved away to college, India, affectionately called Kitty by the family, stayed at the White House with the President and Mrs. Bush.
The President, Mrs. Bush, Barbara, and Jenna are deeply saddened by the passing of their cat India (a.k.a. Willie).
In reality, the cat is not named for the country of India, yet rather for baseball player Ruben Sierra who was nicknamed El Indio, during his time with the Texas Rangers when Bush owned the team but through some controversy reported in India several people were upset with the cats name.
In India, the people believe that BLACK CAT are inauspicious. It is also said that when a black cat was seen people used to believe that some ghost must be also weavering somewhere near black cat.
They even have this belief that if a black cat crosses your path, it is considered as a bad omen.
As well as having nine lives, and always landing the right way up, cats are credited with the ability to SEE IN THE DARK. Is that true? Can cats really see in the dark? I have some interesting evidence which sheds light (!) on this curious question. Some time ago a cat tried to leap right through me, like you might imagine a cat trying to leap through an invisible person! It was a dark night and I had the bedroom curtains shut, and I was standing by the bedside in a dark dressing-gown, and along came the cat and tried to leap onto the bed! Not aware I was there the cat's trajectory onto the soft bed was interrupted by the person quietly standing there. The sudden change of flight plan resulted in the emergency deployment of claws, which was not pleasant. However it was the shock which was worse than the pain, as you just don't expect to be suddenly attacked by a relatively tame well house-trained pet cat when about to go to bed.
It's a known fact that cats can see well in low light conditions, certainly much better than humans can, but cats definitely can not see in total darkness. Outdoors by dim moonlight, cats can mooch around confidently knowing where they are going. But indoors at night with the curtains closed, they can make mistakes.
The ability of cats to cope with darkness is improved by other factors. Without going into too many experimental details, I have observed a cat walking around without any ability to see, and what I noticed was that the four footed configuration is much more stable and less likely to trip over things than the two footed mode of walking. Even if a cat tripped up, there would still be three feet on the floor, whereas a human tripping up has just one foot remaining in place. Also the cat has less far to fall. These dynamic factors give the cat much more confidence to walk around in the dark.
My vet said their night vision is 10 times better than the army's most sophisticated night vision equipment. How they see at night is a function of the cones in the backs of their iris and that their iris can dilate to such width allowing superior night vision. They see exceptionally well in the day through the little slits that let in only enough light as they need. Cats can distinguish red, green, and yellow in any light, day or night. They see like any human with the cones in the backs of their eye, but it is primarily the iris shape and its ability to open so wide that give cats their remarkable ability to see.
Cats are nocturnal, so yes, they see very well in the dark, and that is why they play like that at night when you are sleeping. I've heard so many people complain about the cats "acting up" when they are trying to sleep, i guess people don't understand that they are nocturnal animals and are at the peak of energy when we are sleeping (well, most of us are anywase lol) They see better in the night time if i am correct, because most nocturnal animals have more rods than cones, and rods are the part of the eye for night vision.
-------------------------------------------
Bushs cat India dies, age 18
Is it True that Cats can See in the Dark ?
ttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090104192530AA9yzh4
