A glossary of feline, non-medical cat terms.

Ailurophobe - A person who dislikes or is afraid of cats.

Anurous - A term used to describe a tail-less cat.

Balanced - A term given to a cat with good proportions in relation to its particular breed or variety.

Benching - Placing a cat or kitten with all its show equipment, in its pen at a cat show, ready for judging.

Bi-Color - A cat with patches of white and any other solid color.

Black - The darkest of all feline colorations, which can have a rust appearance during moulting or shedding season.

Blaze - A distinctive, contrasting mark running down a cat's face from forehead to nostrils. Usually found on Tortoiseshell or Parti-Coloured cats.

Blotched - A Tabby pattern, also known as Classic Tabby or Marbled Tabby.

Blue - This coloration is a simple dilution of Black. The Blue coloration may vary from a very pale, soft grey color to a dark slate tone.

Bonnet-Ears - When a cat holds its ears sideways and forwards, looking like the brim of a bonnet.

Breeches - Longer, thicker hair on the back of the upper third of the hind legs. (Also spelled: Britches)

Breed True - To produce a kitten exactly the same as the parents.

Brindling - This is the effect when hairs of an incorrect or odd colour (eg., white) are interspersed in a cat's coat. For example, a Siamese cat may have White Hairs scattered among the colored hairs of its mask, and it is then said to have a Brindled face. Brindling is usually a temporary condition and is corrected at the next moult.

Britches - See Breeches

Brush - The bushy or plume-like tail of a long-haired cat.

Butterfly - The pattern of markings on the shoulders of Blotched, Classic, or Marbled Tabby cats.

Calico - The American term for a Tortie-and-White cat.

Cat Fancy - A term that refers to pedigree cats and their breeding, and to cat clubs and societies.

Cat Flap - A small, hinged door made to allow a cat access to another room, garden, or run without opening the main door.

Cat Nip - A herbaceous plant similar to mint, which cats are attracted to.

Cat Run - An enclosed, safe, caged outdoor area in which cats can have access to the outdoors without being allowed to roam free.

Characteristics - Features defined by a standard of points that are used to judge a cat.

Chocolate - The dark brown coloration of a cat.

Classic - A Classic Tabby pattern, also known as Blotched or Marbled Tabby.

Clowder - A group of cats. Also known as: Clutter

Clutter - See Clowder

Cobby - Short and sturdy, on low legs.

Colony - A group of cats living wild outside, as in feral cats.

Cream - The diluted orange (or ginger) coloration of the cat.

Cross-Breed - The combination of two pedigreed varieties.

Dam - A mother cat. See also Queen

Dense - Refering to a thick, full coat of fur.

Diluted, Dilution - A lighter colour variation of the standard cat colour.

DLH - Domestic Long-Hair. - A long-haired cat.

Dome - A rounded forehead. The term given to the shape of certain cat's heads (eg., Burmese).

Double Coat - Refers to a cat having two thick coats in one, comprising a soft undercoat of thick, short hairs, and another set of coarser, slightly longer hairs. (eg., as seen in a Manx.)

DSH - Domestic Short-Hair. A short-haired cat.

Entire - The term relating to a cat that has not been desexed.

Feline - Relating to cats; including tigers, lions, cheetahs & leopards.

Feral Cat - A domestic cat which has been born in the wild or has reverted to the wild and is not tame.

Flehmen Reaction - The look a cat has when it savours an unusual or evocative scent. The head is raised and the mouth is held slightly open.

Frill - The furr around the neck of a longhaired cat, brushed upwards to form a frame for the face. Also called a "Ruff".

Furball - Fur swallowed by the cat during self-grooming, which forms into a tightly packed ball in the stomach or the bowels. The ball is eventually eliminated from the cat's body. Also known as "Hairball".

Gauntlets - The white glove-like markings on the legs of some cats. (eg. Birman) Also called "Socks" and "Gloves".

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.

