Oh, those unneutered toms
No hairless cats
Sphynx, which has received a lot of publicity thanks to the cat Mr. Bigglesworth in the Austin Powers movies. A lot of viewers left theatres talking about “that hairless cat,” but Sphynxes do have a coat of suedelike fur.
Their countries of origin (not!)
Siamese cats probably did come from Siam (Thailand), and Burmese came (probably) from Burma, but otherwise the geographical names of various cat breeds have little or no connection to where the breed actually originated, as you will see in some of the breeds’ descriptions later in this chapter. Chalk it up to bad guesses, the choice of names that sound exotic or other factors.
“Foreign” vs. “cobby”
Siamese: slim and lithe, the cat equivalent of what would be called a swimmer’s build in a human. The cobby body is heavier, shorter in the legs and sits closer to the ground.
Persians are the classic example of the cobby body. Naturally some breeds fall somewhere in between, and they are called “moderate” or “modified.” The average mixed-breed house cat is a moderate.
Persians are the classic example of the cobby body. Naturally some breeds fall somewhere in between, and they are called “moderate” or “modified.” The average mixed-breed house cat is a moderate.
“Spontaneous mutation” breeds
mating that cat with a cat with the same odd trait, an entirely new breed results, all the offspring of which have the same odd trait.
The most famous example of this is the Manx, the tailless cat. A more recent example is the Scottish Fold, with the famous flattened-down ears. No one knows what causes genetic oddities, and not all of them are attractive enough that humans would want more of them.
The most famous example of this is the Manx, the tailless cat. A more recent example is the Scottish Fold, with the famous flattened-down ears. No one knows what causes genetic oddities, and not all of them are attractive enough that humans would want more of them.
“Man-made” breeds
kittens are the new breed, Z. A “man-made” breed results from this deliberate hybridizing.
Once the new breed is established, of course, new litters can be produced by mating the hybrids with other hybrids, instead of reproducing the original mating of breed X with breed Y. As you will see in later entries, many of the newer breeds are man-made.
Once the new breed is established, of course, new litters can be produced by mating the hybrids with other hybrids, instead of reproducing the original mating of breed X with breed Y. As you will see in later entries, many of the newer breeds are man-made.
“Natural” breeds
Turkish Angoras and Russian Blues.
They are natural because the breeds’ distinctive traits (color, body shape and the like) occurred without any deliberate interference from humans. But take “natural” with a grain of salt: the basic Persian look may have occurred naturally, but the various natural breeds have, over the years, been refined by selective breeding.
They are natural because the breeds’ distinctive traits (color, body shape and the like) occurred without any deliberate interference from humans. But take “natural” with a grain of salt: the basic Persian look may have occurred naturally, but the various natural breeds have, over the years, been refined by selective breeding.
The back-crossing phenomenon
kitten is born with a physical trait that a cat breeder likes and then tries to reproduce in kittens. This is done by crossing the kitten who has the desirable trait (when he or she matures, obviously) with the parent.
Don’t say “mongrel”
However, you seldom hear a cat owner speak about owning a “mutt” or “mongrel,” and there is no generally accepted slang term for such cats. Some owners refer to their pets as “alley cats,” and some say the pet is “just cat.” The proper term is “mixed-breed.” There are signs that the British term mog may slowly be catching on in America.
Melanism, the original mutation
Felis catus, the most common mutation is melanism, or blackness. You might say that a solid black cat is nature’s first variation on the tabby pattern, occurring without any human involvement in the breeding.
Melanism occurs not only among domestic cats but also among thirteen species of wild cats. Genetically, tabby is dominant over black, and as a result there are far more tabby cats than black ones in the world.
Melanism occurs not only among domestic cats but also among thirteen species of wild cats. Genetically, tabby is dominant over black, and as a result there are far more tabby cats than black ones in the world.
