Beware Of The Cat

An ordinary tabby can clear a wall five times its own height in one easy leap. Domestic cats can weigh up to 40lb, and reach 30mph. They can seemingly survive for weeks without eating, and fall from high buildings and land on their feet. They also kill birds, slaughter rats and terrorise dogs. And now, a fearless feline has made history by picking a fight with a bear.

The 10-year-old ginger tom, which weighed about 15lb, took umbrage when a 15-stone black bear wandered out of the woods into a garden in West Milford, New Jersey, and attacked with enough ferocity to send the bear scuttling up a garden tree. Veterinary scientists, wildlife experts and cat lovers were not particularly surprised: Felis sylvestris catus has been domesticated for at least 7,000 years, and routinely spends 16 hours a day sleeping in the sunshine or in the warmest corner of the house, but it remains the personification of violence. Full Story

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