mini encyclopedia CATS

ENCYCLOPEDIA

NORAZILA

Written by
Sarah Creese.
Designed by
Tracy Hare.

With thanks to
Dr Bruce Fogle.

NORAZILA

What is a cat? 4
Cat senses
Night vision 6
Paws, claws, and tails
8
Fur
Coats and colors 10
Different cats 12
Cats in action
Keeping clean 14
Cat naps 16
Cats and kittens 18

Cat chat 20
Cat tails 22
Glossary
24
Index
26

28

30

31

Cats make popular family
pets. There are many
different types of cat,
but they all belong to a
family of animals that
includes big cats like
lions and tigers.

Tail ,

Domestic cats are tame animals that can be
kept by people. They are all thought to be
related to the Near Eastern Wildcat, which
people tamed thousands of years ago.

Fur _ _ _...

Domestic cats are related to big cats. You can see
many similarities in their behavior, including the
way they sleep, move, and groom themselves.

4

Cats' feet are i Crossbreed Siberian

called paws. ___ ~ - - - - - - Ear

~ - - - - Eye
----- - - - Nose

,.....,,__ _ _ _ Mouth

~ .;;;;....--=-- The long, thick

hairs on a cat's
face are called
whiskers.

Experts think that
people kept cats
as pets in-the Middle
East as early as 6,000
years ago. The Egyptians
believed that all cats
belonged to a goddess
called Bastet. They left
mummified cats in
Bastet's temple

to please her.

AlI cats eat meat and have an r
excellent sense of sight, smell, ,I
hearing, and touch. This helps
them to be successful I
nighttime hunters.

Cats use whiskers to
feel their surroundings
and stop them from
bumping into things.
They also use whiskers
to judge whether
or not they can fit
through small spaces.

Brown Classic
Tabby
6

Cats can hear high-pitched sounds that
-~- we can't. They turn their ears around

one at a time to hear sounds from all
directions. This helps them to pick out
their prey while hunting.

Cats have good
eyesight. They

can even see
____ well in the dark.

tt,:....;--== "!'!!l....,...__ ,

Cats have a

moist nose to

smell out other

animals, objects,
and food.

---Whisker
-----~---Whisker pad

Mlli.l=-.........:....~ ~ - ~ ~ ~- - Cats can open their

'x \\\.,\~ ,' jaws wide to bite
their prey. They chew
~:ti.:\~~,"~~~ their food carefully
'\'I \\', ~,'- before swallowing it.
. -~
7

I

In the wild, cats prefer to hunt just
after sunset and just before sunrise.
All cats, including domestic cats,
have good eyesight and can see
well when there is little light.

Wide
pupil

8

In bright daylight, cats narrow
their pupils to let in less light.

Cats' eyes come in a variety of shapes
and colors depending on their breed.
Most Siamese cats have blue slanted
eyes, while most longhair and
shorthair cats have green, amber,
or blue rounded eyes.

J/ .

Paws. claws. and tails

With sharp claws and a long tail, most
cats are skilled at hunting, balancing, and
squeezing through tight spaces. Their tails
help them to balance, while sharp claws
allow them to scratch and dig things.

There are over 20 bones in a cat's tail, - ~
which makes it very bendable. Most
cats have tails, but some Manx cats
have no tail at all.

Cats push their claws in and out of
olds of skin, called sheaths, in their
paws. When they are walking, they
keep their claws in. This stops the claws from
getting blunt too quickly. To sharpen their c!aws,
cats scratch things like tree trunks and furnitu re.

- ,'!"""'

..

Silent stalker

Underneath a cat's paw is a soft pad
that helps the cat to wa Ik quietly.

Cats walk by bringing
each paw around in
front of the other.
This means they
can easily balance
-s they walk

long branches
nd fences.

Cats can feel
vibrations on the
ground through
their paws.
This lets them
know that
someone else
- - - is nearby.

~ - Cats walk on
their toes.

'-,

" ---

1'; ~

l

Blue Point Siamese

Sphynx cats look like they
don't have any fur. Some
du in fact have a little hair,
but it is hard for them to
keep themselves warm.

12 f_.
wl

When cats clean themselves,
the hairs that they swallow can
form hair balls in their stomach.
To prevent this, many people groom
their cats with brushes and combs.
Grooming also prevents the fur of long-
haired cats from becoming knotted and matted.

- - Long-haired cat

Domestic Longhair

13

Coats and colors

Each different kind of
domestic cat is caIled a breed.
Most people have short-haired
cats that are a mixture of
breeds. These cats are called
moggies. Other cats have
been bred to have certain
features or look a
particular way.

7_J_c _ _---'-" Devon Re
Black
Cats' fur Red Blue
can come
in many
different
colors.

I

White Chocolate Lilac Cream
14

\cat ~ / Spotted

People are able to breed cats
to make sure that their coat is
a certain color or pattern .

Tortoiseshell coats can be a mixture
of black, red, and cream . Almost all
tortoisehell cats are female.

