Cat

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This article is about the domestic cat. For alternative meanings see cat (disambiguation).

The cat, also called domestic cat or house cat, is a small feline carnivorous mammal of the subspecies Felis silvestris catus. Sometimes its latin name is Felis domesticus. Its most immediate, pre-domestication ancestor is the African wild cat, Felis silvestris lybica. The cat has been living in close association with humans for at least 3,500 years, when the Ancient Egyptians routinely used cats to keep mice and other rodents away from their grain. Currently, the cat is one of the world's most popular household pets.

cat is human's friend.

A group of cats is referred to as a clowder. The male cat is called a tom; the female, a queen. A young cat is called a kitten (which is also an alternate name for young rats, rabbits, hedgehogs, beavers, and squirrels). A cat whose ancestry is officially registered is called a purebred cat, a pedigree cat, or a show cat. Purebreds make up less than one percent of the total feline population; cats of mixed ancestry are referred to as domestic longhairs and domestic shorthairs.

There are dozens of breeds of domestic cats, including hairless and tailless animals, and they exist in a variety of different colors as well as multicolored. Cats have excellent night vision, which aids them in hunting; necessarily carnivorous, they are skilled predators that have been known to hunt over one thousand different species for food. They can also be somewhat intelligent, with individuals having been observed manipulating simple forms of inanimate objects, such as opening lever-handled doors or using human toilets, as described below. They communicate by calling ("meow"/"miaou"), purring, hissing, and gesturing. Because the domestication of the cat is relatively recent, cats may also still live effectively in the wild, often forming small colonies. The cat's association with humans leads it to figure prominently in the mythology and legends of several cultures, including the ancient Egyptians, Vikings, and Chinese.

Characteristics

Physical

Cats typically weigh between 2.5 and 7 kg (5.5–16 lb) and rarely exceed 10 kg (22 pounds). However, some have been known to reach up to 23 kg (50 lb), due to being overfed. This is very unhealthy for the cat, and should be avoided through exercise (playing) and diet, especially with indoor cats. One of the smallest cat species is the black-footed cat, which weighs just over 1 kg (2.2 lb).

In captivity, cats typically live 15 to 20 years, though the oldest-known cat lived to age 36.^[1] Domestic cats tend to live longer if they are not permitted to go outdoors (reducing the risk of injury from fights or accidents) and if they are spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering a cat also decreases the risk of testicular and ovarian cancer, and female cats spayed before their first heat or litter benefit from reduced risk of mammary cancer.^[2] Feral cats living in modern urban environments often live only two years, or less.

Most cats have straight ears pointing upward. Unlike dogs, flap-eared breeds are very rare. (Scottish Folds are one such exceptional genetic mutation.) When angry or frightened, a cat will lay its ears back, to accompany the growling or hissing sounds it makes. There are 32 muscles in each ear and the cat can move each ear independently^[3]. Cats conserve energy by sleeping more than most animals, especially as they grow older. Daily durations of sleep are various, usually 12–16 hours, with 13–14 being the average. Some cats can sleep as much as 20 hours in a 24-hour period. The term cat nap refers to the cat's ability to fall asleep for a brief period of time; someone who nods off for a few minutes is said to be "taking a cat nap".

The personality of cats is variant depending on the breed. Shorter haired cats tend to be skinnier and more active, while cats with longer hair have tendencies to be fat and lazy.

The normal body temperature of a cat is between 38 and 39 °C (101 and 102.2 °F).^[4] Comparatively, humans have a normal temperature of approximately 37 °C (97 to 100 °F).

A popular belief is that cats always land on their feet, which is typically the case but not always true. During a fall a cat can reflexively twist its body in order to right itself, due to its acute sense of balance and flexible body. It always rights itself in the same way, provided it has the time to do so during a fall. Certain breeds that don't have a tail are a notable exception, since a cat moves its tail and relies on conservation of angular momentum to position all of its paws straight down.

Cats, like dogs, are digitigrades: they walk directly on their toes, the bones of their feet making up the lower part of the visible leg. They are capable of walking very precisely, placing each hind paw directly in the print of the corresponding forepaw, minimising noise and visible tracks.

Senses

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A close-up of a cat's eye.

