CUI Listings and other Links
Neuf, Neuf, (died of cancer 2005,19 years old) Boots (died in a car accident 1989) and Riley (died 2004, 21 years old)
Domestic Cat Links
(Non Pedigree Cats) - And proud of it!
Many people take great pride in showing off their non pedigree cats at cat shows and some of these cats are absolutely gorgeous. Many cat show offer a non-pedigree section. Some domestic cats have a known backgrounds, pedigreed parents or grand parents, some are just rescued by organizations or people and no one knows where they come from. We love them dearly and treat them with the same love and care as we treat our pedigreed cats.
The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal that is often valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin. 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. The cat is intelligent and can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn to manipulate simple mechanisms. Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including mewing ("meow" or "miaow"), purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting.
Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat
History
Cats have been kept by humans since at least ancient Egypt, where the mythical cat . The first domesticated cats may have saved early Egyptians from many rodent infestations and likewise. It has been speculated that cats resident in Kenya's Islands may be the last living direct descendants of the cats of ancient Egypt.
Domestication
Like some other domesticated animals, cats live in a mutualistic arrangement with humans. It is believed that the benefit of removing rats and mice from humans' food stores outweighed the trouble of extending the protection of a human settlement to a formerly wild animal, almost certainly for humans who had adopted a farming economy. Unlike the dog, which also hunts and kills rodents, the cat does not eat grains, fruits, or vegetables. A cat that is good at hunting rodents is referred to as a mouser
Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#Domestication
The American cat population reached nearly 68 million in 1996. American Demographics magazine estimates that's about 200 million kitty yawns per hour and a whopping 425 million catnaps each day!
Type and characteristics
Coat
Bicolor, Tuxedo, Van Patterns
Bicolor cats can have as their primary (non white) color, black, red, any dilution thereof and tortoiseshell. The Tuxedo Cat is mostly black with a white chest and possibly markings on their face and tail or legs. The Van pattern cat (named after Lake Van in Turkey, which gave name to the Turkish Van) only has colored parts on the tail (usually including the base of the tail proper), and the top of the head (often including the ears). There are several other terms for amounts of white between these two extremes, such as Harlequin or Jellicle cat.
Tabby Cat
The Tabby Cat is striped, with a variety of patterns. The classic blotched Tabby Cat also called marbled pattern is the most common. A mackerel or striped tabby has vertical stripes on the cat's side. If the pattern is broken into spots it is referred to as a spotted tabby. The worldwide evolution of the cat means that certain types of tabby are associated with certain countries; for instance, blotched tabbies are quite rare outside NW Europe, where they are the most common type.
Tortoise and Calico
Female tortoiseshell-and-white cat. Additionally, the cat may have white spots in its fur, which make it a "tortoiseshell and white" cat or, if there is a significant amount of white in the fur and the red and black colors form a patchwork rather than a mottled aspect, the cat will be called a "calico". All calicos are tortoiseshell (as they carry both black and red), but not all tortoiseshells are calicos (which requires a significant amount of white in the fur and patching rather than mottling of the colors). The calico is also sometimes called a "tricolor cat".
Calico cats are almost always female.
Colorpoint
The colorpoint pattern is most commonly associated with Siamese cats, but may also appear in any domestic cat. A colorpoint cat has dark colors on the face, ears, feet, and tail, with a lighter version of the same color on the rest of the body, and possibly some white. The exact name of the colorpoint pattern depends on the actual color, so there are seal points (dark brown), chocolate points (warm lighter brown), blue points (dark gray), lilac points (silvery gray-pink), flame points (orange), and tortie (tortoiseshell mottling) points, among others.
Body, neck, legs and tail
Cats walk directly on their toes, the bones of their feet making up the lower part of the visible leg. Cats are capable of walking very precisely, because like all felines they directly register; that is, they place each hind paw (almost) directly in the print of the corresponding forepaw, minimizing noise and visible tracks. This also provides sure footing for their hind paws when they navigate rough terrain.
Cats walk by moving both legs on one side and then both legs on the other.
Cats have retractable claws. In their normal, relaxed position the claws are sheathed with the skin and fur around the toe pads. This keeps the claws sharp by preventing wear from contact with the ground and allows the silent stalking of prey. The claws on the forefeet are typically sharper than those on the hind feet. Cats can extend their claws voluntarily on one or more paws at will. They may extend their claws in hunting or self-defense, climbing, kneading, or for extra traction on soft surfaces (bedspreads, thick rugs, etc.). It is also possible to make a cooperative cat extend its claws by carefully pressing both the top and bottom of the paw. The curved claws may become entangled in carpet or thick fabric, which may cause injury if the cat is unable to free itself.
Most cats have five claws on their front paws, and four or five on their rear paws.
Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#Legs
The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.
The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a
human
Cats have 290 bones in their bodies, and 517 muscles.
A cat has five more vertebrae in her spinal column than her human does.
There are three body types for a cat. Cobby type is a compact body, deep chest, short legs and broad head. The eyes are large and round. Muscular type is a sturdy body and round, full-cheeked head. Foreign type is a slender body, with long legs and a long tail. The head is wedge-shaped, with tall ears and slanting eyes.
Ears
Thirty-two individual muscles in the ear allow for a manner of directional hearing: the cat can move each ear independently of the other. Because of this mobility, a cat can move its body in one direction and point its ears in another direction. Most cats have straight ears pointing upward. When angry or frightened, a cat will lay back its ears, to accompany the growling or hissing sounds it makes. Cats will also turn their ears back when they are playing or to listen to a sound coming from behind them. The angle of a cats ears is an important clue to their mood.
Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#Ears
A cat's ear pivots 180 degrees. They have 30 muscles in each ear, and use twelve or more muscles to control their ear movement.
Domestic cats are essentially loners. When placed in a group, they develop their own hierarchy. As long as there is plenty of food on hand, a cat can learn to share it's domain with other cats
Other Domestic Cat Links
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