I

i

I

,]'

I

I· Tortoiseshell Many wild cats Tabby

II also have a tabby

lh coat, which helps J,

I them to blend

' in with the -\
background
• and hide.

Pointed Blue-Cream

15

_ D_i_fJ_e_re~n_t_c_a_t_s_/

There are three main groups of short-haired
cats: British shorthairs, American shorthairs,
and Oriental shorthairs.

'41ihh1Will •----!!!l!!'all-1!!1!!::l:i::f==
British shorthairs are short,
stocky cats with round
eyes, a round head,
and strong legs.

British Shorthair (Blue)

American shorthairs are
large, broad cats, making
them strong hunters.

American Shorthair
(Tabby)

Oriental shorthairs have slim bodies and like attention.
Siamese cats in particular will meow all day to their
owners, other cats, and themselves!

w

Siamese (Pointed) Abyssinian Bengal (Spotted)
~ (Tabby and White)

I - 1111
M= =-s•r-eq• u• i-rellilll~a•a-i.ly- coe:- bin•g•t•Q- - - - - •I

prevent their fur from matting.

I
(I

I

Persian Turkish Angora Maine Coon

17 I

Cats in action

In the wild, cats use all their senses

to hunt and catch their prey. Domestic .-.

cats are fed by their owners, but they ·' ~

still hunt and catch animals like

~ ~fmice, rats, frogs, and birds. Most

domestic cats hunt for fun.
/,;.dt;. ~(\

If a cat falls from a

. height, it will almost

always land on its feet.

As it f9lls, the cat twists it
~ead ·and legs around and
then arches its $1·:k to help it
land gently on the ground.

Crouching

·When a cat sees or hears its
prey, it crouches down and
then creeps slowly and
quietly towards the
prey. The cat wrn then
silently watch with
its ears and whiskers
pointing forwards.

18

Cats can jump to catch
their prey. They are good
jumpers and can reach
heights that are over five
times the height of their body.

Cats like to climb. They
hold on to tree$ and
branches with their claws.

Before pouncing on its prey,
a cat may wiggle its bottorn!
When it is ready, the cat quickly
jumps forward with its claws out of
their sheaths, set to catch the prey.

19

A cat can twist
its neck so it
can reach all
of its body.

Cats lick their paws
and then use them
to wipe their face as
if with a washcloth.

If a cat's paws become sticky, it will clean
them immediately by spreading out each
paw and pulling out any dirt with its tongue.

l 20

The cat's tongue is tough
and spiny. Cats use their
rough tongue like a comb
to groom their fur.

Cats clean their belly to make
the fur straight and comfortable.

. -" -. '
""
1· ..., .

A; \ • I

; • By keeping
clean and licking
• ) •~I~ their whole body, cats
spread their personal
I scent all around their
body. By rubbing against
,.i,1 ',~~- trees and other objects,
cats spread their scent
. ,,. ,:1 further for other cats
t• and animals to pick up.
\~\\tLr.~
t ~""';:~;
;,ffl, •
. ;I ',. f '

21 ti

Sleeping is a very important part of ,
a cat's day. In the wild, cats hunt at
night, so they naturally sleep during ., ' '
the day. Domestic cats wi 11 sleep at
night and throughout the day - ,

they can spend up to 18 hours 1o ·

a day napping!

Cats may keep one eye
a little bit open to check
for any danger. _ ____,,,

When it's cold,
cats look for
somewhere warm
to sleep. They will
also curl up and put
their face between their
paws to keep the heat in. _ __

22

Newborn kittens spend even more ti me
sleeping than adult cats. In the wild,
this would help to keep them out of
trouble, by preventing them from
wandering off and being seen or

heard by predators.

When it's hot, cats pick high,
shady places to sleep, or lie
stretched out to keep cool.

, ~/~ :!'!p' /4
,&;;~--
~v
-
~r. -,,_
~ ,/ .P.l:::

&e, ,.;F .,.

.r -
?

,,,

..,;;,,,. ""

23

'

~·- .

.,,-\

n_~.,) -: ! >/"C
J-l II I I .I

_r r r1 I 1, ri 2 I ,,_ :-

Baby domestic cats are called kittens.
A female cat usually has between two
and five kittens, but she can have
as many as ten and _they can all be
different colors. A family of kittens is
called a litter. Wild cats' babies are
often called cubs instead of kittens.

Kittens feed on their mother's _ _ _ __ ~ - -~'$.~ -

milk by sucking on a teat. . ,- .
After about three weeks ,, . _ --- •;._.,?'«' _
- · - ~ /f" 1;,~~f~1 "
~ - - ....._.. . 't.""' --;..._~>I S~.••
they are ready to

eat solid food.

/J

'-41' - ,,

~,. ._'I/', ,r.. Kittens love to play
, with toys and with each
other. When they play-fight

with other kittens, it may look

aggressive, but they won't hurt each

other! By creeping up on things and chasing

toys, kittens learn how to hunt through play.

24

Mother cats teach their kittens
how to clean themselves.

Scottish Fold

Newborn kittens are blind for
the first nine days of their life. Once
open, their eyes are usually blue but may
then change to green or amber.

25