Neko (cat) - Cat

Japanese: ネコ(猫) - ネコ

Carnivora, Felidae. It is said to be a domesticated version of the African wildcat, a subspecies of the European wildcat found in North Africa and India. There are records of African wildcats being kept as pets in Egyptian murals around 3000 BC, and it is thought to have been introduced to Japan from China during the Nara period. Its morphology is not very different from that of the original species. It has a keen sense of hearing, and its pupils change size depending on the light, allowing it to see well at night. It is good at climbing trees, and can skillfully catch prey with its forelimbs that have sharp claws. It has soft pads on the soles of its feet, allowing it to walk silently, and its claws are usually retracted into their sheaths. Its gestation period is 60 to 69 days. It produces 2 to 8 pups per litter, usually 4 pups, and its lifespan is 10 to 30 years, with a large degree of variation. There are not many breeds, but they are not well classified. Cats are generally classified into long-haired (such as Persian cats) and short-haired (such as Siamese, Abyssinian, and Manx) cats based on the length of their hair. They are also divided into black, white, calico, and tabby cats based on the color of their hair. Calico cats are common in females, but extremely rare in males, who are also infertile. This is because the gene related to the development of calico is located on the X chromosome, and so calico males theoretically cannot be produced. There is no established theory as to why this occurs. In addition to being used as pets and to exterminate mice, their skin is used for the body of a shamisen instrument, with the skin of female white cats being considered particularly good.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

食肉目ネコ科。北アフリカ〜インドに分布するヨーロッパヤマネコの１亜種であるリビアネコを飼いならしたものといわれる。前3000年ころエジプトで壁画に飼われていた記録があり，日本へは奈良時代に中国から渡来したと思われる。形態は原種とあまり違わない。聴覚が鋭く，瞳孔(どうこう)は明るさに応じて大きさを変え夜でもよく見える。木登りがうまく，獲物を鋭い鉤爪(かぎづめ)をもった前肢で巧みにとらえる。足の裏には柔らかい肉球があって音をたてずに歩くことができ，鉤爪はふだんは鞘に引っ込めている。妊娠期間は60〜69日間。１腹２〜８子，平生４子，寿命は10〜30年で変異は大きい。品種はあまり多くないが，十分に分類されていない。一般に毛の長さにより，長毛種（ペルシアネコなど）と短毛種（シャムネコ，アビシニアン，マンクスなど）に大別される。また毛色により，黒，白，三毛(みけ)，とらなどに分けられる。三毛は雌では普通だが，雄では非常にまれで，しかも生殖能力がない。これは三毛発現に関係する遺伝子がX染色体上にあるためで，雄の三毛は理論的には生じない。なぜこれが生まれるかについては，まだ定説がない。愛がん用，ネズミの駆除などに用いられるほか，皮は三味線の胴皮に利用され，特に白ネコの雌の皮がよいとされる。

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