The family Felidae includes the Lion, the Tiger, the Domestic Cat, and other felines as its members. All of the fifteen families in the order Carnivora are recognized as obligate carnivores lacking the necessary enzymes required for the digestion and metabolism of plant matter. The first felids emerged during the Eocene, about 40 million years ago. The most familiar feline is the Domestic Cat or House Cat ( Felis silvestris catus), which first became associated with humans about 10,000 years ago. Its wild relatives, the Wildcats, still live in Europe, Africa and western Asia, although habitat destruction has restricted their range.
The Domestic Cat (or simply "cat", although the term can refer to all felids) is a small carnivorous mammal descended from the Desert Wildcat. The cat is a skilled predator and intelligent animal, known to hunt over 1,000 species for food, and capable of being trained (and learning by itself) to obey simple commands and manipulate simple mechanisms (see cat intelligence). It has lived in close association with humans for at least 9,500 years, figuring prominently in the mythology and legends of several cultures.
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The ship's cat has been a common sight on many trading, exploration, and naval ships, and is a phenomenon that goes back to ancient times. Cats have been carried on ships for a number of reasons, the most important being that mice and rats, which would inevitably find their way aboard a ship, could cause considerable damage to ropes and woodwork. More serious was the threat they posed to the stores the ship carried. Rats and mice were also sources of disease, an important consideration when the ship could be at sea for a long period of time.
Cats therefore performed a valuable service by catching mice, rats, and other pests. They also offered companionship as well as a sense of home and security to sailors, who could be away from home for long periods, especially in times of war.
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General anatomy of a cat.
Selected topics about Cats
The Manx cat (formerly often spelled Manks; Manx language: kayt Manninagh) is a breed of domestic cat originating on the Isle of Man, with a naturally occurring mutation which shortens the tail. Many Manx have a small stub of a tail, but Manx cats are best known as being entirely tailless; this is the most distinguishing characteristic of the breed, along with elongated rear legs and a rounded head. Manx cats come in all coat colours and patterns, though all-white specimens are rare, and the coat range of the original stock was more limited. Long-haired variants are sometimes considered a separate breed, the Cymric. Manx are prized as skilled hunters, and thus have often been sought by farmers with rodent problems, and been a preferred ship's cat breed. They are said to be social, tame and active. An old Manx–English colloquial term for the cats is stubbin Manx have been exhibited in cat shows since the 1800s, with the first known breed standard published in 1903.
- ...that an odd-eyed cat (pictured) is a cat with one blue eye and one green, orange or yellow eye, a feline form of heterochromia?
- ...that after receiving global media attention for pulling her kittens out of a burning garage, Scarlett the cat and her kittens received 7000 adoption requests?
- ...that animals have delivered mail throughout history, with different postal services using pigeons, reindeer and even cats?
- ...that the Canadian Parliament Buildings have housed several dozen stray cats since the 1970s?
- ...that Felix the Cat is a cartoon character from the silent-film era? His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combined to make Felix one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world?
- ...that Stalking Cat is a San Diego man who has spent more than 150,000 US dollars on tattoos and cosmetic surgery working towards his goal of resembling a live tiger?
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