Table Of Content

T H E D E F I N I T I V E V I S U A L G U I D E Contains content previously published in The Complete Cat Breed Book CAT T H E E N C Y C L O P E D I A CAT T H E E N C Y C L O P E D I A Contains content previously published in The Complete Cat Breed Book CONTENTS LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, MUNICH, AND DELHI DORLING KINDERSLEY Senior Art Editor Gadi Farfour Project Editor Miezan van Zyl Project Art Editor Amy Child Editorial Assistant Henry Fry US Editor Margaret Parrish 1INTRODUCTION Jacket Designer Laura Brim Jacket Editor Maud Whatley TO CATS Jacket Design Development Manager Sophia Tampakopoulos Producer, Preproduction Francesca Wardell Producer Mary Slater Additional Photography Tracy Morgan Managing Art Editor Karen Self Cat species around the world 8 Managing Editor Esther Ripley Publisher Sarah Larter What is a cat? 10 Art Director Phil Ormerod Associate Publishing Director Liz Wheeler From wildcat to house cat 14 Publishing Director Jonathan Metcalf Consultant Editor Kim Dennis-Bryan How domestic cats spread 18 Contributors Ann Baggaley, Jolyon Goddard, Katie John Feral cats 20 DK INDIA Senior Editor Monica Saigal Editor Antara Moitra Art Editors Neha Sharma, Supriya Mahajan Assistant Art Editors Namita, Roshni Kapur, Vansh Kohli Managing Editor Pakshalika Jayaprakash 2 CATS IN Managing Art Editor Arunesh Talapatra DTP Designers Bimlesh Tiwary, Mohammad Usman, Nityanand Kumar Preproduction Manager Balwant Singh CULTURE Production Manager Pankaj Sharma Picture Research Surya Sankash Sarangi Cats in religion 24 First American Edition, 2014 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 4th Floor, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Myths and superstition 26 14 15 16 17 18 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001—193220—Jul/14 Folklore and fairy tales 28 Copyright © 2014 Dorling Kindersley Limited All rights reserved Cats in literature 30 Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Cats in art 32 recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Cats in entertainment 38 Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1-4654-1959-0 Printed and bound in China by South China Printing Company. DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales 3 FELINE promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 or [email protected]. BIOLOGY Discover more at www.dk.com Brain and nervous system 42 Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this book is accurate. Neither the publishers nor the authors accept any legal responsibility for any Cat senses 44 personal injury or injuries to your cat or other damage or loss arising from the undertaking of any of the activities or exercises presented in this book, or from the reliance on any advice in this book. If your cat is ill or has behavioral problems, The skeleton and body form 48 please seek the advice of a qualified professional, such as a vet or behavioral expert. Skin and coat 50 Muscle and movement 54 Heart and lungs 58 Digestion and reproduction 60 The immune system 62 Understanding breeds 64 Choosing the right cat 66 4 C ATALOG OF BREEDS Shorthairs 71 Longhairs 185 5 C ARING FOR YOUR CAT Preparing for arrival 256 Living indoors 258 Going outdoors 260 Essential equipment 262 First days 264 First vet check-up 268 Food and feeding 270 Handling your cat 274 Grooming and hygiene 276 Understanding your cat 280 Socializing your cat 282 Importance of play 284 Training your cat 288 Behavioral problems 290 Responsible breeding 292 Inherited disorders 296 A healthy cat 298 Signs of illness 300 Health and care 302 The aging cat 308 GLOSSARY 310 INDEX 312 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 319 CHAPTER 1 NS T O A I C T C O U T D O R T N I INTRODUCTION TO CATS | CAT SPECIES AROUND THE WORLD Cat species around the world Elegant, powerful, and elusive, wildcats can be large and may roar like a lion, or small and purr like a domestic cat. They are superb hunters, adapted to be as successful living in a dry sandy desert as they are in a dense tropical forest. Cats are predatory hunters belonging to the that they can roar (see panel, below), whereas Wildcats are successful in evolutionary terms order Carnivora. They are, like all carnivores, the smaller cats can only purr. In recent years, in that they were once widespread and found adapted for stalking, catching, and eating genetic evidence has allowed scientists to in many different habitats, but most species other animals. For example, they have large better understand the relationships between are now either endangered or threatened. In canine teeth and powerful jaw muscles. the smaller cats and further subdivide them contrast, there are an estimated 600 million There are 37 species of cat in the family into seven groups, or lineages. domestic cats worldwide. Felidae. All are similar in having retractile claws, rather blunt, flattened faces, acute The world of cats hearing, and large eyes that enable them This map shows the distribution of seven species of the Felinae. Each cat to hunt at night. Those living in open represents one of the seven lineages landscapes tend to be sandy colored, while that has been revealed by recent anatomical and genetic analyses. those living in woodland and forest often have spectacular markings that break up their outline and keep them well hidden from their prey. The cat family is divided into two main groups—the Pantherinae and the Felinae. The pantherines (big N O R T H cats) have long been distinguished A M E R I C A from other cats on the supposition BIG CATS There are seven species of pantherines, or big cats—the lion, leopard, tiger, snow leopard, two species of clouded leopard, and the jaguar. The lion and leopard have the widest distribution, being found in both Africa and Asia. The tiger, snow and clouded leopards are limited to Asia. Puma The only big cat found in the Americas is the Puma concolor jaguar. Although commonly referred to as the roaring cats, only some, such as lions, can do The puma is one of three cat species in the puma lineage, the other two being the jaguarundi from South America and the cheetah so. This is because they have more complicated from Africa and Asia. It is able to survive in remarkably diverse and flexible vocal chords in their larynxes than environmental conditions, being found over a wide geographical S O U T H those found in the smaller cats (see p. 59). area and at elevations up to 10,000ft (4,000m). However, it needs large prey, such as deer, to feed on if it is to thrive. A M E R I C A Ocelot Leopardus pardalis The ocelot lineage comprises seven species. All belong to the genus Leopardus and are found in South and Central America—only the range of the ocelot extends farther north into southwestern Texas. The ocelot feeds mainly on ground-dwelling rodents, which it hunts at night by waiting quietly for a potential victim to pass by. 8