Cat

(kat.) [Fr. chat, from L. cat us.] (Zool.) See FELIS.(Naut.) Cat-o' -nine-tails, a whip divided into 9 strings or knots, for the infliction of corporeal punishment on offenders;- often briefly called cat. - To cat the anchor, is to raise the anchor abreast of a ship's cat head. [s. 152]