Cait
Cait is a terrestrial (M class) world with a somewhat warmer climate than Earth, giving it a greater percentage of tropical regions. It is most noted for being the home world of the Federation's most widespread felinoid race, the Caitians. The planet has 2 moons, and its sun is in the Lynx constellation (no pun intended).
Caitians are descended from creatures resembling Terran felines rather than primates. This may be due to unlike most other terrestrial worlds, Cait has no fruit plants resembling banana trees. They are what some call quasi-humanoid, having a fully bipedal walk, manipulative hands, and large braincases. Caitians are digigrade, walking on the balls of their feet with the tail acting as a small counterweight. Caitian women would otherwise be the perfect customers for high-heeled shoes.
Caitians stand generally 1.6 to 2 meters in height. Their bodies are covered with a coat of fur. A Caitian's fur is usually a shade of tan, though some have reddish coats and a small number are melanistic and albinos. Their head hair is not unlike a human's, reminding some Terrans of the appearance of a mane. Most Caitians have golden eyes, with green and blue appearing on some, though other colors are not unknown.
Information on Caitians, regrettably, has been inconsistent. Different sources have differing viewpoints of their temperament, diet, etc. The FASA databank for instance states Caitians are vegetarians. But other databanks either contradict this or make no mention of it. That is, if Caitians are mentioned at all. Some notable databanks, including the Paramount and Neo-Berkley University ones, have no mention of Caitians. Why they would be absent from the Paramount databanks is especially puzzling as Caitian actress M'Gel once headed Paramount's Barret Media division (she was dismissed after a deal made between the main company and the Federation's Public Broadcasting Service).
Caitian civilization arose as the people began raising animals they hunted to eventually eat and develop agriculture to
grow catnip grow the plants they needed to feed them. When contacted by the Federation, the Caitians were advanced in
bio-medical sciences (don't ever call it veterinarian medicine), but had never ventured beyond their home planet, "Can you imagine
lingering in one of your 'Apollo' suits for hours without sweat glands?" Despite their delayed start, Cait went on to develop a major
starship construction facility for the Federation, "We get a lot of requests from non-human planets who want to make sure their builder
will keep tails in mind when building the chairs and toilets."
Despite their appearance which some see as predatory, Caitians as a whole get along well with humans and other Federation races. Caitians are sometimes puzzled by the reactions they get from humans as some seem especially interested with friendships with adult Caitians, "Does this have anything to do with certain terms in your language?" That the purring quality of their voices seems to get certain responses from humans is a further cause of confusion. Caitian entertainers can be found throughout the Federation from music concerts to "gentlemans' clubs," and Caitian worlds in turn have a demand for Terran Japanese-style animes and magnas, as well as a number of sci-fi/fantasy comics from Terra's 1990's and early 21st Century, "You humans are crazy, but you can come up with some ... interesting stories."
*****
"If you're a Terran, and you're visiting a Caitian world for the first time, there are a few things you need to know:
Never order a Caitian into a room by saying "Here kitty kitty."
Caitians do not drink milk by lapping it out of saucers.
When you throw a rubber mouse in front of a Caitian, he/she will not drop everything and chase it.
The symbol for a restroom is not a litterbox.
It's not smart to give Caitians nicknames such as "Tom," "Garfield," "Patches," and "Muffy."
Calling male Caitians a certain term of endearment that also means "female reproductive organ" can get you a severe pummeling.
Caitians do not appreciated being petted or stroked, unless it's a particuarly open-minded member of the opposite sex, in which case you may get more than you bargined for ... "
From Risian comedian Cyrno-Cyrno