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Meow! No, we're not talking about cat-speak, but rather we're speaking
about your kitty. Are there terms related to cats that have you confused?
Hopefully this list will help. If not, please contact us with your
term and we'll try to define it.
 Anurous
- A term used to describe a tailless cat.
- Breeches
- Longer, thicker hair on the back of the upper third of the hind legs.
- Breed True
- To produce a kitten exactly the same as the parents.
- Brush
- A bushy or plume-like tail of a longhaired cat.
- Cat Fancy
- A term that refers to pedigree cats and their breeding, and to cat clubs and societies.
- Characteristics
- Features defined by a standard of points that are used to judge a cat.
- Cobby
- Short and sturdy on low legs.
- Cross-breed
- The combination of two pedigree varieties.
- Dense
- A thick, full coat.
- Dome
- A rounded forehead.
- Frill
- The fur around the head that is brushed up to form a frame for the cat's face.
- Genotype
- The constitution of an animal as described by its genes rather than its appearance.
- Ghost markings
- Faint tabby markings seen in some solid colored cats, especially when
the cats are kittens.
- Haw
- A transparent, third eyelid at the inner side of the eye that keeps the eye clean and moist.
- Kitten
- A cat up to the age of 9 month in Britain or 8 months in the United States.
- Longhairs
- A term for referring to all cats with long fur.
- Mittens
- The pure white feet of certain cats.
- Muzzle
- The projecting jaw and nose of the cat.
- Patched
- A coat coloration that has patches of different colors, for example: a Calico cat or a Toroiseshell
and While cat.
- Pedigree
- A cat having at least three generations of pure breeding.
- Persians
- A breed of cats with long fur.
- Phenotype
- A term relating to the appearance of an animal as opposed to its genetic makeup.
- Polydactyl
- The situation where a cat has more toes than normal on one or more feet. 5
toes are normal for the front feet; 4 toes are normal for the back feet.
- Queen
- A female cat used for breeding.
- Rumpy
- A completely tailless Manx Cat.
- Self
- A cat's coat which has the same color all over.
- Snub
- The short noses seen in some of the longhaired varieties.
- Spur
- The white area seen on the back of the feet in Birmans.
- Squint
- Cross-eyed, with the eyes placed so that they seem to look permanently at the nose.
- Standard
- A description of what is required for a particular variety.
- Stumpy
- A Manx cat having a stump of a tail.
- Tufts
- Hair growing from the ears or between the toes.
- Whip
- A long, thin tapering tail. Seen in the Siamese, for example.
Updated on July 20, 2000.
Sources: A Standard Guide to Cat Breeds, Richard H. Gebhardt, ed., McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1979, pp. 32-33.
and
The Reader's Digest Illustrated Book of Cats, The Reader's Digest
Assocation (Canada) Ltd., Montreal, 1992, pp. 152-154.
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