The Cat's Out of the Bag Trivia Quiz

Answer: Asian leopard cat

The Asian leopard cat (ALC) is a small wild cat. There are about ten subspecies and range from India through East Asia up to Siberia and the various archipelagoes of Southeast Asia. They are distantly related to the leopard but are much smaller, about house cat size. Bengal cats go back to the 1930s.

They have beautiful spotting. I made up the three incorrect answers. Since the Bengal domesticated cat is spotted, rather than striped, I was pretty sure it was not related to the Bengal tiger, which is not a small wild cat.

Answer: the Bombay

According to a website on the history of the Bombay cat, Louisville, Kentucky, cat breeder Nikki Horner was inspired by the beauty of the black leopard of India and began breeding the Bombay cat in 1953, although it was first recognized as a new breed in 1976. If you google "Calcutta cat," you will find out about a type of boat called the Calcutta catamaran. Lhasa refers to a dog breed called the Lhasa Apso. If you google "Beijing cat," you will discover a volunteer organization dedicated to rescuing cats.

Answer: exotic cats

The lack of the term "breeds" is probably a giveaway to this question, as the website I was using for research uses the term "cat breeds" for the species it calls Felis catus or Felis domesticus.

Answer: hybrid cat breeds

The website also uses the term "mixed cat breeds" for the hybrid group. It says a hybrid "is any cat that has more than one breed in its blood." Purebred domestic cats are the group of "natural cat breeds," while the "mutation cat breeds" are those bred for some specific unusual mutated characteristic, such in the cases of the Scottish fold or the Sphynx breeds.

Answer: all of these and more

The range of the cougar extends from southern Canada all the way to southern Argentina, and with forty names in English alone, the cat holds the Guinness record for the animal with the most names. In Iowa we often call it a mountain lion, but as the mascot for the University of Northern Iowa, we call it a panther. Penn State's Nittany Lion mascot is also of this species, as are the Cougar mascots of the University of Houston and Washington State.

Answer: Her owner didn't know

Owner Tabatha Bundesen says on the Grumpy Cat website that Tardar Sauce's mother was a calico domestic shorthair and her father "had gray and white stripes" without identifying a breed. She goes on to say that T.S. looked nothing like either parent, and she (Bundesen) is not even confident that the "father" was the actual father. Tardar Sauce's facial expression was due to feline dwarfism. Grumpy Cat's photo sessions were once a week and will always be available even though the cat has now passed on.

Answer: Persian

Griddlebone is also a member of Macavity's crime group. Persians are a long-hair breed, while the other choices are all short-haired and are not often seen as white. The Persian was first developed in Britain, but since World War II has occupied the top spot among American cat breeders.

The "peke-face," named after similar characteristics of the Pekingese dog breed, is a recent development which has generated a lot of discussion among cat fanciers.

Answer: Siamese

Other Siamese celebrities, if you please, include British PM Harold Wilson's Nemo, Syd Barrett's Lucifer Sam (who was also the subject of a Pink Floyd song), and Anthony Burgess' Lalage. The Siamese characteristic of crossed eyes, once common with the breed, has been largely eliminated through selective breeding.

Answer: It is a coat color variety, like tabby.

The tortoiseshell coat coloration has shades of red and black although the red shade may be up to orange color, with small areas of white or cream sometimes. Several breeds come in tortoiseshell, including both long and short hair. And, yes, there is not only a "Cats for Dummies," but also a "Kittens for Dummies." Before I attempt to do another cat quiz, I am definitely going to have to buy a book for help.

Answer: Maine Coon Cat

One thing for sure, the Maine Coon cat did not originate as a mixture of cats and raccoons, something I know isn't possible, even though I don't know much about cats. One theory as to their origin is that they descended from long hair cats brought to America by an Englishman named Captain Charles Coon.

Other names for the Maine Coon cat are Maine shag, snowshoe cat, and American longhair.