Editing Cat (section)

== Characteristics ==
{{Main|Cat anatomy}}

=== Size ===
[[File:Scheme cat anatomy.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Diagram of the general [[anatomy]] of a male domestic cat]]
The domestic cat has a smaller [[skull]] and shorter bones than the [[European wildcat]].<ref name="OConnor">{{cite journal |title=Wild or domestic? Biometric variation in the cat ''Felis silvestris'' |last=O'Connor |first=T. P. |journal=International Journal of Osteoarchaeology |year=2007 |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=581–595 |doi=10.1002/oa.913 |url= http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/3700/1/OConnor_Cats-IJOA-submitted.pdf |access-date=20 January 2019 |archive-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190121010849/http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/3700/1/OConnor_Cats-IJOA-submitted.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> It averages about {{cvt|46|cm}} in head-to-body length and {{cvt|23|-|25|cm}} in height, with about {{cvt|30|cm}} long tails. Males are larger than females.<ref name="WCoW">{{cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |date=2002 |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=9780226779997 |chapter=Domestic cat |pages=[https://archive.org/details/wildcatsofworld00sunq/page/99 99–112] |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA99 |url= https://archive.org/details/wildcatsofworld00sunq/page/99}}</ref> Adult domestic cats typically weigh {{cvt|4|-|5|kg}}.<ref name="Mattern" />

=== Skeleton ===
Cats have seven [[cervical vertebrae]] (as do most [[mammal]]s); 13 [[thoracic vertebrae]] (humans have 12); seven [[lumbar vertebrae]] (humans have five); three [[sacrum|sacral vertebrae]] (as do most mammals, but humans have five); and a variable number of [[caudal vertebrae]] in the tail (humans have only three to five vestigial caudal vertebrae, fused into an internal [[coccyx]]).<ref name="Walker">{{cite book |title=Study of the Cat with Reference to Human Beings |last=Walker |first=W.F. |edition=4th revised |date=1982 |publisher=[[Cengage|Thomson Learning/Cengage]] |isbn=9780030579141}}</ref>{{rp|11}} The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae account for the cat's spinal mobility and flexibility. Attached to the spine are 13 ribs, the shoulder, and the [[pelvis]].<ref name="Walker" />{{rp|16}} Unlike human arms, cat forelimbs are attached to the shoulder by free-floating [[clavicle]] bones which allow them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their head.<ref name="Gillis 2002">{{cite web |title=Cat Skeleton |editor-last=Gillis |editor-first=R. |work=Zoolab |publisher=[[University of Wisconsin]] Press |location=La Crosse |year=2002 |url= http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/zoolab/Table_of_Contents/Lab-9b/Cat_Skeleton_1/cat_skeleton_1.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061206105542/http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/zoolab/Table_of_Contents/Lab-9b/Cat_Skeleton_1/cat_skeleton_1.htm |archive-date=6 December 2006 |access-date=7 September 2012}}</ref>

=== Skull ===
[[File:Cat skull.jpg|thumb|Cat skull]]
The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very large [[eye socket]]s and a powerful specialized jaw.<ref name="Case">{{cite book |title=The Cat: Its behavior, nutrition, and health |last=Case |first=Linda P. |date=2003 |publisher=[[Iowa State University]] Press |location=Ames |isbn=9780813803319}}</ref>{{rp|35}} Two long [[Canine tooth|canine teeth]] for killing and tearing prey, can stab between two of the prey's [[vertebra]]e and sever its [[spinal cord]], causing [[paralysis]] and death.<ref name="Smith1992">{{cite book |title=Structure, Function, and Evolution of Teeth |last1=Smith |first1=Patricia |last2=Tchernov |first2=Eitan |date=1992 |page=217 |publisher=Freund Publishing House |isbn=9789652222701}}</ref> Compared to other felines, domestic cats have narrowly spaced canine teeth relative to the size of their jaw, which is an adaptation to their preferred prey of small rodents, which have small vertebrae.<ref name="Smith1992" />

The [[premolar]] and first [[Molar (tooth)|molar]] together compose the [[carnassial]] pair on each side of the mouth, which efficiently shears meat into small pieces, like a pair of scissors. These are vital in feeding, because cats' small [[molar (tooth)|molars]] cannot chew food effectively, and cats are largely incapable of mastication.<ref name="Case" />{{rp|37}} Cats tend to have better dental health than most humans, with decay generally less likely because of a thicker protective layer of [[Tooth enamel|enamel]], a less damaging saliva, less retention of food particles between teeth, and a diet mostly devoid of sugar. Nonetheless, they are subject to occasional tooth loss and infection.<ref name="Carr1978">{{cite book |first=William H. A. |last=Carr |title=The New Basic Book of the Cat |date=1 January 1978 |publisher=[[Scribner's]] |isbn=9780684155494 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newbasicbookofca00carr/page/174 174] |url= https://archive.org/details/newbasicbookofca00carr/page/174}}</ref>

