Overview: Caitians

The Caitians are probably the most popular race on Star Trek not to feature prominently on the live-action TV shows or the movies, simply because the makeup budget would have been restrictive or perhaps not very realistic. The race first appeared in the Animated Series, in the form of Communications Officer Lt M'Ress but they have proved quite popular among players of online Trek games, and now on the new animated series Lower Decks as Doctor T'Ana.

Much of what is written about the species is at best apocryphal, but what has been established so far is that the Caitians are a species of felinoids whose homeworld, Cait, is not their native world. They fled their original planet, Ferasa Prime, when a genetically-augmented, militaristic offshoot of their race took over. Today, no Caitians ever consider themselves Ferasans.

Caitians are a bipedal species, with height comparable to humans and taller, and often feature a thick blonde-brown mane (though current fashions have led many of them to shave these off, giving both males and females a more streamlined look). They are best known for being one of the few sentient species with a prehensile tail, some possessing a bushy tail end, others lacking it; the tail serves no vital purposes except as an illustration of its owner's mood at the time, though it plays an important part of their identity. Their fur ranges in colour from tan to reddish-tan to deep black, and their faces sport a short muzzle, though some depictions of Caitians show them with more human faces. 

Their senses are considered superior to most humanoids. They can see in what others would consider total darkness. They possess excellent hearing with a frequency range beyond that of most humanoids which made them ideal candidates for communications officers, and their sense of smell would allow them to track an individual scent over a long distance (though this is an ability that requires training not given to the majority of the Caitian population). 

In the base of their fingers are short but sharp retractable claws, which begin to grow from a pre-natal stage; there are rules of etiquette involving their use and care, and it would be considered a profound assault to forcibly remove a Caitian's claws, as it would their tail. There have been some depictions of  Caitians  with  more  paw-like appendages, at least on their feet.

Caitian physiology greatly resembles Human, to the point of making them sexually compatible between species; they also have a broad spectrum of sexual preference (there was a line of dialogue in an episode of Lower Decks indicating that Dr T'Ana possessed "coital hooks", but this has not been verified as being either a joke, a metaphor or a rare physical trait with the character). On reaching puberty Caitian females begin producing bursts of pheromones designed to attract mates, bursts occurring for several weeks per year, periods known as Seasons; chemical suppressors can be taken during a female's Season to prevent any interruption to their lives (likewise, synthetic pheromones can be purchased for sexual enhancement at non-Season times, or for those pairings who do not benefit from a natural Season). Males also produce pheromones but to a lesser degree, the strongest surge at the start of their teenage years, inducing competition between males and attraction from females. Scent plays an important part in bonding between Caitians, to the point where a bonded couple's own scent will alter over time, to give off an "unavailable" marking.

Caitian voices often resemble the purring of Terran cats. Caitian names do not follow a gender pattern, so no name is distinctively male or female. Contrary to some ignorant opinions, they do not meow, and do not take kindly to human jokes comparing them to cats.

Caitians have a reputation for being one of the most cooperative and intelligent members of the Federation. Caitian culture emphasises a love of beauty and a focus on personal loyalty, both within the individual and between individuals. The interlocking individual and clan relationships that existing in their society are the main cause of this focus on loyalty (hence the schism that arose within Esek Hrelle's clan as he chose to join Starfleet rather than take over the clan's fishing business).

Caitians believed in a Great Mother deity, and though the practice has declined over the years, Her name is still invoked in exclamations. They do not bare their teeth to each other except in moments of genuine aggression; baring one's teeth to another is the Human equivalent of raising a fist. They dress simply, loosely, and are typically casual about nudity; during the hottest months of the year on their world, it is not uncommon for them to go about publicly wearing nothing.

Caitians also possess an abiding sense of fun and flirtatiousness. They enjoy parties and feasts, even during occasions other races might consider sombre, such as funerals.

Historically, Caitians have been attacked numerous times, far more than as typical for Federation members, chiefly because their sector of space borders numerous others. Although most modern Caitians will not have been exposed to such attacks, having occurred either in their distant past, or out in space or the colonies in neighbouring systems.

It has left many on Cait today with a limited understanding of the dangers facing them, at least until the Ferasans, backed by the Dominion and armed with acquired classified data, launched a successful invasion and Occupation of Cait in 2375, in an effort to obtain fertile females and cubs to supplement their own genetic defaults. How this Occupation will end, and how it will affect the Caitians, is still unknown.

(Many thanks to Memory Alpha for much of this information. And thank you to those artists whose work is featured here. If any of them see this and want their work acknowledge or removed, just contact me and it will be done)