Contrary to popular belief a cat's vision is inferior, in most cases, to that of humans and to other domestic animals. A cat's visual acuity, measured in lines per degree of the visual field, is 0.2 of a human, 0.33 of a horse and 0.50 of a dog. (If human vision is 20/20, a cat's is 20/100.) A cat can see colors but only as fuzzy pastels. Dogs and cats have a binocular field of vision of 85°, while for humans the field is 120°. Where cats excel is their exceptional night vision. Because of their highly developed tapetum, a reflective surface at the back of the retina, a cat can see objects 6 times dimmer than can humans.

In very bright light, the slit-like iris closes very narrowly over the eye, reducing the amount of light on the sensitive retina, and improving depth of field. An organ called the tapetum lucidum is responsible for their strong low-light vision, as well as for the varied colors of cats' eyes in flash photographs. As with most predators their eyes are both forward-facing, affording depth perception at the expense of field of view. Cats are weakly trichromatic; up close, colored objects are distinct, but at a distance, the colors blend together.

Cats also have a third eyelid, the nictitating membrane, which is a thin cover which closes from the side and appears when the cat's eyelid opens. This membrane partially closes if the cat is sick, although a very sleepy and happy cat can also show this membrane. If a cat chronically shows the third eyelid, it should be taken to a veterinarian.

Humans and cats have a similar range of hearing on the low end of the scale, but cats can hear much higher-pitched sounds, even better than dogs. When listening for something, a cat's ears will swivel in that direction; a cat's ear flaps (pinnae) can independently point backwards as well as forwards and sideways to pinpoint the source of the sound. Cats can judge within three inches the location of a sound being made one yard away.

A domestic cat's sense of smell is about 14 times stronger than a human's.^[5] Cats have twice as many smell-sensitive cells in their noses as people do, which means they can smell things we are not even aware of. Cats also have a scent organ in the roof of their mouths called the vomeronasal, or Jacobson's, organ. When a cat wrinkles its muzzle, lowers its chin, and lets its tongue hang a bit, it is opening the passage to the vomeronasal. This is called gaping. Gaping is the equivalent of the Flehmen response in other animals, such as dogs and horses.

Cats generally have about a dozen whiskers in four rows on each upper lip, a few on each cheek, tufts over the eyes and bristles on the chin. Whiskers may also be found on the cat's "elbows." The Sphynx (a nearly hairless breed) may have full length, short or no whiskers at all.

Whiskers (technically called vibrissae) can aid with navigation and sensation. Whiskers may detect very small shifts in air currents, enabling a cat to know it is near obstructions without actually seeing them. The upper two rows of whiskers can move independently from the lower two rows for even more precise measuring.

It is thought that a cat may choose to rely on the whiskers in dim light where fully dilating the pupils would reduce its ability to focus on close objects. The whiskers also spread out roughly as wide as the cat's body making it able to judge if it can fit through an opening.

Whiskers are also an indication of the cat's attitude. Whiskers point forward when the cat is inquisitive and friendly and laid flat on the face when the cat is being defensive or aggressive.

Communication

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A cat calling out

The unique sound a small cat makes is written onomatopoeically as "meow" in American English, "miaow" in British English, "miaou" or "miaw" in French, "miau" in German, Spanish and Portuguese and various ways in other languages. The sound of an increasingly annoyed cat is transcribed in James Joyce's Ulysses as "mkgnao", "mrkgnao" and "mrkrgnao" [6]. The cat's pronunciation of this call varies significantly depending on meaning. Usually cats call out to indicate pain, or request human attention (to be fed or played with, for example) or, sometimes, as a form of "hello." Some cats are very vocal, and others rarely call out. Cats are capable of about 100 different vocalizations, compared to about 10 for dogs.

A kitten's call first starts out as a high pitched squeak-like sound when very young, then deepens over time. Some cats, however, do not exercise their voices a lot, so their call may remain similar to that of a kitten through adulthood.

