about: domestic felines
Cats were highly prized by the ancient Egyptians, who considered them sacred. They were also valued by early sea merchants because they kept the ship's cargo free of rats and mice. Cats have also been the victim of superstition, especially black cats, which were thought to bring bad luck and the familiars of witches and demons.
Cats are skilled hunters and have an exquisite sense of balance thanks to their highly developed sense of smell, their delicate looking whiskers and their elegant tails, which come in varieties from sleek to fluffy.
Although cats have a reputation for being aloof and independent, they make loving and playful companions, and unlike dogs, they can live for as long as 20 years, and sometimes longer-the world's oldest living cat is named Kataleena. She lives in Australia and is 31 years old!
Many domestic cat breeds began as a naturally-occurring variety of domestic cats native to a specific geographic area. Others are man-made breeds, the result of generations of careful breeding for a desired look. Find all you need to know about cat breed information at http://www.catwebsite.org
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The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines, is a small predatory carnivorous species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes and scorpions. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years.
A skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. It can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn on their own to manipulate simple mechanisms, such as doorknobs. Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including meowing, purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. With 69 million of them present in American homes, cats are the most or the second most popular pets in that country. Cats also may be the most popular pet in the world, with over 600 million in homes all over the world. They are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This hobby is known as the "Cat Fancy".
Until recently the cat was commonly believed to have been domesticated in ancient Egypt, where it was a cult animal. However a 2007 study found that all house cats are probably descended from a group of as few as five self-domesticating African Wildcats Felis silvestris lybica circa 8000 BC, in the Near East.
Size
Cats typically weigh between 2.5 and 7 kg (5.5–16 pounds); however, some breeds, such as the Maine Coon, can exceed . Some have been known to reach up to due to overfeeding. Conversely, very small cats (less than ) have been reported.
The largest cat ever was officially reported to have weighed in at about (46 lb 15.25 oz).
Skeleton
Cats have 7 cervical vertebrae like almost all mammals, 13 thoracic vertebrae (humans have 12), 7 lumbar vertebrae (humans have 5), 3 sacral vertebrae like most mammals (humans have 5 because of their bipedal posture), and, except for Manx cats, 22 or 23 caudal vertebrae (humans have 3 to 5, fused into an internal coccyx). The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae account for the cat's enhanced spinal mobility and flexibility, compared with humans. The caudal vertebrae form the tail, used by the cat as a counterbalance to the body during quick movements. Cats also have free-floating clavicle bones, which allows them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their heads.
Mouth
Cats have highly specialized teeth for the killing of prey and the tearing 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 canids, it is highly developed in felines. The cat's tongue has sharp spines, or papillae, useful for retaining and ripping flesh from a carcass. These papillae are small backward-facing hooks that contain keratin which also assist in their grooming.
