The fruit of the Prunus Catus plant in the Rosaceae family, commonly known as the Kitten Tree. The life-cycle of the catus undergoes two distinct phases - the sessile, photosynthetic tree flowers several times throughout the year, after which it bears large, fleshy fruits. Upon reaching maturity, the bulbs split open to release the fruit, which resembles a small mammalian quadraped. These 'kittens' are able to move under their own power, hunting and eating small vermin and continuing to grow up to a few decades. In this way, the kitten, containing the seeds of the catus plant, can travel large distances from the parent plant and spread the seeds. Once the fruit dies, its body provides nutrients to the germinating seed, which if conditions are right will grow into a new Catus tree.
The Catus plant is not native to Hiverspace, the only known population has been produced in a research lab aboard Comorro. The kitten fruits are semi-popular as pets, and some have been exported to cultivate on various planets. However, due to the wide-spreading and difficult to control nature of the plant's life cycle, as well as the predatory nature of the fruits, scientists have warned that the Catus may become an invasive species if introduced into native ecosystems, and several planets have restricted or banned their import.
The most common variant - the Catus Silvestris - produces a fluffy, white fruit. However, several other breeds have been categorized, including rare strains such as the shining-eye and the black-eyed pink.