METABOLISM

Created by:
Siti Hamamah Gustiani
(1606958960)

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Postgraduate Programme in Chemistry
University of Indonesia
Depok, 2017
OUTLINE
 Overview
TheDomestic Cat(Felis silvestris catusorFelis catus)

Where were the cats

first domesticated?

Egypt? Mesopotamia?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat
 The Discovery of Cats History
the study used DNA samples from 979
The writer David wild and domestic cats to piece together
Derbyshire cites a the feline family tree. They looked for
2007 CE research markers in mitochondrial DNA - a type of
project genetic material passed down from
mothers to kittens which can reveal when
wild and domestic cat lineages were most
closely related.
"This shows that the origin of domestic
This project was headed by cats was not Ancient Egypt - which is
Dr. Andrew Kitchener, a the prevailing view - but Mesopotamia
Zoologist at the National and that it occurred much earlier than
Museums of Scotland was thought. The last common ancestor
of wildcats and domesticated cats lived
more than 100,000 years ago

Dr. Kitcheners findings built upon the evidence

of cats domestication provided by the discovery
in 1983 CE of a cat skeleton in a grave dating to
9,500 BCE on the island of Cyprus.
 Cats in Ancient Egypt

https://www.ancient.eu/article/466/cats-in-the-ancient-world/
When a house caught fire, the Egyptians would concern themselves more
with rescuing the cats than with anything else, often running back into the
burning building or forming a perimeter around the flames to keep cats at a
safe distance.
 The Persian Cat
A Persian tale claims the cat was
created magically.
The great Persian hero Rustum, out
on campaign, one night saved a
magician from a band of thieves.
Rustum offered the older man the
hospitality of his tent and, as they
sat outside under the stars, enjoying
the warmth of a fire, the magician
asked Rustum what he wished for as
a gift in repayment for saving the
mans life.
https://www.ancient.eu/article/466/cats-in-the-ancient-world/
Rustum told him that there was nothing he
desired since everything he could want, he
already had before him in the warmth and
comfort of the fire, the scent of the smoke
and the beauty of the stars overhead.
The magician then took a handful of
smoke, added flame, and brought down
two of the brightest stars, kneading them
together in his hands and blowing on them.
When he opened his hands toward
Rustum, the warrior saw a small, smoke-
grey kitten with eyes bright as the stars
and a tiny tongue which darted like the
tip of flame.
In this way, the first Persian cat came to be
created as a token of gratitude to Rustum.
The Tabby Cat
The prophet Muhammed PBUH
was also very fond of cats.
According to legend, the `M design
on the forehead of the tabby cat was
made when the prophet blessed his
favourite cat by placing his hand on
its head. This cat, Meuzza, also
features in another famous story in
which Muhammed PBUH, called to
prayer, found the cat asleep on his
arm. Rather than disturb the cat,
Muhammed PBUH cut the sleeve
from his robe and left Meuzza to
sleep.
The story has no origin in early
Muslim writers, and seems to
confuse a story of a later Sufi saint,
Ahmed ar-Rifa'i, centuries after
Muhammad PBUH.

https://www.ancient.eu/article/466/cats-in-the-ancient-world/
Cat Communication
 Why do we find these creatures
so irresistible?

because the rhythmic action

of stroking their velvety fur
feels good
because of an uncanny ability
that few humans possess: cats
register our tactile presence in
a deeply felt way. They really
know how to let us in!
Theyre right there in the
delectable moment receiving
our touch.
These beautiful creatures have
a rare quality that we humans
would do well to cultivate: a
large capacity
to receive affection.

John Amodeo, Ph. D

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/intimacy-path-toward-spirituality/201507/if-you-love-cats-
may-be-why
 What Felis can Teach Us
About Affection
Delighting in our physical presence, they may begin to purr and
perhaps roll on their backs, exposing their vulnerability as if
to say, I trust you. Give me some love and make me feel good.
Their gift to us is that they receive us deeply, without any
troubling cognitions or disturbing memories of less savory
moments, such as when we forgot to feed them or clean their
litter box. They let all of that go. Theyre just here with us right
now.

John Amodeo, Ph. D

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/intimacy-path-toward-spirituality/201507/if-you-love-cats-
may-be-why
Does cat attachment have an effect on human health?
Method:
Questionnaire (The Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS, Johnson et
al. 1992)
Measurement of Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
Participants : The sample of owners included people aged 18 to 64
(mean=34.58, se=3.39), the volunteers at the Cats Protection League Centre
in Truro, UK, included people between the ages of 18 and 65 (mean=41.87,
se= 3.86). None of the participants in this study had previous problems with
hypertension, were on any related medication or were smokers.
Experimental setting
Statistical Analysis: Data were analysed using the General Linear Mixed
Models, GEE (repeated measures) procedure in SPSS (version 21), The
LAPS score: level of attachment
 The result: the presence of a
cat or petting a cat can
reduce heart rate and both
systolic and diastolic blood
pressure, and that this
reduction is generally more
pronounced in the cats
owners rather than in the
volunteers from a rehoming
centre.

Fig: A) Heart rate (bpm), B) Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) and C) Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) for owners and
volunteers before, during, and after exposure to a cat, either their own or from a rehoming centre. For statistical tests
see results.
Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Benefit
Toxoplasma gondii
The disease is more problematic for pregnant
women and people who have weakened
immune systems.
Healthy people who become infected often
do not have symptoms because their immune
system keeps the parasite from causing
sickness. 1020 % of patients develop sore
lymph nodes, muscle pains and other minor
symptoms that last for several weeks and then
go away (acute toxoplasmosis).
Usually if a woman has been infected before
becoming pregnant, the unborn baby is safe
because the mother has developed immunity.
If a woman is pregnant and becomes infected
with toxoplasmosis during or right before
pregnancy, she can transmit the disease to her
unborn child (congenital transmission).
 Toxoplasma gondii Life Cycle

Cats are the primary host and humans and other warm blooded animals
are just intermediate hosts. In this sense Toxoplasma gondii is not a pure
human parasite.