| rdfs:comment | - Treecats obtain their name from the felinoid appearance of the head, but the body, in both movement and shape, more closely resembles a Terran ferret or other mustelid. Treecats possess six limbs: the true-hands in front, possessing 3 fingers and an opposable thumb, the hand-paws midway down the body, which can be used either as extra hands or stabilizing extra feet, and the rearmost true-feet. All six limbs possess curved retractile claws approximately 1cm in length, composed of a tooth-like mineral construction with an extremely sharp inner edge. Treecat tails are prehensile, with the ability to be carried either rolled into a tube for warmth, or flattened to exposed the gripping underside surface. 'Cats also possess secondary nerve centers near the midlimbs, thought to be related to psy
- Treecats are a fictional species of intelligent lifeforms who take a prominent role in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels and anthologies written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books. Treecats are hexapedal (six-limbed) creatures native to the planet Sphinx orbiting Manticore A. They are (officially) rated 0.83 on the sentience scale, and are thought to be slightly more intelligent / mentally capable than Beowulf's grendels or perhaps Old Earth's dolphins. They are a long lived species.
- Despite the name treecat, some considered the species to more closely resemble members of the Terran weasel group Mustelidae. Since they had prehensile tails and were larger than Terran weasels, they were also roughly comparable to Terran bearcats in that respect and in size, though they were much more intelligent. Most considered treecat heads to be strikingly similar to those of Earth domesticated felines. There was no connection whatever with any of these. The name "treecat" was chosen by the first human to discover their existence (as well as the first person adopted by a 'cat), Stephanie Harrington, and it remained the common name for several hundred T-years.
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| abstract | - Treecats obtain their name from the felinoid appearance of the head, but the body, in both movement and shape, more closely resembles a Terran ferret or other mustelid. Treecats possess six limbs: the true-hands in front, possessing 3 fingers and an opposable thumb, the hand-paws midway down the body, which can be used either as extra hands or stabilizing extra feet, and the rearmost true-feet. All six limbs possess curved retractile claws approximately 1cm in length, composed of a tooth-like mineral construction with an extremely sharp inner edge. Treecat tails are prehensile, with the ability to be carried either rolled into a tube for warmth, or flattened to exposed the gripping underside surface. 'Cats also possess secondary nerve centers near the midlimbs, thought to be related to psychic ability. Treecats lack the vocal apparatus to speak other languages, but a modified version of sign language was eventually developed to allow them to speak to humans.
- Despite the name treecat, some considered the species to more closely resemble members of the Terran weasel group Mustelidae. Since they had prehensile tails and were larger than Terran weasels, they were also roughly comparable to Terran bearcats in that respect and in size, though they were much more intelligent. Most considered treecat heads to be strikingly similar to those of Earth domesticated felines. There was no connection whatever with any of these. The name "treecat" was chosen by the first human to discover their existence (as well as the first person adopted by a 'cat), Stephanie Harrington, and it remained the common name for several hundred T-years. Treecats' body length was commonly around 60 centimeters, not including tail (usually about the same length). Larger specimens grew to over 70 centimeters, though. The tail usually doubled the overall body length. Typical adult males weighed about 9-10kg (or 20-22 lbs); adult females were somewhat smaller weighing 8-9kg (17-20lbs). Males were usually cream and gray with faint stripes (rings) on the tail whose number correlate with age in Sphinx years, minus five years; females were typically dappled brown and white, without stripes. With age, fur lost pigmentation and became more gray in both sexes. Treecats were hexapedal, having six limbs with hand-like paws, with three fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand-paw. The front two pairs of limbs could both be used as hands. The paws were formidably armed with retractile centimeter-long claws on all paws (used for tree climbing, hunting, and attack and defense). The claws were notable in not being merely curved and pointed 'fingernails', but rather, curved, pointed, and much broader at the base than Terran feline claws. They were extremely sharp along the inside edge, and could thus not only pierce, but slice/shred as well. They were mineral based, more like teeth than like horn or nail in Terran animal claws or nails. Treecats had long curved teeth, mostly concealed when the mouth was closed. The tails were similar in function to those of some Terran monkeys, being prehensile, and functioning as an additional grasping limb. The tail was used to grip onto branches, leaving all three sets of hand-paws free. And, like several Terran animals (e.g. felines, some primates, and some monkeys), the tails served as a balance mechanism when moving. Unlike Terran animal tails it was not round, but actually very broad and flat, with no hair on the leathery underside. When not being used to grab something or balance, the tail was rolled up lengthwise such that the hairy side was outward, in a furry "tube" which appeared much as a Terran cat's tail would. When sitting, the tubular tails were often wrapped around the feet and, when sleeping, wrapped around the body, both much in the manner of Terran cats. Like many Terran furred animals, treecats grew and shed fur in response to climate change. The shedding/growing mechanism was not triggered by seasonal indicators, but changes in ambient temperature. The fur was thick, soft, three layered, and nearly frictionless, required insulation for anything to survive the intense and prolonged Sphinx winters without freezing in the absence of industrial technology. It thinned out as the weather grew warmer losing the middle layer and a thinning of the inner layer, but if there is an extreme change in temperature a Treecat will shed both the middle and inner layers. Treecats shed when it was warm, and were in this sense "high maintenance" in some situations when living with humans. Treecats would also use their shed fur in bases for their weaving and for insulating their nests. The equivalent of a war cry, or attack / threat warning, resembled a "ripping canvas" noise and could be quite loud. It was used only when about to fight in lethal earnest. Hissing, and a rumbling snarling growl, were used as imminent warnings. They also made a noise similar to a purr when contented and when treecats are worried about their humans due to injury or sickness their purring has been known to vibrate furniture, a shriek when traumatically injured, and several sounds (including bleeks, chirps, chitters, and croons) which variously conveyed (among other things) amusement, contentment, excitement, laughter, and derision—if not sarcasm, to other treecats and to humans as well. They also flicked their ears, tilted their heads, "flirted" their tails, and yawned—all of which are also communication signals and generally understandable by humans. Their vocal cords were ill-suited to anything resembling human speech, which was not a serious handicap in treecat society given their telempathic abilities. Treecats will reach maturity at about 8 Sphinx years of age (42 T-year) and reach full maturity at age 10 Sphinx years of age (52.5 T-years).
- Treecats are a fictional species of intelligent lifeforms who take a prominent role in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels and anthologies written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books. Treecats are hexapedal (six-limbed) creatures native to the planet Sphinx orbiting Manticore A. They are (officially) rated 0.83 on the sentience scale, and are thought to be slightly more intelligent / mentally capable than Beowulf's grendels or perhaps Old Earth's dolphins. They are a long lived species. They are protected by the Sphinx Forestry Service, and treecats most often bond to Sphinx residents as they are the only humans most treecats have ever encountered. Though exceedingly rare, bonding between a treecat and a human is widely regarded as the most extraordinary thing about the species.
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