Cats can also produce a purring noise that typically indicates that the cat is happy, although in some cases cats have been known to purr when distressed and is possibly analogous to the paroxysmal laughter of humans in response to great pain or distress. Perhaps the best way to interpret a purr is "I am inoffensive"; this fits with the wide variety of situations in which the sound occurs. Cats purr among other cats—for example, when a mother meets her kittens. The exact mechanism for purring is unknown. Theories include vibration of the cat's false vocal chords when inhaling and exhaling, the sound of blood hitting the aorta, vibration of the hyoid apparatus, or resonation directly in the lungs. It is possible for a cat to call out and purr simultaneously, although this is typical only in very vocal cats. In addition to purring, happy cats may blink slowly or partially close their eyes, though obviously a cat blinks at other times as well.

Most cats growl or hiss when angered or in danger. Some may engage in nipping behavior or batting with their paws, either with claws extended or retracted. With cats who are improperly socialized and do not know their own strength, this can result in inadvertent damage to human skin.

Cats are also known to make chirping noises when observing prey, or as a means of expressing interest in an object to nearby humans. When directed at out-of-reach prey, it is unknown whether this is a threatening sound, an expression of frustration, or an attempt to replicate a birdcall (or replicate the call of a bird's prey, for example a cicada). Since this feline expression often involves a mouth movement similar to the one they would use to kill their prey (their "killing bite",) they may be trying to practice this mouth movement in anticipation.

When passing solid waste, cats, like many types of predators, release a small amount of liquid from anal glands which scents their feces, to mark their territory. These scent-producing anal sacs are found in all predators; those of the skunk are used for self-defense, for example. During moments of excitement or other strong emotions, a cat's anal sac may discharge, releasing a foul-smelling brown liquid. Anal irritation, possibly shown by the cat rubbing its bottom on the floor and frequent licking of the area, can be a sign that the cat's anal sacs are not being emptied when waste passes.[7] Although this condition can be treated through the addition of a small amount of bran to each meal, it may require veterinary attention. Shorthair cats are more prone to this problem.

Cats will twitch the tips of their tails when hunting or angry, while larger twitching indicates displeasure. A tail held high is a sign of happiness, half-raised shows less pleasure, and unhappiness is indicated with a tail held low. A scared cat may puff up its tail and the hair along its back. Touching noses is a friendly greeting, while a lowered head is a sign of submission.

When cats are happy, they are known to paw their owners or whatever they are sitting on with a kneading motion. Cats often use this action alongside purring to show contentment and affection for their owners. The action is often referred to as paddy-pawing. It is instinctive to cats, and they use it when they are young to find and prime the mother cat's nipple so they can suckle.

Hunting and diet

Relative to size, domestic cats are very effective predators. They ambush and dispatch vertebrate prey using tactics similar to those of leopards and tigers by pouncing; they then deliver a lethal neck bite with their long canine teeth that severs the victim's spinal cord, or asphyxiate it by crushing the windpipe.

The domestic cat can hunt and eat about one thousand species—many big cats will eat fewer than 100. Although, theoretically, big cats can kill most of these species as well, they often do not due to the relatively low nutritional content that smaller animals provide. An exception is the leopard, which commonly hunts rabbits and many other smaller animals. On the other hand, it can be argued that cats have an abundance of smaller species available.

Cats have highly specialized teeth and a digestive tract suitable to the digestion of meat. The premolar and first molar together compose the carnassial pair on each side of the mouth, which efficiently functions to shear meat like a pair of scissors. While this is present in canines, it is highly developed in felines. The cat's tongue has sharp spines, or papillae, designed to retain and rip flesh from a carcass. These papillae are small backward-facing hooks which contain keratin and also assist in their grooming. Unlike most carnivores, cats eat almost no vegetable matter. Whereas bears and dogs commonly supplement their diet of meat with fruits, berries, roots, and honey when they can get them, cats feed exclusively on meat, usually freshly killed. Cats, including the great cats, have a genetic anomaly that prevents them from tasting sweetness ^[8], which is probably a causative factor in their meat-only habits.

