Caitains

The Caitains are a felinoid civilization originating from the planet Cait (alternatively known as Regulus or Ferasa), and are members of the United Federation of Planets.


Notes of Interest

Caitains range from one-and-a-half to slightly over two meters in height plus a tail, and are generally covered with fur and often an accompanying long mane; though those Caitains who live closest to the planet's equator are often hairless or have only a thin layer of fur. Fur and eye color vary. They have extremely good low-light vision and hearing, quick reflexes, short whiskers capable of sensing rough distance from/presence of objects extremely nearby, and voices that often resemble Earth felines, often rolling their r's when excited or distressed. They are capable of purring when particularly pleased, and in a bizarre inter-species coincidence off biology have been known to have an affinity for catnip tea—one Caitain soon after first contact with humanity is said to have claimed catnip was a sign they had made the right decision by agreeing to contact with the new species. In place of nails, they have retractable claws on the end of their fingers; some Caitain females will paint their claws with nail polish just as a human would their nails. They have an average lifespan roughly equal to that of humans.

Caitain society is generally organized around clan lines and places an emphasis on personal loyalty; however Caitain society tends to be fairly sexually liberal; many mated pairs are together for a short time only, such as to conceive kits, and even those who choose to mate for life will often occasionally engage in mutual dalliances outside their relationship. They will often wrap their tail around a potential or current partner as a sign of affection or interest. Mutual grooming is also an activity commonly engaged in by family, clan-mates, lovers, friends, and even co-workers or classmates to show affection or association. An extremely social species, they almost never live alone.

Caitain women almost always conceive twins, single births are rare, and socially considered a somewhat sad occurrence as the kit will have no littermates to grow up with. The entire clan generally participates in rearing children. Caitian names do not follow a gender pattern, so no name is distinctively male or female.