Post History

Source: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/19230
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

<p>The young of cats are called kittens or cubs, depending partly on how large the cat is, and apparently partly on informal custom.  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitten" rel="noreferrer">Wikipedia, kitten</a> says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The word "kitten" derives from the Middle English word kitoun, which
  in turn came from the Old French chitoun or cheton. Juvenile big
  cats are called "cubs" rather than kittens; either term may be used
  for the young of smaller wild felids, such as ocelots, caracals and
  lynx, but "kitten" is usually more common for these species.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So far, clear.  But take a look at the name for the young of cougars.</p>

<p>The young of mountain lions are often called <strong>kittens.</strong>  This seems an odd choice for the young of such a large cat.  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar" rel="noreferrer">Wikipedia</a> says: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Cougars are the largest of the small cats. They are placed in the
  subfamily Felinae, although their bulk characteristics are similar to
  those of the big cats in the subfamily Pantherinae.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://www.mountainlion.org/CAL_ch2.asp" rel="noreferrer">Cougar: The American Lion</a>, a publication of the Mountain Lion Foundation says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Newborn mountain lions enter the world as buff brown balls of fur
  weighing slightly more than a pound. Biologists call them kittens
  or cubs either is correct.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This article then proceeds to call them kittens throughout.</p>

<p><a href="https://sciencing.com/baby-cougars-8582162.html" rel="noreferrer">Sciencing</a> calls them cubs.</p>

<p>Is there a <strong>scientific basis</strong> for choosing kittens over cubs, or vice versa, for the young of cats?  The extremes are clear: a baby tiger is a cub; a baby domestic cat is a kitten.  But in the middle -- is there a scientific rule or just personal preference? </p>