Cat: Difference between revisions

Cat
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felis Species: catus Subspecies: domesticus

The cat, Felis catus domesticus, is a small feline carnivore that has been domesticated for several millennia. The term cat most commonly means a domestic cat, although it can also be used to refer to the other members of the feline family. For example lions, tigers, jaguars and the like are often referred to as the big cats. All cats today, domestic and big, probably descended from an animal called Proailurus, which lived in Europe until about 20 million years ago.

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.

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 10 to 15 pounds (5 to 7 kg), rarely over 20 pounds. 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.

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.

The sound a cat makes is written "meow" in American English and "miaow" in British English.

Related Topics

• List of historical cats
• List of fictional cats
• Big cat

Quotation

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

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Cat is also a commonly used short form for catamaran.