In captivity, cats cannot be adapted to a vegetarian diet because they cannot synthesize all the amino acids they need from plant material. Specifically this applies to Taurine, the absence of which causes the cat's retina to slowly degenerate, causing eye problems and (eventually) irreversible blindness. This condition is called central retinal degeneration (CRD). Cow's milk is a poor source of taurine and adult cats are generally lactose intolerant. Lactose-free milk is perfectly safe but still not a substitute for meat. This contrasts with domesticated dogs, which commonly are fed a mixture of meat and vegetable products and have been adapted in some cases to a completely vegetarian diet. Despite this, however, the majority of brand-name cat foods are primarily grain based, often containing large amounts of corn or rice and supplemented with meats and essential vitamins.

Cats are also known to munch on grass, leaves and shrubs. They do not eat a lot in one sitting, but prefer to have it as a snack. Grass helps the cat's digestive system and can prevent furballs. ^[9].

Cats can be fussy eaters. This mostly happens when the vomeronasal, or Jacobson's, organ becomes sensitized to a specific food, at which point the cat will reject any food that doesn't fit the pattern it is expecting. Additionally, cats have been known to develop a fondness for "people food" (most of which are not good for the cat), such as BBQed chicken, french fries, pepperoni pizza, carnitas burritos, as well as cat diet exotica such as corn kernels and diced cantaloupe.

Domestic cats, especially young ones, are known for their love of string play. Many cannot resist a dangling piece of string, or a piece of rope drawn randomly and enticingly across the floor. This notorious love of string is often depicted in cartoons and photographs which show kittens or cats playing with balls of yarn. This propensity is probably related to their hunting instinct. However, string is more often being replaced with a red dot laser pointer because, if a cat ingests string, it can get caught in its stomach or intestines causing illness or, in extreme cases, death.

Because of their small size, domestic cats pose almost no danger to humans—the only hazard is the possibility of infection (or, rarely, rabies) from a cat bite or scratch.

Cats can be destructive to ecosystems in which they are not native and whose species did not have time to adapt to their introduction. In some cases, cats have contributed to or caused extinctions — for example, see the case of the Stephens Island Wren.

Hygiene

Cats groom themselves by licking their fur. Their saliva is a powerful cleaning agent, but it can provoke allergic reactions in humans. Many cats also enjoy grooming humans or other cats. Some cats occasionally regurgitate hair balls of fur that have collected in their stomachs as a result of their grooming. Longhair cats are more prone to this than shorthairs. Hair balls can be prevented with certain cat food containing nutrition that will ease the digestion. Cats expend nearly as much fluid grooming as they do urinating.

Indoor cats may be provided a litterbox containing sand or similar commercial material (litter). This arrangement serves the same purpose as a toilet for humans. It should be cleaned daily and changed often (depending on the type of litter—clumping litter stays cleaner longer). A litterbox is recommended for indoor-outdoor cats as well. Litterboxes may pose a risk of toxoplasmosis transmission to susceptible pregnant women and immuno-compromised individuals. Transmission risk may be reduced by daily litterbox cleaning.

In addition, some cats may be toilet trained, eliminating the litterbox and its attending expense and odor. Training involves two or three weeks of incremental moves, such as moving and elevating the litterbox until it's near the toilet. For a short time, an adapter, such as a bowl or small box, may be used to suspend the litter above the toilet bowl. When training is complete, the cat uses the toilet by perching over the bowl. ^[10]

Indoor cats will also benefit from being provided with a scratching post so they are less likely to ruin furniture with their claws.^[11] Nails can be trimmed, but care should be taken to avoid cutting a vein in the quick of the claw.

Onychectomy

Some cat owners choose to have their cat declawed (onychectomy). This major surgery removes the tip of each digit (from the first knuckle out) of the cat's forepaws. Some people are opposed to declawing on the grounds that it is inhumane. This operation is rare outside of North America. In Germany and Switzerland, declawing cats is explicitly forbidden by the laws against cruelty to animals.^[12] In many other European countries, it is also forbidden under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless "a veterinarian considers [such] non-curative procedures necessary either for veterinary medical reasons or for the benefit of any particular animal".^[13]

Where it is legal, some cat veterinarians refuse to do this type of surgery, because it deprives the cat of its main defense ability, although cats usually learn to donkey kick or rake with their hind claws in defense. This surgery requires anesthesia, which carries with it a small risk of death. Additionally, some experts believe declawed cats are more inclined to bite. If a cat is not declawed at an early age, it becomes too dangerous to declaw them when they are older. However, many American cats are still declawed, often when the owner finds that it is the only option for keeping the cat (sometimes it is mandated by landlords). Some cats which are not declawed, and can't be retrained, are either abandoned, or turned into animal shelters, where they may be euthanized. In Britain, where the prevailing style of ownership is indoor/outdoor, shelters find it difficult to rehome imported cats that had previously been declawed.

