Why Male Cats Are Called Tomcats

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Male cats used to be called "rams" or "boars" until a popular novel was published in 1760 about a cat named Tom.  The Life and Adventures of a Cat has been attributed to the British author William Guthrie, but authorship hasn't been verified.  For more information click here.  For more terms relating to cats click here.

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Domestic Cats Are About 9,000 Years Old

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The modern domestic cat descended from Sardinian, Central Asian, European, and Sub-Saharan African wild cats, and the Chinese desert cat.  Archaeologists and historians estimate that cats became domesticated about 8,000 or 9,000 years ago.  For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?

Polydactyl Felines...or Six-Toed Cats!

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Cats normally have five toes in their front paws and four toes on their back paws.   Cats with six or more toes on their paws (polydactyl cats) are commonly found in New England, Nova Scotia, and Sweden.  Polydactyl cats are virtually never found in Europe.  For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?