PROJECT FOR GRADE 12

TOPIC: ANIMALS
SUBTOPICS: CATS
WORKED BY GROUP 5

INFORMATION
The cat (Felis catus), also referred to as domestic
cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous
mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the
family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have
shown that the domestication of the cat occurred in the Near
East around 7500 BC. It is commonly kept as a pet and farm
cat, but also ranges freely as a feral cat avoiding human
contact. Valued by humans for companionship and its ability
to kill vermin, the cat's retractable claws are adapted to
killing small prey like mice and rats. It has a strong, flexible
body, quick reflexes, and sharp teeth, and its night
vision and sense of smell are well developed. It is a social
species, but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator. Cat
communication includes vocalizations—
including meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling,
and grunting–as well as body language. It can hear sounds
too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as
those made by small mammals. It secretes and
perceives pheromones.
Female domestic cats can have kittens from spring to
late autumn in temperate zones and throughout the year
in equatorial regions, with litter sizes often ranging from two to
five kittens. Domestic cats are bred and shown at events as
registered pedigreed cats, a hobby known as cat
fancy. Animal population control of cats may be achieved
by spaying and neutering, but their proliferation and the
abandonment of pets has resulted in large numbers of feral
cats worldwide, contributing to the extinction of bird, mammal,
and reptile species.
As of 2017, the domestic cat was the second most popular
pet in the United States, with 95.6 million cats owned and
around 42 million households owning at least one cat. In the
United Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat, with an estimated
population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020. As of
2021, there were an estimated 220 million owned and
480 million stray cats in the world.
Etymology and naming
The origin of the English word cat, Old English catt, is thought
to be the Late Latin word cattus, which was first used at the
beginning of the 6th century.[4] The Late Latin word may be
derived from an unidentified African language.
[5]
The Nubian word kaddîska 'wildcat' and Nobiin kadīs are
possible sources or cognates.[6]
The forms might also have derived from an ancient Germanic
word that was absorbed into Latin and then into Greek,
Syriac, and Arabic.[7] The word may be derived from Germanic
and Northern European languages, and ultimately be
borrowed from Uralic, cf. Northern Sámi gáđfi, 'female stoat',
and Hungarian hölgy, 'lady, female stoat'; from Proto-
Uralic *käďwä, 'female (of a furred animal)'.[8]
The English puss, extended as pussy and pussycat, is
attested from the 16th century and may have been introduced
from Dutch poes or from Low German puuskatte, related
to Swedish kattepus, or Norwegian pus, pusekatt. Similar
forms exist in Lithuanian puižė and Irish puisín or puiscín. The
etymology of this word is unknown, but it may have arisen
from a sound used to attract a cat.[9][10]
A male cat is called a tom or tomcat[11] (or a gib,[12] if neutered).
A female is called a queen[13][14] (or sometimes a molly,
[15]
if spayed). A juvenile cat is referred to as a kitten. In Early
Modern English, the word kitten was interchangeable with the
now-obsolete word catling.[16] A group of cats can be referred
to as a clowder, a glaring,[17] or a colony.[18]
Taxonomy
The scientific name Felis catus was proposed by Carl
Linnaeus in 1758 for a domestic cat.[1][2] Felis catus
domesticus was proposed by Johann Christian Polycarp
Erxleben in 1777.[3] Felis daemon proposed by Konstantin
Satunin in 1904 was a black cat from the Transcaucasus,
later identified as a domestic cat.[19][20]
In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological
Nomenclature ruled that the domestic cat is a distinct species,
namely Felis catus.[21][22] In 2007, the modern domesticated
subspecies F. silvestris catus sampled worldwide was
considered to have likely descended from the African
wildcat (F. lybica), following results of phylogenetic research.
[23][24][a]
In 2017, the IUCN Cat Classification Taskforce followed
the recommendation of the ICZN in regarding the domestic
cat as a distinct species, Felis catus.[25]
Evolution
Main article: Cat evolution

Skulls of a wildcat (top left), a housecat (top right), and a

hybrid between the two (bottom center)

