by Christian O. Leiter

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammilia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus: Felis

Species: F. spaien

Binomial Name

Felis spaien

Unlike humans, who seek to explain and manipulate natural phenomena through science, philosophy, mythology and religion, Kats are notable for their ability to understand and influence the world around them. Kats demonstrate a cool persona and generally accept things as they come. They are very similar to cats in behaviour, mannerisms, likes, dislikes, and abilities.

Physiology and genetics Kat body types vary substantially. Although body size is largely determined by genes, it is also significantly influenced by environmental factors such as diet and exercise, the same as humans. The average height of an adult Kat is about 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 to 6 feet) tall, although this varies significantly from place to place. Unlike their felis domesticus relatives, Kats are capable of fully bipedal locomotion, thus leaving their arms available for manipulating objects using their hands, aided especially by opposable thumbs. The hue of Kat hair and skin is determined by the presence of pigments called melanins. Kat skin hues can range from very dark brown to very pale pink, while their hair colour ranges from blonde to brown to red to black, depending on the amount of melanin the skin. Humans and Kats are a eukaryotic species. Each diploid cell has two sets of 23 chromosomes, each set received from one parent. There are 22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. By present estimates, humans and Kats have approximately 20,000 – 25,000 genes. Like other mammals, they have an XY sex-determination system, so that females have the sex chromosomes XX and males have XY. The X chromosome is larger and carries many genes not on the Y chromosome, which means that recessive diseases associated with X-linked genes, such as hemophilia, affect males more often than females.

Skeleton Kats have 7 cervical vertebrae like almost all mammals, 13 thoracic vertebrae, 7 lumbar vertebrae, 5 sacral vertebrae like most mammals, and 22 or 23 caudal vertebrae. The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae account for the Kat's enhanced spinal mobility and flexibility, compared with humans. The caudal vertebrae form the tail, used by the Kat as a counterbalance to the body during quick movements. Kats also have free-floating clavicle bones, which allow them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their head, much like their smaller domesticated cousins.

Flexibility During a fall from a high place, a Kat can reflexively twist its body and right itself using its acute sense of balance and flexibility. This is known as the cats’ "righting reflex". It always rights itself in the same way, provided it has the time to do so, during a fall. A Kat mostly moves its hind legs and relies on conservation of angular momentum to set up for landing; the tail isn’t generally used. Because of their overall flexibility, a Kat is a great yoga partner. They do not call it yoga, only stretching, but a Kat can bend itself backwards and forwards and always touch the floor or their legs. Dancing is a favourite activity for a lot of Kats because of the flexibility and constant movement factor.

Ears Thirty-two individual muscles in each ear allow for a manner of directional hearing: a Kat can move each ear independently of the other. Because of this mobility, a Kat can move its body in one direction and point its ears in another direction. Most Kats have straight ears pointing upward. Flap-eared Kats are extremely rare. When angry or frightened, a Kat will lay back its ears, to accompany the growling or hissing sounds they make. Kats also turn their ears back when they are playing, or to listen to a sound coming from behind them. The angle of a Kats’ ears, along with their tail, is an important clue to their mood, which is something many humans become jealous of.

Senses Kats have highly advanced hearing, eyesight, taste, and touch receptors, making the Kat extremely sensitive among mammals. Kats' night vision is superior to humans although their vision in daylight is inferior. Humans and Kats have a similar range of hearing on the low end of the scale, but Kats can hear much higher-pitched sounds, up to 64 kHz, which is 1.6 octaves above the range of a human, and even one octave above the range of a dog. A Kat's sense of smell is about fourteen times as strong as a human's. Their sense of taste is equal to a human’s; their tongues have the rough papillae like a feline’s and is used along with their teeth for tearing meat and sometimes bathing.

Eyes Kats’ eyes have slit pupils which enlarge during nighttime for maximum visual ability. When Kats are born, their eyes are blue, but the colour changes as they grow older. Eye colours for Kats are commonly blue, green, yellow, and—rarely—brown. Even rarer are bi-colour eyes. Along with the usual top and bottom lids found on humans, Kats have a third eyelid, called the nictating membrane. It protects the eye from dryness and/or damage. As seen in the animal, Kats’ eyes are sensitive to light and enable them to see quite well in the dark. Their eyes are able to function in approximately one-sixth of the light needed for human vision. The size of the Kats’ eye is relatively larger than those found in human, this enables a larger pupil and therefore more light to enter the eye. Generally, the lens is more curved enabling sharper focusing even at the edges of the lens. The size of the anterior chamber and the curvature of the cornea are also greater, which helps more light to be refracted onto the light-sensitive retina. Another feature is the tapetum lucidum, which enabled the amount of light hitting the retina to be increased. This is positioned at the back of the eye, behind the retina. It acts like a mirror, reflecting light back onto the light sensor cells in the retina. That’s the reason a cat’s eyes glow when caught in head beams or flashlights beams. Their eyes have tiny mirrors that are reflecting your own light!

