other images of
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Conservation status |
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Domesticated |
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Scientific classification |
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Trinomial name |
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Felis catus |
The cat
(or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. It is
valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to destroy vermin. A
skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. The cat
is intelligent and can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have
also been known to learn to manipulate simple mechanisms (see cat
intelligence). Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language
for communication, including mewing ("meow" or "miaow"),
purring, hissing, growling, chirping, clicking, and grunting.[1]
A group of cats is referred
to as a clowder, a male cat is called a tom, and a female is
called a queen. The male progenitor of a cat, especially a pedigreed
cat, is its sire, and its female progenitor is its dam. An
immature cat is called a kitten (which is also an alternative name for
young rats, rabbits, hedgehogs, beavers, squirrels and skunks). In medieval
Britain, the word kitten was interchangeable with the word catling.
A cat whose ancestry is formally registered is called a pedigreed cat, purebred
cat, or a show cat (although not all show cats are pedigreed or purebred). In
strict terms, a purebred cat is one whose ancestry contains only individuals of
the same breed. A pedigreed cat is one whose ancestry is recorded, but may have
ancestors of different breeds (almost exclusively new breeds; cat registries
are very strict about which breeds can be mated together). Cats of mixed
ancestry are referred to as domestic longhairs and domestic shorthairs or
commonly as random-bred, moggies, mongrels, mutt-cats or alley cats. The ratio
of pedigree/purebred cats to random-bred cats varies from country to country.
However, generally speaking, purebreds are less than ten percent of the total
feline population.[2]
The word cat derives
from Old English catt, which belongs to a group of related words in
European languages, including Latin cattus, Welsh cath, Byzantine
Greek κάττα, Old Irish cat, and Old Church Slavonic kotka. The
ultimate source of all these terms, however, is unknown.[3] However,
it may be linked to the ancient Nubian kadis and the Berber kadiska.[4]
The term puss (as in
pussycat or Puss in boots) may come from Dutch (from "poes", a
female cat, or the diminutive "poesje", an endearing term for
any cat) or from other Germanic languages.
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 was considered 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. Recent DNA and comparative bone research shows that the
separate species name F. catus is correct after all. The results show no
relation whatsoever to the F. sylvestris group. F. catus is
derived from F. chaus, F. margarita and F. lybica 7000
years ago when the very first small felines were domesticated in Asia Minor.
In opinion 2027 (published
in Volume 60, Part 1 of the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, March
31 2003[5]) 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, but they are not valid scientific names under the rules of the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
A cat
grooming itself
Cats typically weigh
between 2.5 and 7 kg (5.5–16 pounds); however, some breeds, such as
the Maine Coon can exceed 11.3 kg (25 pounds). Some have been known
to reach up to 23 kg (50 pounds) due to overfeeding. Conversely, very
small cats (less than 1.8 kg / 4.0 lbs)[6] have been reported.
General
anatomy of a cat.
In captivity, indoor cats
typically live 14 to 20 years, though the oldest-known cat lived to age 36.[7]
Domestic cats tend to live longer if they are not permitted to go outdoors
(reducing the risk of injury from fights or accidents and exposure to diseases)
and if they are spayed or neutered. Some such benefits are: neutered male cats
cannot develop testicular cancer, spayed female cats cannot develop ovarian
cancer, and both have a reduced risk of mammary cancer.[8]
Cats also possess rather
loose skin; this enables them to turn and confront a predator or another cat in
a fight, even when it has a grip on them. This is also an advantage for
veterinary purposes, as it simplifies injections.[9] In fact, the
life of cats with kidney failure can sometimes be extended for years by the
regular injection of large volumes of fluid subcutaneously, which serves as an
alternative to dialysis.[10][11]
The particular loose skin
at the back of the neck is known as the scruff, and is the area by which
a mother cat grips her kittens to carry them. As a result, cats have a tendency
to relax and become quiet and passive when gripped there. This tendency often
extends into adulthood, and can be useful when attempting to treat or move an
uncooperative cat. However, since an adult cat is quite a bit heavier than a kitten,
a pet cat should never be carried by the scruff, but should instead have their
weight supported at the rump and hind legs, and also at the chest and front
paws. Often (much like a small child) a cat will lie with its head and front
paws over a person's shoulder, and its back legs and rump supported under the
person's arm.
Like almost all mammals,
cats possess seven cervical vertebrae. They have thirteen thoracic vertebrae
(compared to twelve in humans), seven lumbar vertebrae (compared to five in
humans), three sacral vertebrae like most mammals (humans have five because of
their bipedal posture), and twenty-two or twenty-three caudal vertebrae (humans
have three to five, fused into an internal coccyx). The extra lumbar and
thoracic vertebrae account for the cat's enhanced spinal mobility and
flexibility, compared to humans; the caudal vertebrae form the tail, used by
the cat for counterbalance to the body during quick movements.[12]
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cat&action=history
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html