Cats
...for its companionship and its ability to destroy vermin. A skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. Intelligent, the cat can be trained to obey simple commands, and has been known to teach itself to manipulate simple mechanisms (see cat intelligence).
The trinomial name of the domestic cat is Felis silvestris catus. Its closest pre-domesticated ancestor is believed to be the African wild cat, Felis silvestris lybica.[1] Humans have developed several dozen breeds of cat, in a variety of colours.
Cats have lived in close association with humans for at least 9,500 years,[2]. Legends and myths about the cat exist in many cultures, from the ancient Egyptians and Chinese to the Vikings. They have been both revered and vilified by different cultures.
Cats use more than one hundred vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including mewing ("meow" or "miaou"), purring, hissing, growling, chirping, clicking, and grunting.[3] Cats have even been observed mimicking the calls of birds.
Like horses and other domesticated animals, cats can sometimes become feral, living effectively in the wild. Feral cats will often form small feral cat colonies. Animal welfare organizations note that few abandoned cats are able to survive long enough to become feral, most being killed by vehicles, or succumbing to starvation, predators, exposure, or disease.
Cats typically weigh between 2.5 and 7 kg (5.516 pounds); however, some breeds, such as the Maine Coon can exceed 11.3 kg (25 pounds). Some have been known to reach up to 23 kg (50 pounds) due to overfeeding. Conversely, very small cats (less than 1.8 kg / 4.0 lbs) [8] have been reported.
General anatomy of a cat.
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General anatomy of a cat.
In captivity, indoor cats typically live 14 to 20 years, though the oldest-known cat lived to age 36.[9] Domestic cats tend...
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