Gloves - See Gauntlets.

Hairball - Fur swallowed by the cat during self-grooming, which forms into a tightly packed ball in the stomach or the bowels. The ball is eventually eliminated from the cat's body. Also known as "Furball".

Harness - Specially made soft elasticized cord or leather which can be adjusted to fit a cat, and to which a lead (or leash) can be attached. It is used for walking a cat, or when a cat need to be restrained.

Haw - A transparent, third eyelid at the inner side of the eye that keeps the eye clean and moist.

Hot - The term used to describe a cream cat with too much red in the coat.

Jowls - The term used to describe extra development of the cheeks seen in Entire male cats.

Kindle - A group of kittens.

Kink - A bend or twist in the tail of a cat due to malformation of two or more vertebrae.

Kitten - A young cat, usually up to between 8 - 12 months of age. (9 months in UK, 8 months in USA)

Lavender - The term given to the "Lilac" coloration in cats. Also known as "Platinum".

Lilac - The dilution of the "Chocolate" coloration. Also known as "Lavender" and "Platinum".

Litter 1. - A group of kittens produced at one birth by a Queen.

Litter 2. - Cat Litter is used in a cat's toilet tray.

Locket - The term used for a white spot at the base of a cat's throat.

Long-haired - The term referring to all cats with long fur.

Mackerel - The pattern of Tabby markings in which thin unbroken lines run vertically down the cat from the spine line.

Marbled - The Tabby Pattern. Also known as Blotched or Classic Tabby.

Mask - The darker-colored areas of the face of some cats (eg., Siamese & Himalayan).

Matts - The term used to describe clumps of matted fur on a cat's coat. Also called "Tangles".

Mayor's Chains - The lines around the neck of a Classic Tabby.

Mittens - Refers to the white feet of certain cats.

Mog, Moggie, Moggy - A slang name for a cat. A cat of indeterminate breeding.

Moult, Moulting - The seasonal or periodic shedding of dead hair.

Muzzle - The projecting nose and jaws of a cat.

Muzzle-break - The indentation in the lines of the muzzle.

Non-Self - The term used to describe a cat which has a coat of more than one colour. Also known as "Non-Solid".

Non-Solid - See Non-Self

Nose Leather - The smooth area of skin found on the cats nose, between the nostrils.

Odd-eyed - When a cat has one blue eye and one orange or copper eye.

Oestrus - The period of heat when the Queen will mate. A Queen in Oestrus is said to be "On Heat", "On Call", "Calling", or "In Season".

Out-Of-Coat - This term refers mainly to long-haired cats during moulting season, or following a hot summer when their coasts are thin, short, or sparse.

Overshot Jaw - When a cat's upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw, causing the upper teeth to overlap the lower teeth.

Pads - The tough hairless cushions on the soles of a cat's paws.

Parti-Color - A cat with a coat of more than one distinctive color. (eg., Bi-Color)

Patched, Patching - The way in which colours are arranged in "patches" which are clearly defined areas on a cat's coat. For example, as seen on a Calico or Tortie-and-White coloured cat.

Pedigree - A cat having at least three generations of pure breeding.

Pencilling - The term given to the striking fine lines seen on the cheeks of Tabby Cats.

Persian - A breed of cat with long fur.

Phaenomelanin - Orange pigment.

Phenotype - A term relating to the appearance of an animal as opposed to its genetic makeup.

Pinch - A break in the straight lines of the muzzle.

Platinum - The dilution of the "Chocolate" coloration. Also known as "Lavender" and "Lilac".

Points - The extremities of a cat's body: the mask, ears, paws & legs, and tail. (eg., in Siamese these can be variously colored, giving Seal-Point, Blue-Point, etc.)

Polydactyl - A term used to describe a cat having six toes or more on the forefeet and five toes or more on the hind feet.

Pricked - The term used to describe a cat's ears when held high and alert.

Progeny - The offspring of a particular cat.

