The Cat Encyclopedia For Kids

The Cat Encyclopedia For Kids — page 3 — History of Domesticated Cats Scientists believe that around 8,000 or even 12,000 years ago wildcats made their ways to farms in what was known as the Fertile Crescent Today that area is called the Middle East These wildcats hunted rodents at the farms The farmers liked this so they allowed the cats to stay This was the start of cats becoming domesticated Over time humans gave the cats food and shelter The cats changed to fit this environment and became tame Eventually cat populations spread across the world Cats were very useful on ships where they hunted mice And cats in Ancient Egypt were deeply respected Later people around the world started keeping cats as pets In the 1800s people started developing different cat breeds Today there are more than 100 different breeds of domestic cats Cats make loveable companions for many people

The Cat Encyclopedia For Kids — page 4 — Some cats such as the toyger have been bred to look like wild tigers

The Cat Encyclopedia For Kids — page 5 — Abyssinian Breed History The Abyssinian is one of the oldest cat breeds Early Abyssinian lovers did not keep breed records So the breed’s exact origin is unknown Near the end of the 1800s England was involved in a war in Ethiopia At the time Ethiopia was known as Abyssinia Some people think the first Abyssinian cat came to England not long after the fighting ended Cat enthusiasts claimed that this first cat was from Abyssinia That is how the breed got its name However scientists later discovered that the Abyssinian cat most likely came from Asia

The Cat Encyclopedia For Kids — page 6 — Appearance Abyssinians are known for their distinctive coats The fur is short thick soft and silky It is also richly colored Much of the coat is ticked Each ticked hair has two or three bands of black brown or blue The cat’s undersides chest and legs have no ticking An Abyssinian’s coat color may be ruddy red blue or fawn Ruddy coats are orange brown with dark-brown or black ticking Red coats are a warm red color with chocolate brown bands Blue coats are beige with slate-blue bands Fawn coats are pink beige with cocoa-brown ticking Abyssinians are medium-sized cats with graceful muscular bodies Both males and females can weigh between 8 and 12 pounds 3 5 and 5 4 kg

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