Cat
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cats, also called domestic cat or house cat (Felis silvestris catus), are carnivorous (meat-eating) mammals, of the family Felidae. Cats have been domesticated (kept as pets) for over 3000 years, and they are popular pets. Cats were first domesticated because they eat mice, but later they were domesticated because they are so cute and lovely. A young cat is called a kitten. Cats are sometimes called kitty.
The word "cat" for is also used for other felines: the big cats (lions, tigers, and others) and wild cats (lynxes, pumas, and others). There are many different breeds of domesticated cats.
Sometimes there is a mutation in cat families. Most cats have only four toes per paw. These mutated cats have five. Rarely, some are born with more than five toes per paw. All of these cats are called polydactyl cats. They can also be called Hemingway cats because author Ernest Hemingway owned many of these cats. This mutation can happen in any breed (kind) of cat.
Cats are carnivorous; they eat small mammals and birds, and other small animals.
In past times and today still, people kept cats because the cats hunted and ate mice, rats, and insects. Today, people often keep cats as pets, but there are also cats that live wild.
They are quiet and well-behaved animals, so they are popular pets. Many house cats no longer hunt their own food, but eat food that their owner gives them, made in factories.
House cats are not often taught to do things, but large cats raised in captivity can be taught to do tricks. When a cat is happy, it vibrates its chest, which makes a soft, vibrating noise. This is called "purring". Cats are clean animals. They lick their fur three times a day, and they like clean places. They also sleep a lot, up to 18 hours a day. This makes them easy to care for.
Cats cannot taste sweet foods (with sugar) because they are not used to them.
A female cat is a Queen and the male cat is a Tom.
[edit] Other meanings
- As a verb, "to cat" means to pull a ship's anchor to rest at its cathead. It can also mean to look for a mate.
- Cat is also the name of a Unix/Linux command. In this case, cat is short for concatenate.
- Cat can be a a short nickname for Catherine, Cathleen, Caitlin and Catarina.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Pictures of cats from Usenet with search function.
- Computer Hope - more info about the Unix/Linux command.
