Cat-egorically Speaking Trivia Quiz

Answer: Neva Masquerade

Nevas are rare. I don't know for sure why they are called "masquerades" but it's likely because they have a partial face mask (Tabbyish in appearance but gray in colour). The breed originated in Russia. Our cat Sadie is highly food motivated so can be taught tricks in the same way as a dog.

At 13 lbs she is certainly not small, but isn't nearly as large as the other breeds on the list. All the cats listed in the question have long, fluffy coats.

Answer: Ragdoll

While many of the incorrect options might happily ride on your shoulder, they are all short haired cats. Ragdolls are noted for their limpness when being held. You need big shoulders if you're going to carry them that way as ragdolls are one of the larger breeds.

While they are touted as being lap cats, ours was having none of that. She was a rescue and had multiple health issues. She lived to age 15 despite that, so maybe there is something to be said for having a laid back kind of personality.

Answer: Caracal

Cougars don't live in Africa and have small ears in proportion to head size. Likewise for cheetahs regarding ear size. Civets are not really cats according to taxonomy. I am not sure why they are called "civet cats" in the vernacular, since to me they look like ferrets on steroids. Caracals have huge ears. All the better to hear you with my dear. Oh wait, that's a wolf. Never mind.

Answer: Manx

Manx cats have no tail at all, or a "nub", or a stub. It's a genetic thing and not the result of nasty human intervention, although this was not always the case in the early 1900s. Manx cats frequently do not breed true, so the minority born with tails would have them cut off, mostly to defraud buyers. If different cat breeds are mated with a Manx, some of the kittens will have tails of varying length but some will not have tails. The kittens without are the only ones who have the potential to pass on the dominant gene. Attempts to keep rebreeding Manx to Manx to force them to breed true resulted in life-threatening genetic disorders involving the spine.

Bobcats are wild and you wouldn't want to "own" one. All the lops are domestic breeds of rabbits and their name refers to their floppy ears, not the lack of a tail. The Flemish bobtail is also a rabbit but is better known as a Giant.

Answer: Cheetah

Cougars, pumas and mountain lions are different names for the same cat (Puma concolor). The names vary from region to region. On the east coast of the US they can also be called catamounts or Florida panthers (although the latter is a smaller subspecies).

If a person decided to try to "tame" one of the larger wild cats (for educational purposes ONLY, not as a pet) a cheetah would probably be the best choice. Good luck catching one if it gets away though, because it is the fastest land mammal on Earth.

Answer: Lynx

Big cats (meaning genus Panthera - there's only four of them, or five if you take into account there are two leopards in the group) cannot purr. They are able to roar because somewhere along the evolutionary line a bone in the voice box (present in all other cats) was replaced by a ligament instead.

The traits of purring and roaring are mutually exclusive, so cats can do one or the other, but not both. All other cats can purr, scream, growl or mew, but they can't roar.

Answer: Turkish Van

The Turkish Van is the least white of all the options. Angoras are pure white, head to toe. They are from Turkey as well and considered to be the ancestors of all Persians (or possibly any other long haired cat) today. Khao Manee are pure white cats from Thailand.

Cats that are pure white with blue eyes are often deaf. If they are "odd eyed" meaning two eyes of different colours, which is frequent, they are usually only deaf in the ear that is on the same side as the blue eye.

Byzantium was later called Constantinople and even later called Istanbul. I don't know about you, but I am old and I am tired of all the names being changed on the maps. I don't know where anything is anymore lol.

Answer: Sphynx

Although the Sphynx (also known as the Canadian Sphynx) sounds like it should come from Egypt, it doesn't. The breed was created in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the mid 1960s.

The Sphynx cat is sort of creepy looking, but perhaps that is part of the appeal. I personally prefer all of my four legged friends to be furry, except for lizards and amphibians of course.

The incorrect answers are very short haired or hairless dogs.

Answer: Sand cat

A sand cat (also known as a sand dune cat) is the smallest on the list of choices, weighing in at a max of 7.5 lbs or 3.4 kg. All the other options are more than quadruple that. Ocelots live in rain forests and servals like the grasses of savannahs. Caracals, while adaptable, are secretive and need cover to hide in, so it would be rare to see one roaming a desert.

Sand cats are interesting because they are not only one of the smallest wildcats, but they have lots of hairs between the toes that protect their paws from the heat of the sand. Those hairs also obscure their footprints which makes it difficult for biologists to track/study them. They are extremely susceptible to respiratory diseases so survival rates are not good in zoos in temperate regions or zoos which do not provide completely arid enclosures. They are also the wildcat in this group that most closely resembles a modern day house cat. Google it if interested, they are quite cute.

Answer: Munchkin

Munchkins, as you might guess, are on the small side. They are sort of like the dachshunds of the cat world. There has been quite a bit of controversy about the origins of their breeding and health concerns. Of this writing they are only recognized by two international registries.

The other options do not exist as cat breeds. As an aside, while cats are all about being carnivores, the occasional addition of pumpkin and melon to their diet can be a beneficial treat.. cats either like it or they don't. You know, it's a "cat thang".