Common Species Names - Feline

Lay people and professionals use terms to describe in one word the status of an animal. The term may relate to the sexual status of an animal (intact or sexually functional, or altered or sexually nonfunctional) or the age status of an animal. Terms have also been derived to denote the process of giving birth and the grouping of animals.

feline (fē-līn): cats

tom: intact (not sexually altered) male cat

queen: intact female cat

kitten: young cat

queening: giving birth to kittens