CATS' BRAINS SMALLER THAN THEIR ANCESTORS'

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 12, 1993                   TAG: 9301120168
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short
CATS' BRAINS SMALLER THAN THEIR ANCESTORS'
In a finding that probably will not surprise any dog lovers, scientists at the University of Tennessee have discovered that the brains of cats are shrinking.
The modern house cat has significantly fewer brain cells than the wild creature from which it evolved, says Dr. Robert Williams, a neurobiologist at the university's medical school.
And, Williams adds, the reason for this unusual reverse spin on evolution may be the cat's association with humans. In fact, having a smaller brain may actually give the housecat an advantage it needs to get along with human beings.
Williams compared brains of modern housecats with those of a Spanish wildcat that appears to be almost identical to the animal that was tamed by the ancient Egyptians more than 3,500 years ago, a sort of "living fossil."
The Spanish cat has 50 percent more brain neurons than the house cat, he said.
When the first house cats moved into the human environment, they chose to live in a very stressful situation, given the volatile, unpredictable nature of human society, Williams said.
That would mean that in order to improve its chances of surviving, the housecat needed to produce and rear large litters. Since brain tissue has high nourishment needs, something had to give.
By producing offspring with significantly fewer brain cells, a mother cat could support more kittens.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB