2. Did you know that your pet cat is related to big cats like lions and leopards?
All members of the cat family, including the domestic cat, have similar
physical traits. They all have soft fur, sharp claws and teeth, and excellent
eyesight and hearing. They also are carnivores—meaning they only eat
meat.
*

3. Wild members of the cat
family are found everywhere
except
Australia
and
Antarctica. The tiger, lion,
leopard, and jaguar are
known as the big cats. Other
cats in the wild include the
cheetah, the lynx, the
ocelot, and the puma.
*

4. * It has been scientifically proven that
owning cats is good for our health and
can decrease the occurrence of high
blood pressure and other illnesses.
*

5. *Stroking a cat can help
to relieve stress, and the
feel of a purring cat on
your lap conveys a
strong sense of security
and comfort.
*

6. *

7. Cats closely resemble their
fossil ancestors of 34 million
years ago. A cat’s skeleton
has more than 230 bones. (A
human being’s has 206.) Its
hips and shoulders are
loosely attached to its spine.
Its tail provides balance
*

8. *
This build makes cats
extremely nimble. A cat
can survive falls by
twisting in the air and
landing on its feet.

9. A cat’s powerful muscles aid it in leaping and
running. Its claws are attached to muscles that can
extend the claws from the cat’s paws. The claws are
designed for catching and holding prey. A cat has
strong jaws and sharp teeth. It uses its teeth to kill
and to rip apart its prey. It uses its rough tongue to
strip meat from bones, as well as to clean itself.
*

10. *

11. *
A female cat gives
birth to kittens
that have
developed inside
her body for nine
weeks. After
birth, the kittens
feed on their
mother’s Milk

12. *
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13. *
Scientists are not sure why, or how, a cat purrs. It is not even
certain whether a cat controls its purring.
Cats living in large numbers on farms form family groups,
like the prides of their cousins, the African lions. No other
member of the cat family behaves this way.
Your pet cat probably hates to get wet. But cats are natural
swimmers.
Cats were once feared and hated in Europe. They were
believed to be connected with witches and the devil. Fear of
cats led to the superstition that a black cat crossing your
path brings bad luck.

15. * Domestic cats, no matter their
breed, are all members of one
species. Felis catus has had a
very long relationship with
humans. Ancient Egyptians may
have first domesticated cats as
early as 4,000 years ago. Plentiful
rodents probably drew wild
felines to human communities.
The cats' skill in killing them may
have first earned the affectionate
attention of humans. Early
Egyptians worshipped a cat
goddess and even mummified
their beloved pets for their
journey to the next world—
accompanied by mummified mice!
Cultures around the world later
adopted cats as their own
companions.
*

17. The Persian is a longhaired breed of cat
characterized by its round
face and shortened
muzzle. Its name refers to
Persia, the former name of
Iran, where similar cats
are found.

18. The Siamese is one of the first distinctly
recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The breed
originated in Thailand, where they are one of
several native breeds and are called
Wichian Mat.

19. The Maine Coon, also
known as American
Longhair, is a breed of
cat with a distinctive
physical appearance and
valuable hunting skills.

20. The Ragdoll is a cat breed
with blue eyes and a distinct
colorpoint coat. It is a large
and muscular semi-longhair
cat with a soft and silky
coat.

21. The Bengal is a hybrid
breed of domestic cat.
Bengals result from
crossing a domestic feline
with an Asian leopard cat,
Prionailurus bengalensis
bengalensis.

22. The British Shorthair is a
domesticated cat whose features
make it a popular breed in cat shows.
It has been the most popular breed of
cat registered by the UK's Governing
Council of the Cat Fancy since 2001,
when it overtook the Persian breed.

23. The Abyssinian is a
breed of domesticated
cat with a distinctive
ticked coat. There are
many stories about its
origins, often revolving
around Ethiopia, but the
actual origins are
uncertain.

24. The Sphynx is a
breed of cat known
for its lack of a coat.
The contemporary
breed of Sphynx is
known also as the
Canadian Sphynx,
which is distinct from
the Russian Sphynx
breeds like Peterbald
and Don Sphynx.

25. The Burmese is a breed of
domesticated cats split into two
subgroups: the American Burmese
and the British Burmese. Most
modern Burmese are descendants
of one female cat called Wong
Mau, which was brought from
Burma to America in 1930.

