Cat Vocabulary

Guard hairs

Primary hairs, or the outer and longest hairs in a cat's fur.

Hybrid

A cat produced from breeding cats of different breeds.

Purebred

A cat whose ancestors are of the same variety or allowable varieties.

Bicolor

A cat's fur consisting of white hair mixed with one other color.

Breed

A group of cats with a related ancestry and similar characteristics.

Tomcat

A male cat that has not been neutered.

Ailurophile

A person who loves cats.

Cattery

A place where cats are bred and or boarded.

Queen

An unspayed female cat of breeding age

Feline

Belonging to the cat family, which includes jungle cats, wild and domestic cats.

Angora

Breed of cat that has long hair and a long , slim body. Lacks wooly undercoat of the true long-haired cats.

Polydactyl

Cats that have an extra number of toes are called this

Cat Fancy

Collective term used to cover the hobby involving the appreciation , promotion, and breeding of cats.

Catnip

Derived from the herb Neptra Cataria often used in cat toys.

Pedigree

Document that contains 3-5 generations of of a cats predecessors.

Third Eye-lid

Eyelide that is often seen at the corners of a cat's eye.

Ghost Markings

Faint tabby pattern seen in young kittens usually disappears as the kitten becomes older.

Litter

Kittens born from the female at the same time during the gestation. Also the absorbent material used in a litter box.

Points

Markings such as a Siamese cat has ears, face, legs, feet, and tail are all a different color.

Cat

Member of the family Felidae

Fleas

Most common parasite found on a cat's skin live by feeding on blood.

Queening

Process of a cat giving birth

Litter box

Shallow box filled with absorbent material used as an indoor cat's toilet.

Feral

Tame cats that have reverted back to the wild state

CFA

Terms associated with the Cat Fancier's Association

Condition

The overall health, cleanliness, and well being of a cat

Agouti

The sandy color located between the black stripes of a tabby.

Quick

The vein in a cat's claw.

Calling

The yowling sounds a female cat makes when in heat.

Tabby

These markings on a cat are striped, spotted, or blotched

Undercoat

Thick layer of insulating fur under the topcoat

Calico

Tortoiseshell and white haired cat, almost always female.

Pricked

Upright or forward ears

Tortoiseshell

Usually females, these cats have a black and orange coat color.

Hair balls

When cats wash themselves with their tongues, they swallow fur. If they swallow more fur than they can digests they vomit up this compacted mass of fur.

Kitten

Young cat usually under 15 months of age