Newly born kitten
Newly born kitten
A cat has special eyes. It can see in the dark.
A cat has special eyes. It can see in the dark.
A cat uses its whiskers to move in dark places.
A cat uses its whiskers to move in dark places.
A close-up of a cat's tongue
A close-up of a cat's tongue
A cat cleaning itself with its tongue.
A cat cleaning itself with its tongue.
A cat drinking water.
A cat drinking water.
This cat senses danger.
This cat senses danger.
Pet Cat
Topic(s):   Mammals, Pets
Quick Facts
Type of Animal
mammal
Biome(s)
worldwide
Habitat
indoors or outdoors
Diet
cat food, rodents, small birds, insects
Male
tom, tomcat
Female
queen
Baby
kitten
Group
clowder, clutter
Life Span
16 years
Migrates
no
Hibernates
no
Predators
coyotes, cougars, snakes, racoons
Endangered
no

A cat is a very popular pet. One out of every three families in the United States has at least one cat as a pet. The average cat lives to be about 16 years old.

The tongue of a cat is special. It has small spine-like bumps that act as a hairbrush. The cat licks itself to clean its fur. A cat will usually spend hours each day cleaning itself with its tongue.

When a cat feels it is in danger, it will sometimes arch its back up. If it arches its back, its hair will also rise up and spread out. This makes the cat look bigger. A cat will also hiss if this happens.

A cat will purr when it is happy. A cat will also purr when it is sick. No one knows for sure what causes the purring noise. It could be caused by their vocal chords. It also could be caused by them quickly breathing in or breathing out.

Resource information

Fleury, Maureen. (n.d.). How and Why Cats Purr. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/pets_great_small/101278

Scientific American. (n.d.) The Evolution of House Cats. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-taming-of-the-cat

Seaworld. (n.d.). Domestic Cat. Retrieved from http://www.seaworld.org/

Citation information

APA Style: Pet Cat. (2019, May). Retrieved from Facts4Me at https://www.facts4me.com

MLA Style: "Pet Cat." Facts4Me. May. 2019. https://www.facts4me.com.

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