Environment

The wild cat, ancestor of the domestic cat, is believed to have evolved in a desert climate, as evident in the behavior common to both the domestic and wild forms. Wild cats are native to all continents other than Australia and Antarctica. Their feces are usually dry, and cats prefer to bury them in sandy places. They are able to remain motionless for long periods of time, especially when observing prey and preparing to pounce. In North Africa there are still small wildcats that are probably closely related to the ancestors of today's domesticated breeds.

Cats enjoy heat and solar exposure, often sleeping in a warm area during the heat of the day. Cats like to be a lot warmer than humans do. People start to feel uncomfortable when their skins' temperature gets higher than about 44.5 °C (112 °F), but cats don't start to show signs of discomfort until their skins reach about 52 °C (126 °F).

Being closely related to desert animals, cats can withstand the heat and cold of a temperate climate, but not for long periods of time. They have little resistance against fog, rain and snow—although certain breeds such as the Norwegian Forest Cat and Maine Coon have developed more protection than others—and struggle to maintain their 39 °C (102 °F) body temperature when wet. Most cats dislike immersion in water, but one exception is the Turkish Van cat.

Biology

Cats are polyestrous, which means they may have many heat periods over the course of a year. A heat period lasts about 4 to 7 days if the female is bred; if she is not, the heat period lasts longer and recurs at regular intervals.

The male cat's penis has spines which point backwards. Upon removal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina. The female needs this stimulation for ovulation to begin. Because of this, females are rarely impregnated by the first male they mate with. Furthermore, cats are superfecund; that is, a female may mate with more than one male when she is in heat, meaning different kittens in a litter may have different fathers.

The gestation period for cats is approximately 63 days. The size of a litter averages three to five kittens. Kittens are weaned at between six and seven weeks, and cats normally reach sexual maturity at six months (females) to seven months (males).

Completely white cats (not to be mistaken with albinism) with blue eyes have a higher genetic probability of being born deaf than the average cat. It is most likely to occur if they are born with blue eyes, and in some cases, orange or green eye color. There are some examples of white cats with only one blue eye and the result is that they can be deaf on the side of the blue eye. ^[14]^[15]

This happens due to the dominant W gene. This certain gene usually gives the cat a white coat, blue irises, and deafness. ^[16] It can happen in some cat breeds (that can carry the W gene), except Foreign white cats. Normally, Foreign white cats do not have a problem with deafness, but it can happen under very rare circumstances if the breed inherits the W gene. This also occurs with dogs if they have white coat and blue eyes, and in the case of dogs, it can be equally common for them to be born blind. ^[17] However, cats do not have a propensity for blindness if they have white coats and blue eyes. ^[18] Humans with common albinism, white skin and blue eyes generally suffer from visual problems, but in Tietz syndrome they suffer from deafness.

Around 5% of all cats are completely white, of which 10%–20% are deaf. Very few survive in the wild because of all the hazards that they cannot avoid as easily as other cats would in the same situation. Deaf white cats should not be used for breeding. It is recommended to neuter or spay them instead; this is done to minimise the occurrence of their inherent genetic anomaly. ^[19]

Domestication

Like some other domesticated animals, cats live in a mutualistic arrangement with humans. Cats, however, have done so for a much shorter time than almost all other domesticated animals, and the degree of domestication of cats is somewhat disputed. Since the benefit of removing rats and mice from humans' food stores outweighed the cost of allowing a formerly wild animal to enjoy the relative safety of a human settlement, the relationship between cat and human flourished. Unlike the dog, which also kills rodents, the cat did not eat grains, fruits, or vegetables.