Pulse - The pulse of the cat at rest is about 100 beats per minute.

Queen - A female cat used for breeding. The Queen can be a pregnant cat, or a cat that has a litter of kittens. See also Dam

Quick - The sensitive area within the cat's claw.

Recognition - The official acceptance of a breed or variety of cat by a governing body.

Red - The coloration caused by the orange gene, found in most breeds of cat.

Regurgitation - The vomiting of recently eaten food or fluids, sometimes for re-eating or for feeding to kittens.

Rex - The curled effect of a cat's coat. (eg., Devon Rex)

Ringed - The term used to describe the bands of darker-colored hair on the legs and tail of Tabby-colored cats.

Rolling - The posturing and rolling of a Queen cat in heat.

Ruddy - A term used to describe the particular breed of Abyssinian cats.

Ruff - The fine hairs around the neck of a longhaired cat, forming a frame for the face. Also called a "Frill".

Rumpy - A completely tail-less Manx cat. A true Manx cat has a well-rounded rump and no detectable tail structure.

Scruff - The loose skin at the nape of a cat's neck.

Self - See Solid

Shaded Silver - A striking cat with a silver undercoat heavily Tipped with black.

Sire - The male cat responsible for the production of a litter.

Smoke - A cat that has a dark or coloured top coat, which is white or silver at the roots.

Snub - The short noses seen in some long-haired varieties of cat.

Solid - A cat that is evenly covered in hair of one colour only. Also called "Self".

Spotted - A form of Tabby in which the bands of colour are broken into distinct spots.

Socks - See Gauntlets

Spraying - The cat's habit of urinating (micturating) to mark a territory.

Spur - The white area seen on the back of the feet in Birmans.

Squint - Unequal placement of a cat's eyes so that one or both look towards the nose.

Standard - A description of what is required for a particular variety or breed of cat.

Stop - A break in the straight line of the profile.

Stripes - The markings on Tabby cats.

Stropping - The cat's habit of sharpening its claws.

Stud Cat - An Entire male cat kept specifically for breeding purposes.

Stud Tail - A greasy condition of the sebaceous glands situated along the root end of the tail in both male and female cats. This needs to be cleaned and expressed regularly.

Stumpy - A Manx cat with a short stump of a tail.

Sub-mental Organ - The small gland situated on a cat's chin.

Tabby - A cat brindled with dark stripes, spots, or wavy markings on a lighter background.

Tangles - See Matts

Tapetum Lucidum - The reflective layer at the back of a cat's eye.

Temperature - The average normal temperature of a domestic cat is 101.5 F (38.6 C).

Thumb-mark - This is the distinctive mark on the back of each ear of some Tabby cats. Also called "Thumb-print".

Ticked, Ticking - The two or three bands of contrasting colors of a cat's hair.

Tipped, Tipping - This is used to define the contrasting colour at the tips of the hairs of some cats' coats.

Tom, Tomcat - A male un-neutered cat.

Tortoiseshell - A cat patched or intermingled with black and red. This pattern is almost always found on female cats.

Tortie-and-White - Tortoiseshell markings with the addition of white. Also called "Calico".

Tri-Colour - A cat with a coat of three distinct colours.

Tufts - The small clusters of hairs at the tips of some cats' ears and also between the toes. More common in long-haired cats.

Undershot Jaw - This is when the lower jaw protrudes further than the upper jaw, and the front teeth do not meet.

Vibrissae - The long, sensitive bristles protruding from the face of a cat. Also known as "Whiskers".

Wedge - This describes the head shape of some breeds of cat.

Whip - This describes the long, thin tapering tail in some cats (eg., Siamese).

Whiskers - See Vibrissae

White - Refers to the white coloration of long-haired and short-haired cats. Often accompanied by variations in eye colour such as orange, blue, and odd-eyed.

White Hairs - See Brindling

White Spotting - Refers to the presence of small white areas on an otherwise Solid-coloured cat.