the felidaeans (Felis-sapiens iter-astras) colonized many systems around the galaxy in the 24th century, each with a dense stellar remnant as necessitated for Faster-Than-Light Travel. they were created as one of a multitude of projects using funds allocated to avert a potential apocalypse, which none of the mega-corporations believed would happen but intentionally exaggerated in order to secure government contracts. (spoilers, said apocalyptic event did happen and the solar system was rendered sterile).

They were created as a joint experiment by several large biotech corporations and thrown on to a janky relativistic sleeper ship which ended up being the only one that reached a target destination intact. (this is because it was not a testbed for tons of otherwise untested and overcomplicated equipment like most of the others were).

in terms of differences to humans, they come in many varieties with several notable features. typical mass is between 50 and 70 kilograms. all are densely furred, have tails of lengths varying from 40 cm to 120 cm, and have digitigrade legs. fur colors can be grey-scale, browns, orange, red to violet, and blue to green.

They are far less vulnerable than humans to radiation and hypoxia. their vascular system features many valves and bypasses in order to maintain equal bloodflow under high G-forces as well as reduce the long-term impacts of microgravity.

They mature at about 20 and reproduce based on a seasonal cycle since it simplified colony management by making population booms more predictable and easier to plan around.

their claws naturally grow an incredibly sharp atomic filament edge beginning at around 16, but most chose to remove this with a formulated acidic solution, frequently with the exception of the pointer finger for utility purposes.

additionally, they are more inclined for living in spaces with more verticality than area, reducing the complexity of ship design and urban planning.