=== Claws ===
[[File:Cat claw closeup.jpg|thumb|Cat's claw]]
Cats have protractible and retractable claws.<ref name="Kitchener2010">{{cite book |last1=Kitchener |first1=A. C. |last2=Van Valkenburgh |first2=B. |last3=Yamaguchi |first3=N. |date=2010 |chapter-url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266753114 |chapter=Felid form and function |title=Biology and Conservation of wild felids |editor1-first=D. |editor1-last=Macdonald |editor2-last=Loveridge |editor2-first=A. |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=83–106 |access-date=10 October 2019 |archive-date=16 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210216135340/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266753114_Felid_form_and_function |url-status=live}}</ref> In their normal, relaxed position, the claws are sheathed with the skin and fur around the paw's toe pads. This keeps the claws sharp by preventing wear from contact with the ground and allows for the silent stalking of prey. The claws on the forefeet are typically sharper than those on the hindfeet.<ref name="Armes 1900">{{cite journal |title=Outline of cat lessons |last=Armes |first=A.F. |journal=The School Journal |year=1900 |volume=LXI |page=659 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-_gBAAAAYAAJ |access-date=5 June 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210806133121/https://books.google.com/books?id=-_gBAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref> Cats can voluntarily extend their claws, such as in hunting, fighting, climbing, [[kneading (cats)|kneading]], or for extra traction on soft surfaces. Cats shed the outside layer of their claw sheaths when scratching rough surfaces.<ref name="pmid19422432">{{cite journal |last1=Homberger |first1=D. G. |last2=Ham |first2=K. |last3=Ogunbakin |first3=T. |last4=Bonin |first4=J. A. |last5=Hopkins |first5=B. A. |last6=Osborn |first6=M. L. |display-authors=etal |title=The structure of the cornified claw sheath in the domesticated cat (''Felis catus''): Implications for the claw-shedding mechanism and the evolution of cornified digital end organs |journal=J Anat |year=2009 |volume=214 |issue=4 |pages=620–43 |pmid=19422432 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7580.2009.01068.x |pmc=2736126}}</ref>

Most cats have five claws on their front paws and four on their rear paws. The [[dewclaw]] is [[proximal]] to the other claws. More proximally is a protrusion which appears to be a sixth "finger". This special feature of the front paws on the inside of the wrists has no function in normal walking but is thought to be an antiskidding device used while jumping. Some cat breeds are prone to having extra digits ("[[Polydactyl cat|polydactyly]]").<ref name="Danforth1947">{{cite journal |last=Danforth |first=C. H. |title=Heredity of polydactyly in the cat |journal=The Journal of Heredity |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=107–112 |year=1947 |pmid=20242531 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a105701}}</ref>

=== Ambulation ===
The cat is [[digitigrade]]. It walks on the toes, with the bones of the feet making up the lower part of the visible leg.<ref name="Pocock1917">{{cite journal |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |year=1917 |title=VII — On the external characters of the Felidæ |url= https://archive.org/details/ser8annalsmagazi19londuoft |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology |series=8 |volume=19 |issue=109 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ser8annalsmagazi19londuoft/page/113 113–136] |doi=10.1080/00222931709486916}}</ref> Unlike most mammals, it uses a "pacing" [[gait]] that alternates both legs together on each side. It registers directly by placing each hind paw close to the track of the corresponding fore paw, minimizing noise and visible tracks. This also provides sure footing for hind paws when navigating rough terrain. As it speeds up from walking to trotting, its gait changes to a "diagonal" gait: The diagonally opposite hind and fore legs move simultaneously.<ref name="Christensen 2004">{{Cite book |last=Christensen |first=W. |url= https://archive.org/details/outwittingcatsti0000chri/page/22 |title=Outwitting Cats |publisher=[[Globe Pequot]] |date=2004 |isbn=9781592282401 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/outwittingcatsti0000chri/page/22 22–45] |chapter=The physical cat |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WmuQQXU6EtAC&pg=PA27}}</ref>

