You may or may not know that the Ancient Egyptians used to workship cats.  They even had a deity entirely dedicated to their favoured felines, the goddess Bastet. Cats played a huge role in Egyptian society as a whole, beginning as feral creatures that were useful for controlling the vermin population. This was especially useful during crop season and harvests and due to the close contact between cats and humans, they learnt to trust each other and coexist.

Due to their ability to kill agressive and poisonous snakes like cobras, the cat was considered to be a symbol of grace and poise.  There was originally a cult surrounding the lion-headed goddess Mafdet, but Bastet’s image later replaced this, becoming the deity of protection, fertility and motherhood. Due to their revered status, some cats were even mummified after death and given to Bastet as a sacrifice.  In the late 19th century one farmer even discovered a large tomb containing the mummified bodies of cats and kittens.

The Egyptians were in fact so protective of their cats that should there be a fire, it was guarded so as cats would not run into the flames. Even worse, if one should accidentally kill a cat, this would incurr the death penalty! According to Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, the chariot of a Roman soldier once accidentally ran over an Egyptian cat, enraging onlookers, who formed a mob, surrounded him and, despite pleas from Pharoah Ptolemy XII, murdered the soldier out of revenge!

Though cats are still popular pets today, we’re sensible about the treatment of our animals. All of our pets deserve to be cared for, so if you have a pampered puss in need of some cat treats, a new cat bed or cat toy, take a look at adflyer’s huge selection of cat and kitten accessories.

You probably have a couple of animals in mind when we say ‘heroic pets’ to you. Lassie, Skippy, Black Beauty and maybe even White Fang if you’re from that generation. They’re all animals with an uncanny ability to communicate with humans, thus able to let ‘Old Man Tom’ know when some hapless child has fallen to the bottom of his structurally unsafe well again.

Well, we doubt that the animal actors behind the heroes could really save any lives, but there are a few plucky pets out there who really deserve the praise for showing limitless bravery in the face of adversity. Take Trackr for instance, the German Shepherd responsible for finding the last survivor of the tragic events of 9/11.  He was so successful during his time as a rescue dog that he was even cloned not once, not twice, not three times, but a staggering four times.

Then there is the miraculous story of a dog that appeared from nowhere to save the life of a man risking being gorged to death by a bull in Spain! The man in question had just about given up on his life when the pup raced onto the scene and launched itself at the bull to free its victim and even continued to attack even after the man had scrambled free. Thanks to the dog, the man escaped relatively unharmed.

It’s not just dogs that are capable of  being heroic, either! Winnie the cat is responsible for saving the life of her family when a gasoline powered water pump was leaking an odourless gas into the house. Their 14 year old son lay unconscious next door while Winnie pawed, nudged and wailed at her owners to wake them up. If it hadn’t been for Winnie sensing something was wrong, they would never have survived.

One of the most heart-warming stories of an heroic pet is all about Lulu, a pot-bellied pig that tried desperately to raise the alarm when her owner’s mother was taking care of her and suffered a massive heart attack. Not-so-little Lulu ran into the street and spread herself out in the middle of the road to stop oncoming traffic, returning to the house every so often to check on JoAnn until she finally got someone’s attention. They followed Lulu to the door and discovered JoAnn unconscious. If it hadn’t been for her, JoAnn would surely have died.

It just goes to show how invaluable our animals really are. They’re more than just our companions, they’re our friends and in some instances, our rescuers!

You might remember that a few weeks ago, we discussed the most common dog behaviour, anything from tail wagging to rolling over. This week it’s the turn of the cats and you might find yourself learning some very interesting bits of information that even experienced cat owners never knew!

1. Purring – now, you may think that purring can only be a good sign when it comes to cats and kittens, but contrary to popular belief, cats will also purr when they are in pain or feel unwell. It can be taken as a sign that they are in distress and need our help, however, it usually signals the cat is happy and relaxed.

2. Furniture scratching - most cats tend to do this to help renew their claws. They are probably using the furniture because they haven’t been trained to use a scratching post.

3. Tail wagging - unlike when dogs wag their tails, a cat wagging its tail may well be showing signs of anger or aggression. It can also suggest a cat is busy deciding or thinking about what it wants to do next, akin to us tapping our feet!

4. Kneading – kneading is a throwback from kittenhood. Kittens tend to knead their mother’s teats in order to  encourage milk and owners who experience a kneading cat while sitting on their lap are usually seen as a surrogate parent! It’s a sign that your cat feels very safe, secure and happy.

5. Face  and leg rubbing – this is actually really rather sweet. Cats tend to greet one another by rubbing faces with eachother and they imitate this behaviour when they’re saying hello to us, too. When they wind around our legs, this is also a show of greeting and they may well be scenting at the same time.

6. Grass eating - similarly to dogs, cats will eat grass when they feel the urge to vomit, usually to help get rid of and dislodge hairballs.

7. Freezing and crouching – more often than not, this is a signal a cat is stressed or frightened. They sit very still and make themselves very small to avoid being spotted, perhaps because they feel they are in danger.

8. Hissing and spitting – this is a sign of defensive aggression. A cat that is unhappy with a situation may well hiss, spit and even try to bite and scratch because they are frightened or feel threatened.