Everything you always wanted to know about ...

Information about Cat

This article deals with the domestic cat. For other species of the cat
family, please see Felidae.

The cat, Felis silvestris
catus, is a small feline
carnivore that has been
domesticated for several
millennia. The term cat
most commonly means a
domestic cat, although it    Kingdom:    Animalia
can also be used to refer    Phylum:     Chordata
to the other members of the  Class:      Mammalia
feline family. For example
lions, tigers, jaguars and   Order:      Carnivora
the like are often referred  Family:     Felidae
to as the big cats.
                             Genus:      Felis
                             Species:    silvestris
                             Subspecies: catus

The cat was first domesticated by the Ancient Egyptians in 4000 BC, to keep
mice and rats away from their grain stores. They regarded cats as
embodiments of their god; the penalty for killing a cat was death, and when
a cat died it was sometimes mummified in the same way as a human. In the
Middle Ages, though, cats were often thought to be witches' familiars. Today
some people believe that white cats are unlucky, or that it is unlucky if a
black cat crosses your path, but others believe that black cats are lucky.

Cats are kept for companionship as pets, and to hunt mice and rats. Farms
often have dozens of cats, living semi-wild in the barns. Hunting in the
barns and the fields, they kill and eat rodents that would otherwise eat
large parts of the grain crop. (Many pet cats successfully hunt and kill
mice, birds and fish by instinct, but may not eat their prey.) Feral cats
may live alone or in large groups with communal nurseries, depending on
resource availability.

Unlike most other animals kept by humans cats are not fully domesticated.
Unlike dogs or horses cats lived in a mutualistic arrangement with humans.
They would have free access to our homes, cities and farms while the cats
would remove harmful pests such as rats and mice. This different
relationship explains why cats are far less worshipful of humans than dogs
and other domesticated animals.

The physiology of cats is fairly consistent, especially when compared to the
other most common domestic animal, the dog. Cats typically weigh somewhere
in the range of 5 to 7 kg (10 to 15 pounds), rarely over 9 kg (20 pounds).
In captivity cats typically live 10 to 15 years, though the oldest known cat
lived to age 34. There are many named breeds, each with distinct features
and heritage. However, due to common cross-breeding in populated areas, many
cats are simply identified as belonging to the homogeneous breeds of
domestic longhair and domestic shorthair, depending on their type of fur.

The wild ancestor of the cat is believed to have been from a desert climate,
and cats display behaviours associated with such creatures. They enjoy heat
and sunning themselves. Their feces are usually very dry and cats prefer to
bury them in sandy places. They are able to stay unmoving in one place for
long periods of time, usually when observing prey. In North Africa there are
still small wildcats that are probably the ancestors of todays domesticated breeds.

Calico (US) or tortoiseshell (UK) cats have multiple colors. Bicolor cats
are partly white. A tabby cat is a striped cat.

A male cat is usually called a tom cat, a female cat is called a queen. A
young cat is called a kitten. A cat whose ancestry is officially registered
is called a purebred cat or a Pedigreed cat or a Show cat. The owners and
breeders of show cats compete to see who can breed the cat with the closest
resemblance to the 'ideal' definition of the breed. Less than one percent of
the total feline population are purebred cats - the remaining 99% have mixed
ancestry and are generally known as moggies, or more properly domestic
longhairs and domestic shorthairs. Baby cats are known as kittens, which is
the same term used for baby squirrels.

The sound a cat makes is written "meow" in American English and "miaow" in
British English. Cats can also produce a purring noise that is immensly
pleasurable to many humans.

Quotation

   * "The cat is a wild animal that inhabits the homes of humans." -- Konrad
     Lorenz, Man Meets Dog

Miscellaneous

The Cat is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the
Vietnamese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.

How to - History - Companies - Internet - Nintendo - List of Phobias - September 11, 2001 - Timelines - Chemistry - Genealogy - Family - Film - SARS - Cancer - Medicine - DVD - Calendar - Disease - Health Science - Dentistry - Economics - AIDS - Law - Autism - Statistics

Premier Shopping Sites:
apparel baby books music computer dvd camera software games sports baseball basketball fitness football golf hockey soccer tennis