=== Balance ===
[[File:Cat in tree03.jpg|thumb|A cat perched on a tree branch, having climbed up for exploration, escape, or hunting.]]
Cats are generally fond of perching in high places. This may be a concealed hunting site such as a tree branch, for domestic cats to pounce upon prey. They favor a superior observation point over territory. A cat falling from up to {{convert|3|m|ft|abbr=on}} can right itself and land on its paws.<ref name="Kent et al. 2010">{{Cite journal |last1=Kent |first1=Marc |last2=Platt |first2=Simon R. |date=September 2010 |title=The neurology of balance: Function and dysfunction of the vestibular system in dogs and cats |journal=The Veterinary Journal |volume=185 |issue=3 |pages=247–249 |doi=10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.10.029 |pmid=19944632}}</ref>

During a lofty fall, a cat reflexively twists and rights itself to land on its feet using its acute sense of balance and flexibility. This reflex is known as the [[cat righting reflex]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gerathewohl |first1=S. J. |last2=Stallings |first2=H. D. |year=1957 |title=The labyrinthine posture reflex (righting reflex) in the cat during weightlessness |url= https://spacemedicineassociation.org/download/history/history_files_1957/28040345-1.pdf |journal=The Journal of Aviation Medicine |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=345–355 |pmid=13462942 |access-date=27 April 2019 |archive-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201003155151/https://spacemedicineassociation.org/download/history/history_files_1957/28040345-1.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> A cat always rights itself in the same way, and it has enough time in falls of at least {{convert|90|cm|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Nguyen 1998">{{cite web |last=Nguyen |first=H. D. |year=1998 |title=How does a cat always land on its feet? |url= http://helix.gatech.edu/Classes/ME3760/1998Q3/Projects/Nguyen/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20010410235503/http://helix.gatech.edu/Classes/ME3760/1998Q3/Projects/Nguyen/ |archive-date=10 April 2001 |access-date=15 May 2007 |series=Dynamics II (ME 3760) course materials |publisher=[[Georgia Institute of Technology]] |department=School of Medical Engineering}} {{tertiary source|date=December 2011}}</ref> This has been investigated as the "[[falling cat problem]]".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Falling cats, parallel parking, and polarized light |last=Batterman |first=R. |year=2003 |journal=Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics |volume=34 |issue=4 |pages=527–557 |url=http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/794/1/falling-cats.pdf |bibcode=2003SHPMP..34..527B |doi=10.1016/s1355-2198(03)00062-5 |access-date=13 September 2022 |archive-date=20 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720140329/http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/794/1/falling-cats.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Coats ===
{{Main|Cat coat genetics}}{{See also|Tabby cat}}[[File:Nursing Cat 01.jpg|thumb|Mother cat with her different-colored offspring]]
The cat family (Felidae) can pass down many colors and patterns to their offspring. The domestic cat genes ''MC1R'' and ''ASIP'' allow color variety in their coats. The feline ''ASIP'' gene consists of three coding exons.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Eizirik |first1=Eduardo |last2=Yuhki |first2=Naoya |last3=Johnson |first3=Warren E. |last4=Menotti-Raymond |first4=Marilyn |last5=Hannah |first5=Steven S. |last6=O'Brien |first6=Stephen J. |date=4 March 2003 |title=Molecular Genetics and Evolution of Melanism in the Cat Family |journal=Current Biology |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=448–453 |doi=10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00128-3 |pmid=12620197 |s2cid=19021807 |issn=0960-9822|doi-access=free|bibcode=2003CBio...13..448E }}</ref> Three novel [[microsatellite]] markers linked to ''ASIP'' were isolated from a domestic cat BAC clone containing this gene to perform [[linkage analysis]] on 89 domestic cats segregated for [[melanism]]. The domestic cat family demonstrated a cosegregation between the ''ASIP'' allele and coat black coloration.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Eizirik |first1=Eduardo |last2=Yuhki |first2=Naoya |last3=Johnson |first3=Warren E. |last4=Menotti-Raymond |first4=Marilyn |last5=Hannah |first5=Steven S. |last6=O'Brien |first6=Stephen J. |date=4 March 2003 |title=Molecular Genetics and Evolution of Melanism in the Cat Family |url=https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(03)00128-3.pdf |journal=Cell Press |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=448–453 |doi=10.1016/s0960-9822(03)00128-3 |pmid=12620197 |bibcode=2003CBio...13..448E |access-date=26 March 2024 |archive-date=26 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326122953/https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(03)00128-3.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>