26. The American
Shorthair is a breed
of domestic cat
believed to be
descended from
European cats
brought to North
America by early
settlers to protect
valuable cargo from
mice and rats, not a
great variety of
mixed breeds with
short hair.

27. The Russian Blue is a cat breed
that has a silver-blue coat. They
are very intelligent and playful,
but tend to be shy around
strangers.

29. The Scottish Fold is a breed of
cat with a natural dominant-gene
mutation that makes its ear
cartilage contain a fold, causing
the ears to bend forward and
down towards the front of their
head

30. The Manx cat, in earlier times often spelled Manks, is a
breed of domestic cat originating on the Isle of Man, with a
naturally occurring mutation that shortens the tail.

31. The Oriental
Shorthair is a breed
of domestic cat,
combining the
Siamese body type
with a diversity of
coat colors and
patterns.

32. The Birman, also called the "Sacred
Cat of Burma", is a domestic cat
breed. It should not be confused with
the Burmese, which is a dissimilar
breed. The Birman has medium-long
hair, a pale colored body with
darker points and deep blue eyes.

34. A Cornish Rex is a breed
of domestic cat. The
Cornish Rex has no hair
except for down. Most
breeds of cat have three
different types of hair in
their coats: the outer fur
or "guard hairs"

35. Egyptian Maus are a smallto medium-sized shorthaired cat breed. Along with
the Bahraini Dilmun Cat,
they are one of the few
naturally spotted breeds of
domesticated cat. The spots
of the Mau occur on only the
tips of the hairs of their
coat.

36. The Norwegian Forest Cat is a
breed of domestic cat native
to Northern Europe. This
natural breed is adapted to a
very cold climate, with top
coat of glossy, long, watershedding hairs, and a woolly
undercoat for insulation.

37. The Munchkin is a
relatively new breed of
cat characterized by its
very short legs, which
are caused by a naturally
occurring genetic
mutation.

38. The
Savannah is
a domestic
hybrid cat
breed. It is
a cross
between a
serval and a
domestic
cat.

40. A cheetah’s body is built for speed. During a high-speed
chase, the cheetah’s spine arches in a way that helps the
animal take long strides. Its tail helps it stay balanced
while running.
*

41. Although cheetahs can run fast, they can’t escape
human hunters, who kill them for their meat or skin.
People also build roads and towns that destroy the
areas where cheetahs live. As a result, cheetahs are
endangered that is, they are at risk of dying off.
*

42. The bobcat, a type of lynx,
is found in southern
Canada, the United States,
and northern Mexico. It has
a short tail and a spotted
coat. Bobcats are good
swimmers and can leap up
to 10 feet (3 meters).
*

43. The leopard is a large, spotted cat of Africa
and Asia. It hunts alone and at night and often
stores its food in trees, away from other
hungry animals.
*

44. The tiger (Panthera tigris) is
the largest cat species,
reaching a total body length
of up to 3.3 m (11 ft) and
weighing up to 306 kg
(670 lb). Its most
recognizable feature is a
pattern of dark vertical
stripes on reddish-orange fur
with a lighter underside. It
has exceptionally stout
teeth, and the canines are
the longest among living
felids with a crown height of
as much as 74.5 mm
(2.93 in) or even 90 mm
(3.5 in).
1
*

45. The lion is one of
the four big cats in
the genus Panthera
and a member of
the family Felidae.
With some males
exceeding 250 kg
in weight, it is the
second-largest
living cat after the
tiger.
*

46. The jaguar, Panthera onca,
is a big cat, a feline in
the Panthera genus, and is
the only Panthera species
found in the Americas. The
jaguar is the third-largest
feline after the tiger and
the lion, and the largest in
the Western Hemisphere.
*

47. The cougar, also known
as the mountain lion,
puma, panther,
mountain cat, or
catamount, is a large cat
of the family Felidae
native to the Americas.
*

48. The snow leopard is a
moderately large cat native to
the mountain ranges of Central
Asia. The classification of this
species has been subject to
change, and as of 2000, it is still
classified as Uncia uncia by
MSW3. and CITES Appendix I.
*

49. The clouded leopard is a
cat found from the
Himalayan foothills
through mainland
Southeast Asia into China,
and has been classified as
Vulnerable in 2008 by
IUCN.
*

50. Meow…Meow
…Meow