Cat
Featured in: Year 1: Animals, including humans
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Cat
Mammal
A popular small pet with soft fur, sharp retractable claws, and a purring sound when happy.
💡 Fun Facts
- Cats have excellent night vision and can see at one-sixth the light level required for human vision.
- They use their whiskers to feel the world around them.
- A group of cats is called a clowder.
Name Story
Felis catus
means “Cat — and 'the clever one'”
What does its name mean?
- Felis — catLatin
- catus — cat; but in older Latin the same word means 'sharp, clever, cunning'Latin
At first glance the name just says 'cat, cat' — but there's a hidden layer: in older Latin the word 'catus' also means 'clever' or 'sharp', which suits a cat rather well.