That’s me! Actually, that’s us! You know, cats!
Hi, I’m Freddy the Cat. It’s nice to meet you! I’ll be your tour guide throughout this book and I’m proud to be introducing you to my species in general and offering you a lot of cool details about us. It should be pretty exciting exploring the wonderful world of us kitties, don’t you think? Ready or not, here we go!
They tell me this Felis silvestris catus designation is a Latin-based term that humans use in their taxonomical classification systems to refer to the beautiful, cuddly, meowing creatures found living on this planet that so many people lovingly know as felines. I don’t why they have this obsession with using Latin, which I understand that they refer to as a dead language. Well, dead is dead, so I say why mess around with its much-desired eternal rest!
Anyway, this Felis silvestris catus could be translated as “domestic cat” or “housecat.” That’s much simpler to deal with, wouldn’t you agree? And it makes sense since we like to hang out in houses and we are fully into the domesticated lounge-on-the-couch, sleep-on-the-bed, and patrol-the-kitchen scene. Cool, huh!
The generally accepted what’s-up-with-us basics are that we’re small, furry, carnivorous mammals that are especially appreciated for our getting along really well with humans. We’re also known for our super expert hunting skills of spiders, mice, lizards, cockroaches, and other bothersome pests that invade the household territories.
“Small,” they say? Well, that’s a relative term. As long as you don’t use it disrespectfully, I’m okay with that.
“Furry?” Without a doubt. You should see the luxurious coat I wear around for everybody to see!
Carnivorous mammals? Yeah, we like meat. A lot! Beef and maybe pork are acceptable if prepared properly. Chicken is paw licking delicious. And more than anything, if you got any fish in the house, that would be the most recommendable and tasty of all.
By the way, someone told me once that fish is not meat but rather it’s... fish. Say what? Well, who cares. Call it what you want, but for this kitty, it’s fish, fish, and more fish. And don’t be worrying about whether it fits in the carnivorous classification or not. Just pop open one of those little, round cans of the cut-up, savory swimming things and I’ll be meowing my thanks to you in delight!
As for the “hunter of pests” part, we’ve got that situation under control at all times. It’s natural for us to be on the lookout for those crawling or climbing creatures, either using them as movable playthings or simply going for the kill once and for all. In other words, you can feel safe from unwanted invasions or bothersome visits when you’ve got a Freddy the Cat hanging out around the house. We’re on guard duty 24/7, and that’s a 365, okay!