The venerable simile, "like herding cats" refers to the seeming intractability of the ordinary house cat to be trained in the manner of the dog. Despite occasional cohabitation in colonies, cats are lone hunters. It is no coincidence that cats are also "clean" animals, the chemistry of their saliva, expended in frequent grooming, acting as a natural deodorant. The "purpose" of this cleanliness is to help hide the cat's presence while stalking prey. A dog's odor, on the other hand, is an advantage, for a dog is a pack hunter; part of the pack stations itself upwind, and its odor drives prey towards the rest of the pack stationed downwind. This requires a cooperative effort, which in turn requires communications skills. No such communications skills are required of the lone hunter. Thus, communicating with such an animal is problematic, and cats in particular are labelled as opaque or inscrutable, if not obtuse, as well as aloof and self-sufficient. However, cats can be very affectionate towards their humans, especially if they imprint on them at a very young age and are treated with consistent affection.

Human attitudes toward cats vary widely. Some humans keep cats for companionship as pets. Some people (called cat lovers) go to great lengths to pamper their cats, sometimes treating them almost as if they were children.

Others, particularly in urban areas, find cats annoying and intrusive. Persistent nighttime calling, defecation or "scenting" on private property, and allergies to cat dander are among the most common reasons people cite for disliking cats.

In rural areas, farms often have dozens of semi-feral cats. 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 rabbits, rodents, birds, lizards, frogs, fish, and large insects by instinct, but might not eat their prey. They may even present such victims, dead or maimed, to a beloved owner, perhaps expecting praise or a reward.

Despite its reputation as a solitary animal, the domestic cat is social enough to form colonies, but does not attack in groups as do lions. Some breeds like bengal, ocicat and manx are very social, but these breeds are exceptions. While each cat holds a distinct territory (sexually active males having the largest territories and neutered cats having the smallest) there are "neutral" areas where cats watch and greet one another without territorial conflict or aggression. Outside of these neutral areas, territory holders usually vigorously chase away strangers, at first by staring, hissing, and growling, and if that doesn't work by short but noisy and violent attacks. Fighting cats make themselves look larger by raising their fur and arching their backs. Attacks usually comprise powerful slaps to the face and body with the forepaws as well as bites, but serious damage is rarely done, and usually the loser runs away with little more than a few scratches to the face. Sexually active males may be engaged in many fights over their lives and often have decidedly weathered faces with obvious scars and cuts to the ears and nose. It is not just males that fight; females will also fight over territory or to defend their kittens and even neutered cats will defend their small territories vigorously.

Feral cats

Feral cats may live alone, but most are found in large groups called feral colonies with communal nurseries, depending on resource availability. Many lost or abandoned pet cats join these colonies out of desperation. The average lifespan of these feral cats is much shorter than a domestic housecat, which can live an average of sixteen years or more. Urban areas are not native environments to the cat; most domestic cats evolved from cats in desert climates and were distributed throughout the world by humans, but some feral cat colonies are found in large cities, for example, around the Colosseum and Forum Romanum in Rome. Although cats are fairly adaptable, feral felines are unable to thrive in extreme cold and heat, and with a protein requirement of about 90%, few find adequate nutrition on their own in cities. In addition, they have little defense or understanding of the dangers from dogs, coyotes, and even automobiles. However, there are thousands of volunteers and organizations that trap these unadoptable feral felines, spay or neuter them, immunize the cats against rabies and feline leukemia, and treat them with long-lasting flea products. Before release back into their feral colonies, the attending veterinarian nips the tip off one ear to mark the feral as spayed/neutered and inoculated, as these cats will more than likely find themselves trapped again. Volunteers continue to feed and give care to these cats throughout their lives, and not only is their lifespan greatly increased, but behavior and nuisance problems, due to competition for food, are also greatly reduced. In time, if an entire colony is successfully spayed and neutered, no additional kittens are born and the feral colony disappears. Many hope to see an end to urban feral cat colonies through these efforts.

Environmental effects

Some environmentalists claim that the domestication of cats is harmful to the environment or ecosystems, and that excessive cat populations result in the overhunting of many small animals and birds in both urban and rural areas, possibly disrupting the food chain and limiting local species' populations. This is clearly true in environments where cats did not exist and were imported, such as Australia and New Zealand.

