Felis – Lost Constellation
of the Cat
Domestic cats do not generally see their owners as
a focus of safety and security in the same way that dogs do, according to new
research. The study by animal behaviour
specialists at the University of Lincoln, UK, shows that while dogs perceive
their owners as a safe base, the relationship between people and their feline
friends appears to be quite different. While it is increasingly recognised that
cats are more social and more capable of shared relationships than
traditionally thought, this latest research shows that adult cats appear to be
more autonomous -- even in their social relationships -- and not necessarily
dependent on others to provide a sense of protection. The research, published
in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, was led by Professor Daniel Mills,
Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at the University of Lincoln's
School of Life Sciences, along with Alice Potter -- who studied as a postgraduate
at Lincoln and now works with the Companion Animals Science Group at the RSPCA.
Sept.3 http://www.sott.net/article/301085-New-research-shows-why-cats-are-more-independent-than-dogs
The news
comes to us during the disseminating
Moon phase of Sept. 2. A chart for the phase
at Lincoln has the Sun and Jupiter on
the IC opposite Neptune forming a T-square with Saturn in the 6th
house linked to pets [1]. Saturn is a planet we associate with self-reliance
and autonomy while Neptune is about dependence so that the square brings out
the contrast which is what the new research is about.
But where is the cat? We don’t have to look
far for that. On the IC are stars of the constellation Felis, the Cat [1].
Today, only 88 constellations in the
night sky are formally recognised by the International Astronomical Union
(IAU), but many additional ones were once described and named too. One of these
was Felis, the Cat, which was originally designated in 1799 by French
astronomer Joseph Jérôme de Lalande, a noted cat-lover who had lamented the
domestic cat's absence in a sky populated by no less than three different
domestic dog constellations (Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Canes Venatici), as
well as three wild cats (Leo, Leo Minor, and Lynx). And so Felis, situated between
the constellations of Antlia (the Air Pump) and Hydra (the Water Snake), was
duly added to the list, becoming the thirty-fourth animal constellation (albeit
a rather small one).
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