Cat Myths

Cat Myths

Cat Myths
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	5.25

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		supernatural, unwanted, popularity, soles, milky, starvation, percent, study, power, magical, however, greasy, potty, rely, longer, choice
	content words:		American Veterinary Medical Association, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, National Pet Owners Survey

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Cat Myths
By Brenda B. Covert

¹     According to a 2004 study by the American Veterinary Medical Association, 53.8 percent of all U.S. households own at least one pet. Cats are a popular choice. In the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2005-2006 National Pet Owners Survey, 90 million cats were pets. That's almost 15 million more cats than dogs, another popular pet. There are 16 million birds living as pets, but fish are the big winner at 139 million strong! However, since fish are usually found grouped together in aquariums, it's probably safe to say that cats are found in more homes than any other pet. Even with all that popularity, some people still believe strange myths about cats. Here are four of those myths.

²     1. Cats steal babies' breath. A curious cat sniffs a baby's milky mouth, and suddenly it is a baby killer! Isn't that silly? A cat may want to curl up to a warm, sleeping baby for a nap. A cat may want to clean the milk off a baby's lips as it would clean its own kittens. However, cats are not supernatural beings in search of little souls to steal.

³     2. A black cat that crosses your path brings bad luck. To avoid the bad luck, you will need to walk backwards ten steps, or turn and walk backward until you cross over the place where the cat crossed your path. Maybe you can avoid bad luck by counting to nine. If you are still worried, you could spit on the ground and rub your foot in it before walking backward for five steps. No, cats aren't magical creatures. Bad luck would be if a hungry tiger crossed your path! Otherwise, we have nothing to fear from cats of any color.

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