The Cat Family
Level F/G
by Kathy Staugler
Illustrated by Travis Schaeffer
© 1997-2012 n2y, Inc.
Unique Learning System®
Leveled Book, The Cat Family, Level F/G
Animal Kingdom
1
Scientists study animal groups. Scientists want
to learn how animals are the same and different.
Scientists want to know how animals live and grow.
This large group of all animals is called the Animal
Kingdom. All the animals in the forest, the farm,
the rainforest and the ocean belong to the Animal
Kingdom. Did you know that people are part of the
Animal Kingdom too?
Mammals
2
Scientists make a family tree to learn about
animals that are alike. One group is called
mammals. Mammals have hair or fur. Baby
mammals are born from their mother. The mother
mammal feeds milk to the baby. Did you know that
people are mammals too?
3
Scientists look for more ways that animals are
alike. One group is called the Felidae Family. That
means the cat family. No, people are not part of the
cat family! There are many different kinds of cats
in the family. Cats can be found all over the world,
except in the tundra biome.
4
Some cats are big. Some cats are small. But
cats in this family have many ways they are alike.
Cats are mammals. They have fur. Many have fur
with stripes or spots. Cats feed milk to their babies.
All cats have a short face. Cats have large eyes
which help them see very well. Cats can smell very
well too. This helps them hunt for food.
5
Cats are hunters. They eat meat from other
animals. Most cats will hunt for their food. Cats
have five toes on their front paws and four toes on
their back paws. That extra tow in the front helps
them catch their food. Cats like to sleep in the day
and hunt for food at night. Cats have whiskers that
help them sense things that are around them. If a
cat falls, it will usually land on its feet.
6
These are some of the ways that cats are alike.
But there are also ways that cats are different. On
the next pages, you will learn about several different
cats in the Felidae family. How are these cats
alike? How are they different?
HOUSE CAT
7
• The house cat is a good pet. It is the
most popular pet all over the world.
• House cats hunt for small animals, like mice.
• House cats are small and usually weigh about
12 pounds.
• A house cat is too small to roar, so it makes a
purring sound.
• House cats spend a lot of time licking their
coats to keep clean.
8
LION
• The lion is one of the big cats.
• Wild lions live in Africa and Asia.
• The male lion is known for its mane, or long
hair around its face.
•The roar of a lion can be heard 5 miles away.
• Lions sleep about 20 hours every day.
9
TIGER
• The tiger is the biggest cat. The adult tiger is
about 11 feet long and weighs 600 pounds.
• Tigers are known for the stripes on their fur.
• Tiger cubs live with their mother until they are
two years old.
• Tigers live in Asia, including China, India
and Russia.
• Tigers hunt alone at night for their food.
BOBCAT
10
• Bobcats like to be alone. They come out at
night, but don’t like to be around people.
• Bobcats have a soft reddish-brown fur.
• This cat is named for its tail - the bobcat’s tail is
short and looks like it has been cut or “bobbed.”
• Bobcats live in forests, swamps and deserts in
North America.
LEOPARD
11
• Leopards are known for their spots on their fur.
• A leopard’s tail is about as long as its body.
• Leopards do not like to live with other animals,
not even other leopards.
• Leopards sleep in the day and hunt for food
at night.
• Leopards hide their food high in a tree where
other animals cannot find it.
12
The cat family tells us how cats look and live.
Some are very different, but in many ways alike.
Glossary
Animal Kingdom - all living or extinct animals
mammals - warm-blooded vertebrate animals
© 1997-2012 n2y, Inc.
Unique Learning System®
Leveled Book, The Cat Family, Level F/G
yes
no
The Cat Family
hunt
same
different
group
Animal
kingdom
people
mammal
eat
big / large
small
cat
family
stripe
spot
roar
biggest
alone
eyes
food
meat
house cat
hide
short
long
pet
lion
tiger
night
bobcat
tail
leopard
tree
© 1997-2012 n2y, Inc.
Unique Learning System®
Leveled Book, The Cat Family, Level F/G
Index for Photographs
The images found in this lesson fall under a Creative Commons license. Please note the citation
listed for each individual image below. For information on use or redistribution of any of these
images, please visit: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/
Page 1 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Animal_diversity_October_2007.jpg
Page 2 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Mammal_Diversity_2011.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Familia_3510.jpg
Title, Page 3, Page 6, Page 12, Page 7 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Six_weeks_
old_cat_%28aka%29.jpg
Title, Page 3, Page 6, Page 12, Page 8 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Lion-1.jpg
Title, Page 3, Page 6, Page 12, Page 9 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Siberischer_tiger_de_edit02.jpg
Title, Page 3, Page 6, Page 12, Page 10 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Bobbie_2010_2.jpg
Title, Page 3, Page 6, Page 12, Page 11 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Charging_
Leopard-001.JPG
Page 4 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Tiger_colchester.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Flickr_-_Rainbirder_-_Leopard.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Jurvetson_-_A_New_Mom_%28by%29.jpg
Page 5 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Hunting_tiger.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Leopard_in_Heat.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Sleeping_lion.jpg
© 1997-2012 n2y, Inc.
Unique Learning System®
Leveled Book, The Cat Family, Level F/G