Diet Kats can be selective eaters. Their diet consists mostly of meat, since their digestive tracts aren’t exactly formulated for leafy foods, but there are some that do not consume meat. Some Kats have a fondness for catnip, which is sensed by their olfactory systems. While they generally do not consume it, they will often roll in it, paw at it, and occasionally chew on it. Some consider it to be a safer “weed”.

Metabolism Similar to cats, Kats conserve energy by sleeping more than most animals, especially as they grow older. The daily duration of sleep varies, usually 10–14 hours, with 12–13 being the average. Some Kats can sleep as much as 20 hours in a 24-hour period, but it’s not universal to all Kats. Due to their crepuscular nature, Kats are often known to enter a period of increased activity and playfulness during the evening and early morning.

Behaviour Sexuality and love The sexual choices of both humans and Kats are essentially the same. The choices are usually influenced by cultural norms, which vary widely. Religious beliefs or social customs also influence their choices. Sigmund Freud believed that humans are born essentially perverted, which means that any number of objects could be a source of pleasure. According to Freud, humans then pass through five stages of psychosexual development and can fixate on any stage because of various traumas during the process. According to Alfred Kinsey, another influential sex researcher, people can fall anywhere along a continuous scale of sexual orientation--with only small minorities fully heterosexual or homosexual.

Aggression When upset, scared, or engaged in fighting, Kats instinctively raise their fur and bare their teeth to make themselves seem more threatening. A deep, throaty growl vibrates their vocal cords, another warning sign of their mood.

Play Kats, particularly young ones, love to play. Tumbling, boxing, running, generally any type of physical exercise is a means of socializing with others. They will continue such playful banter until their early teenage years. Hygiene Kats are known for their fastidious cleanliness, exactly the same as cat. They constantly brush their hair and fur and bathe daily. It is not universal, but most Kats have a condition similar to OCD: obsessive compulsive disorder. Meaning that if something is not how it usually is, whether it is a physical condition or environmental change, the Kat will constantly make sure it is how it should be. It is not a serious condition, but it can become quite annoying for any humans who converse with them or live with them.

Fondness for heights Most Kats have a noted fondness for settling in high places, or perching. Researchers have found that by sitting and observing from a high point, a cat surveys its “territory”, much like a king. Wherever the Kat decides to live, or whomever they decide to live with, that area is “theirs”. If a strange or threatening animal or person wanders in teat the Kat does not want, s/he will attack. The high vantage point, such as a tree or even the rooftop, gives the Kat the advantage of height and supreme opportunity.

Relationships

…with animals Kats generally get along well with animals, particularly felines. Dogs are not their favourite companions, but sometimes they will bond and get along really well. Fish and birds are seen as miniature playmates, so if a person owns a bird and keeps a Kat in the house, the bird might not last very long.

…with other Kats The females get along very well. The male Kats, however, can sometimes get on one another’s nerves and can cause a violent outburst. Like humans, a male Kat feels protective over their “significant other”; if that person is hurt or hit on, then the male will more than likely lash out with intent to cause harm. Most of the time, Kats are very mellow. Males and females in groups get along very well; it is only when there is a threat factor involved that violence breaks out.

…with humans Kats will usually pick a human or a type of human to latch on to. Some of them are the type similar to cats, that if you feed them or pet them, they will love you forever. If someone does something to them that they do not like, or if they hurt a friend or family member, someone the Kat considers “theirs”, then they will hold a grudge against the offender for quite a while. It is not universal, but it is common.

…in society Kats are generally accepted as humans in lower and middle-class society, but the upper classes find it difficult to accept. They see a Kat as a lower life-form, no more than an overgrown housecat with eh ability to speak and give attitude. There is a small, but growing, black market sale of Kats. People buy them for any number of reasons, and it is not considered illegal because the government of most countries is ruled by the rich and high-status—the ones who deny Kats’ humanity.

Kats in the future

Taking action There are some Kats who have joined with humans to fight for their equal rights, just as the African Americans, and minorities of the United States did throughout the 20th century. Some have joined political groups, while others joined underground terrorist units. Both have the same ultimate goal in mind, but they each have their own way of succeeding.

Population Some scientists’ research suggests the Kats will decrease in number until they are all but extinct. They describe the feline-human hybrids as a tribe, like the natives of Africa or South America, and they will continue to fall to human disease and intervention until they die out. Many groups support this suggestion as evidence, such as the Aztecs of Middle America and the Columbia and Anaja of the Southwest United States.