The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae, a family that

had a common ancestor about 10 to 15 million years ago.
[26]
The evolutionary radiation of the Felidae began in Asia
during the Miocene around 8.38 to 14.45 million years ago.
[27]
Analysis of mitochondrial DNA of all Felidae species
indicates a radiation at 6.46 to 16.76 million years ago.
[28]
The genus Felis genetically diverged from other Felidae
around 6 to 7 million years ago.[27] Results
of phylogenetic research shows that the wild members of this
genus evolved through sympatric or parapatric speciation,
whereas the domestic cat evolved through artificial selection.
[29]
The domestic cat and its closest wild ancestor
are diploid and both possess 38 chromosomes[30] and roughly
20,000 genes.[31]
Phylogenetic relationships of the domestic cat as derived
through analysis of
nuclear DNA:[27][28]

Felida
Pantherinae
e
Felinae
other Felinae lineages

Felis
Jungle cat (F. chaus)

Black-footed cat (F. nigripes)

Sand cat (F. margarita)

Chinese mountain cat (F. bieti)

African wildcat (F. lybica)

European wildcat (F. silvestris)

 mitochondrial DNA:[32]

Felis
Sand cat (F. margarita)

Chinese mountain cat (F. bieti)

European wildcat (F. silvestris)

African wildcat
Southern African wildcat (F. l. cafra)

Asiatic wildcat (F. l. ornata)

Near Eastern wildcat

Domestic cat

Domestication
See also: Domestication of the cat and Cats in ancient Egypt
 A cat eating a fish under a chair, a mural in an Egyptian tomb
dating to the 15th century BC

It was long thought that the domestication of the cat began

in ancient Egypt, where cats were venerated from around
3100 BC.[33][34] However, the earliest known indication for
the taming of an African wildcat was excavated close by a
human Neolithic grave in Shillourokambos, southern Cyprus,
dating to about 7500–7200 BC. Since there is no evidence of
native mammalian fauna on Cyprus, the inhabitants of this
Neolithic village most likely brought the cat and other wild
mammals to the island from the Middle Eastern mainland.
[35]
Scientists therefore assume that African wildcats were
attracted to early human settlements in the Fertile
Crescent by rodents, in particular the house mouse (Mus
musculus), and were tamed by Neolithic farmers.
This mutual relationship between early farmers and tamed
cats lasted thousands of years. As agricultural
practices spread, so did tame and domesticated cats.[32]
[36]
Wildcats of Egypt contributed to the maternal gene pool of
the domestic cat at a later time.[37]
The earliest known evidence for the occurrence of the
domestic cat in Greece dates to around 1200 BC.
Greek, Phoenician, Carthaginian and Etruscan traders
introduced domestic cats to southern Europe.[38] By the 5th
century BC, they were familiar animals around settlements
in Magna Graecia and Etruria.[39] During the Roman Empire,
they were introduced to Corsica and Sardinia before the
beginning of the 1st century AD.[40] By the end of the Western
Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Egyptian domestic cat
lineage had arrived in a Baltic Sea port in northern Germany.
[37]

The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

was tamed independently in China around 5500 BC. This line
of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic
cat populations of today.[41]
During domestication, cats have undergone only minor
changes in anatomy and behavior, and they are still capable
of surviving in the wild. Several natural behaviors and
characteristics of wildcats may have pre-adapted them for
domestication as pets. These traits include their small size,
social nature, obvious body language, love of play, and high
intelligence. Since they practice rigorous grooming habits and
have an instinctual drive to bury and hide their urine and
feces, they are generally much less messy than other
domesticated animals. Captive Leopardus cats may also
display affectionate behavior toward humans but were not
domesticated.[42] House cats often mate with feral cats.
[43]
Hybridization between domestic and other Felinae
species is also possible, producing hybrids such as the Kellas
cat in Scotland.[44][45]
Development of cat breeds started in the mid 19th century.
[46]
An analysis of the domestic cat genome revealed that the
ancestral wildcat genome was significantly altered in the
process of domestication, as specific mutations were selected
to develop cat breeds.[47] Most breeds are founded on random-
bred domestic cats. Genetic diversity of these breeds varies
between regions, and is lowest in purebred populations,
which show more than 20 deleterious genetic disorders.[48]
Characteristics
Main article: Cat anatomy
Size
 Diagram of the general anatomy of a male
domestic cat