Throughout the centuries, as humans took advantage of the domestic cat's hunting skills, few had regard for their habitat and care, and far fewer thought to practice good animal husbandry. This created many pockets of excessive populations and local imbalances. However, with intervention and management, most especially spay and neuter programs, the disruptions and chaos in both the feline's life cycle and its prey can easily be avoided, and the positive effects these small and vital predators have in the appropriate environments can be observed and appreciated.

Scientific classification

The domestic cat was named Felis catus by Carolus Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae of 1758. Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber named the wild cat Felis silvestris in 1775. The domestic cat is now considered to be a subspecies of the wild cat: by the strict rule of priority of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature the name for the species thus ought to be F. catus since Linnaeus published first. However, in practice almost all biologists use F. silvestris for the wild species, using F. catus only for the domesticated form.

In opinion 2027 (published in Volume 60, Part 1 of the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 31 March 2003 ^[20]) the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature "conserved the usage of 17 specific names based on wild species, which are predated by or contemporary with those based on domestic forms", thus confirming F. silvestris for the wild cat and F. silvestris catus for its domesticated subspecies. (F. catus is still valid if the domestic form is considered a separate species.)

Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben named the domestic cat Felis domesticus in his Anfangsgründe der Naturlehre and Systema regni animalis of 1777. This name, and its variants Felis catus domesticus and Felis silvestris domesticus, are often seen.

Varieties of domestic cat

The list of cat breeds is quite large. Each breed has distinct features and heritage. The owners and breeders of show cats compete to see whose animal bears the closest resemblance to the "ideal" definition of the breed (see selective breeding). Due to common crossbreeding 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. In the United Kingdom and Australia, non-purebred cats are referred in slang as moggies. In the United States, a non-purebred cat is sometimes referred to in slang as an alley cat, even if it is not a stray.

Cats come in a variety of colors and patterns. These are physical properties and should not be confused with a breed of cat.

This Greek cat has light fur and green eyes.

Household cats are divided into:

Cat coat genetics can produce a variety of coat patterns; some of the most common are

Bicolor cat: Also known as 'Tuxedo cat' or 'Jellicle cat' (tuxedos are mostly black with white paws/legs, bellies, chests, and possible markings on face).
Maltese cat: The former name for a blue (grey) cat.
Oriental cat: (not a specific breed, but any cat with an elongated slender build, almond-shaped eyes, large ears and very short sleek fur).
Tabby cat: Striped, with a variety of patterns. The classic pattern is the most common and consists of butterflies and bull's-eyes. The mackerel tabby is a series of vertical stripes down the cat's side (resembling the fish). This pattern broken into spots is referred to as spotted tabby.
Tortoiseshell and Calico: Featuring three colors mottled throughout the coat, this cat is also known as a Calimanco cat or Clouded Tiger cat, and by the nickname "tortie". A true tortoiseshell must consist of three kinds of color: a reddish color, either dark or light; white; and one other color, typically a brown, black or blue, as described by American breeder Barbara French, writing for the Cat Fanciers community ^[21]. Calico cats are white with distinct black or red (or blue and cream in the dilute variant) spots. The Japanese refer to this pattern as mi-ke. Both tortoiseshell and calico cats are typically female because the coat pattern is the result of differential X chromosome inactivation in females (which, as with all normal female mammals, have two X chromosomes). Those male tortoiseshells that are created are almost always sterile. This external link ^[22] features an extensive genetic explanation for tricolor cats, and detailing the possible combinations of coloring.

History and mythology

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An Ancient Egyptian figurine of a cat, from the Louvre museum.

The exact history of human interaction with cats is still somewhat vague. The earliest written records of attempts to domesticate cats date back to ancient Egypt, circa 4000 BC, where cats were employed to keep mice and rats away from grain stores. However, a gravesite discovered in 1983 in Shillourokambos, Cyprus, dating to 7500 BC, contains the skeletons of a ceremonially buried human and a type of young cat. Since cats are not native to Cyprus, this suggests that cats were domesticated (or just tamed) at least this early. The cat found in the Cyprus grave was more similar to the ancestral wildcat species than to modern housecats. ^[23]^[24]. Statues from Anatolia created around 6000 BC have also been found depicting women playing with domesticated cats, which implies that cats were domesticated there around the same time period.

