House Cat Encyclopedia: created for the domestic house cat owner

Welcome to the Cat Encyclopedia- Your one stop website for all information on domestic house cats. The Cat Fanciers' Association recognizes 41 breeds of domestic house cats, of which 16 are "natural breeds" that probably emerged before humans began breeding pedigree cats, while the others were developed over the latter half of the 20th century. Pedigree varieties of domestic house cats are divided roughly into 3 groups: longhairs or Persians, shorthairs, and Siamese. The longhairs have round, broad heads, with small ears, thickset bodies, short, thick legs, and short, full tails. Among the longhairs, the Chinchillas, with white coats tipped with black, and the Smoke, with white undercoat and black top coat, are especially striking. The Siamese have wedge shaped heads, long, svelte bodies, tall legs, and long, tapering tails. The Manx differs from other cats in having no tail at all.

As early as 3500 B.C., Egyptians were domesticating wildcats from Africa, and these domesticated wildcats became treasured pets and were honored in many forms of artwork for their skill in hunting and killing rodents such as snakes, rats and mice. The cat's first name in Egypt was Myeo or Mau. Early Egyptians believed that the glow from a cat's eyes held captive the light of the sun.  Cats were actually considered sacred by the Egyptians, and if a person killed a cat, they were usually put to death. Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a symbol of their grief when their pet cat died, and they made their dead cats into mummies.   

The domestic house cat may have up to 3 litters a year, the period of gestation being about 65 days. An average cat litter is of four or five kittens. Kittens are born blind, and the eyes open after about 10 days. All eyes are blue at first, but the coloring develops over the first weeks according to the variety. Some domestic house cats such as the Siamese and Burmese, keep their blue eyes.

Our Mission Statement: The Cat Encyclopedia was developed to provide comprehensive information about domestic house cats in a concise and simple to use format, complete with photographs of each breed of domestic house cat. Our goal is to provide domestic house cat owners and pet enthusiasts empowering information to create a healthy and loving environment for domestic house cats.

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