The domestic cat has a smaller skull and shorter bones than
the European wildcat.[49] It averages about 46 cm (18 in) in
head-to-body length and 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) in height, with
about 30 cm (12 in) long tails. Males are larger than females.
[50]
Adult domestic cats typically weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb).[29]
Skeleton
Cats have seven cervical vertebrae (as do most mammals);
13 thoracic vertebrae (humans have 12); seven lumbar
vertebrae (humans have five); three sacral vertebrae (as do
most mammals, but humans have five); and a variable
number of caudal vertebrae in the tail (humans have only
three to five vestigial caudal vertebrae, fused into an
internal coccyx).[51]: 11 The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae
account for the cat's spinal mobility and flexibility. Attached to
the spine are 13 ribs, the shoulder, and the pelvis.[51]: 16 Unlike
human arms, cat forelimbs are attached to the shoulder by
free-floating clavicle bones which allow them to pass their
body through any space into which they can fit their head.[52]
Skull

Cat skull A cat with exposed

teeth and claws

The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very

large eye sockets and a powerful specialized jaw.[53]: 35 Within
the jaw, cats have teeth adapted for killing prey and tearing
meat. When it overpowers its prey, a cat delivers a lethal neck
bite with its two long canine teeth, inserting them between two
of the prey's vertebrae and severing its spinal cord, causing
irreversible paralysis and death.[54] Compared to other felines,
domestic cats have narrowly spaced canine teeth relative to
the size of their jaw, which is an adaptation to their preferred
prey of small rodents, which have small vertebrae.[54]
The premolar and first molar together compose
the carnassial pair on each side of the mouth, which efficiently
shears meat into small pieces, like a pair of scissors. These
are vital in feeding, since cats' small molars cannot chew food
effectively, and cats are largely incapable of mastication.[53]:
37
Cats tend to have better teeth than most humans, with
decay generally less likely because of a thicker protective
layer of enamel, a less damaging saliva, less retention of food
particles between teeth, and a diet mostly devoid of sugar.
Nonetheless, they are subject to occasional tooth loss and
infection.[55]
Claws

Shed claw sheaths

Cats have protractible and retractable claws.[56] In their normal,

relaxed position, the claws are sheathed with the skin and fur
around the paw's toe pads. This keeps the claws sharp by
preventing wear from contact with the ground and allows for
the silent stalking of prey. The claws on the forefeet are
typically sharper than those on the hindfeet.[57] Cats can
voluntarily extend their claws on one or more paws. They may
extend their claws in hunting or self-defense,
climbing, kneading, or for extra traction on soft surfaces. Cats
shed the outside layer of their claw sheaths when scratching
rough surfaces.[58]
Most cats have five claws on their front paws and four on their
rear paws. The dewclaw is proximal to the other claws. More
proximally is a protrusion which appears to be a sixth "finger".
This special feature of the front paws on the inside of the
wrists has no function in normal walking but is thought to be
an antiskidding device used while jumping. Some cat breeds
are prone to having extra digits ("polydactyly").
[59]
Polydactylous cats occur along North America's northeast
coast and in Great Britain.[60]
Ambulation
The cat is digitigrade. It walks on the toes, with the bones of
the feet making up the lower part of the visible leg.[61] Unlike
most mammals, it uses a "pacing" gait and moves both legs
on one side of the body before the legs on the other side. It
registers directly by placing each hind paw close to the track
of the corresponding fore paw, minimizing noise and visible
tracks. This also provides sure footing for hind paws when
navigating rough terrain. As it speeds up from walking to
trotting, its gait changes to a "diagonal" gait: The diagonally
opposite hind and fore legs move simultaneously.[62]