Tabby, the “default” setting
Most of the larger cats, such as leopards and tigers, have spots or stripes to help conceal them when they stalk prey. Even solid colored cats—lions and cougars—have coats of muted colors that serve as camouflage. For a predator in the wild, a gray-brown coat with irregular stripes is the perfect camouflage, so the gray-brown tabby is, because of the coat, the perfect stalking machine.
Sizing up cats
Felis catus, the common house cat.
Humans have been breeding and crossbreeding dogs for centuries, which is why we have tiny breeds, huge breeds and every size and shape in between, all so different that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude that these dogs are different species. Not so for cats, which have never lent themselves to the same kind of genetic manipulation.
So the largest breed of cats (the Maine Coon) isn’t that much bigger than the smaller breeds, and frankly there isn’t much variation of the basic body shape of cats. The differences are mostly matters of hair color, hair length and texture, eye color and head shape.
Humans have been breeding and crossbreeding dogs for centuries, which is why we have tiny breeds, huge breeds and every size and shape in between, all so different that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude that these dogs are different species. Not so for cats, which have never lent themselves to the same kind of genetic manipulation.
So the largest breed of cats (the Maine Coon) isn’t that much bigger than the smaller breeds, and frankly there isn’t much variation of the basic body shape of cats. The differences are mostly matters of hair color, hair length and texture, eye color and head shape.
The root of “breed”
In times past an individual offspring in a litter could be called a breed. As farmers and animal experts became more aware of animal heredity and how to control it, the term breed took on its current meaning, that is, “a specific type within a species, having distinctive traits that are passed on through genetics.” In addition to cats, there are breeds of dogs, horses, cattle, hogs and so on.
Tails talk
When stalking, the tail is carried low, either still or with a slight twitching at the end. In the classic “fright” pose made famous in Halloween decorations, the tail is straight up with the hair standing on end, in accompaniment to the arched back and loud hiss.
Jumping, pouncing, etc.
jumping ability, for the cat can jump six times her own length. (And that’s from a still position, not a running leap.) This comes from the same powerful but fast-tiring muscle cells that enable the cat to sprint swiftly. The same muscles are involved in the classic pounce: using the hind legs to spring forward, arching her back, then landing with her front paws on the prey.
Sprinters, not long-distance runners
cheetah. Talk of the cheetah’s amazing speed has to be accompanied by a disclaimer: very fast, but only for short distances.
Every cat, including your pet, is the same as the cheetah: made for fast sprints, not endurance over long distances. Some house cats can run thirty miles per hour—faster than you, probably, but you could outlast the cat, and so could a dog. A cat will literally overheat after a minute of running and will have to stop. Such is the nature of the cat’s muscle cells.
Every cat, including your pet, is the same as the cheetah: made for fast sprints, not endurance over long distances. Some house cats can run thirty miles per hour—faster than you, probably, but you could outlast the cat, and so could a dog. A cat will literally overheat after a minute of running and will have to stop. Such is the nature of the cat’s muscle cells.
Gut juices
saliva as the first digestive fluid to start working on the food, but cat saliva contains hardly any ptyalin, the enzyme that breaks down starches. (Cats do not naturally seek out starchy foods, and there is little point in their owners giving them starchy snacks.)
But what they lack in saliva power, cats make up for in phase two, the stomach, where their stomach acids are much more powerful than those of humans. The cat stomach has no difficulty digesting bits of hard bone and other things that send the human stomach into a tizzy.
But what they lack in saliva power, cats make up for in phase two, the stomach, where their stomach acids are much more powerful than those of humans. The cat stomach has no difficulty digesting bits of hard bone and other things that send the human stomach into a tizzy.
“Hair up!” in Latin
The arrector pili are muscles under the skin of all areas of the body where hair is present. When the muscles contract (due to fear, excitement and so on), the hairs stand on end. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the most developed of a cat’s arrector pili muscles are on the back and tail.
Do cats freckle?
calico develop freckles as they age, with the spots appearing on their eyelids, mouth, nose and paw pads—in short, on all the exposed areas of skin. Note the cat-human connection: red-haired humans are prone to freckling, and so are red-haired cats.
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