Ancient Egyptians regarded cats as embodiments of the goddess Bast, also known as Bastet (emphasizing the female -t suffix) or Thet. The penalty for killing a cat was death, and when a cat died it was sometimes mummified in the same way as a human. Recently, deep scans of several mummified felines indicated they had suffered broken necks before mummification. It is unclear why, but researchers theorize that some cats may have been sacrificed to honor Bast. Recent research indicates that cats were so popular in tombs that sometimes other animals would be wrapped up in the form of a mummified cat.

Vikings used cats as rat catchers and companions and are sometimes credited with the domestication of the Norwegian Forest Cat, or Skogkatt. In Viking mythology, Freya, the Viking goddess of love, fertility and war, was strongly associated with cats. Freya's chariot was driven by two large cats, Bygul and Trygul; and kittens were often given in her name to brides, linking together Freya's influence over both cats and romance.

In the Middle Ages, cats were often thought to be witches' familiars (e.g. Graymalkin of the first witch in Macbeth's famous opening scene), and during festivities were sometimes burnt alive or thrown off tall buildings. Cats are also still to this day associated with witchcraft. Some Wiccans and other practitioners of Neopaganism believe that cats are good-natured animals that are attuned to the spirit world and can sense evil spirits.

Today some people still believe that black cats are unlucky or that it is unlucky if a black cat crosses one's path, while others believe that black cats are lucky. Black cats in particular are associated with Halloween festivities. Because of this, many cat rescue groups will not adopt out black cats during the month of October because they are concerned that the prospective owners are only going along with the season and will not make a lifelong dedication to the pet. Some animal shelters will not adopt out cats of any kind (or sometimes pets in general) around Halloween because they are afraid, as a result of the moral panic claims of believers in Satanic ritual abuse, that the animals will be sacrificed.

In Asia, the cat is one of the animals in the 12-year cycle of the Vietnamese zodiac. It does not, however, appear in the Chinese zodiac. Legend holds that the rat, who invited the animals to the Jade Emperor's Palace to be chosen for the zodiac, forgot to invite the cat, so the cat declared the rat its natural enemy. Another version of this story involves betrayal. As the mice and the cat were crossing a river on the back of an ox to the Palace, the mice pushed the cat into the river so the cat would not beat the mice to the palace.

The cat is highly respected in Islam because of tales that the prophet Muhammad approved its domestication by one of his companions. This companion was nicknamed "Abu Hurairah" or "Father of the cat". In Islam it is considered a comendable act to feed a cat milk. There are numerous stories about cats in Islam. One story tells of a cat that saved Muhammad from being bitten by a deadly snake. In another tale, when Muhammad was called to prayer he found his cat Muezza asleep on the sleeve of his robe; the prophet cut off the sleeve rather than disturb his cat. Such stories are generally discredited as unauthentic.

In most Western cultures, cats are rarely eaten outside of extremely desperate times. However, cat meat is sometimes used to prepare regional dishes in some areas of China and Korea. Some outrage has been generated when cats have been confused with the Civet cat (also sometimes called a "bearcat"), an Asian animal related to the mongoose that slightly resembles the domestic cat and is occasionally used as a source of human food.

Folklore dating back to as early as 1607 holds that a cat will suffocate a newborn infant by applying its nose to the child's mouth, sucking the breath out of the infant. A jury in England once found that a child met his death from a cat sucking the breath out of him; this conclusion was probably reached because of the widespread acceptance of the tale. Many explanations are given to attempt to support it, the most common of which is jealousy from the cat towards the infant, as a result of the level of attention that the infant receives. Another explanation advanced is that the smell of milk from the infant's mouth attracts the cat to do so. However, it has been shown that, unless the cat had been raised on milk, they prefer to drink water rather than milk. ^[25]

References

External links

Tabby Tracker is a site for lost and found cats
Kitty entry at Wiktionary
Meow entry at Wiktionary
Introducing a new cat or kitten to your resident cat
Glen Cove (NY) Animal Lovers League
Toilet-training cats first-person experiences and FAQs
Pictures of cats published on USENET stored with an search function.
Wikibooks:How to choose your pet and take care of it