Felinid (Warhammer 40,000)

Felinids (Homo sapiens hirsutus) are a cat-like Abhuman species from planet Carlos McConnell.

Biology
Felinids were created when scientists spliced Human DNA with terrestrial feline DNA; the reasoning for this is unknown, but it is speculated that the scientists genetically modified them so that they could survive on the colony planet of Carlos McConnell, which is the only planet that this Abhuman strain is known to inhabit.

While the majority of the Human population is unaware of the Felinids' existence, the minority of who that do know that they exist describe them as being feline-like humanoids with a soft coat of fur and elongated canine teeth, along with possessing superhuman grace and agility. However, seemingly conflicting accounts from other, potentially unreliable sources, including Kroot mercenaries, describe Felinids as appearing almost identical to baseline humans, along with having claws the length of a Human forearm.

Culture and society
Little is known of Felinid society, outside the fact that they are under the control of the Imperium of Man. Due to this, it is likely that Felinids are the subject of heavy discrimination throughout the Imperium, and that they not granted the same full citizenship as less-divergent Abhuman strains, such as Ogryns and Ratlings. The Imperial Creed teaches Abhumans to be self-loathing due to their genetic divergence from the "purity" of baseline humanity, yet indoctrinated to be utterly loyal to the Emperor of Mankind while under tight scrutiny by both the Officio Prefectus and the Ecclesiarchy, which the Felinid population would be subjected to as well.

According to Grekh, a Kroot mercenary somewhere in Imperial space, some Felinids do serve in the Militarum Auxilla, a specialized division of the Astra Militarum that manages Abhuman soldiers. Grekh claimed that said Felinids are able to keep their cool in the face of even the most brutal opposition, and that they are the most efficient killers in their regiments. However, Janus Draik, the Rogue Trader who Grekh was talking to, thought that the Kroot was an unreliable narrator once Grekh admitted that he couldn't tell one Human from the next, leaving it ultimately unclear if Felinids truly serve any military role in the Imperium.

History
Sometime during the Dark Age of Technology (M15-M25), Human settlers colonized planet Carlos McConnell, and for reasons lost to history, modified themselves with feline DNA, becoming Felinids. Presumably during Great Crusade in M30, Felinids were discovered and integrated into the Imperium of Man. They remained in the Imperium following the cataclysmic Horus Heresy and the degradation of Imperial society into an authoritarian theocracy under constant decline and assault from alien and Chaos-fueled powers alike, where Felinids were one of the 73 officially registered Abhuman strains still in existence. However, most of the Human population did not know of their existence.

By M41, Felinids were apparently encountered in service of the Militarum Auxilla by a Kroot mercenary named Grekh. Grekh would soon come under the employment of Rogue Trader Janus Draik, who doubted the existence of Felinids after receiving a poorly faked corpse of one from a hunter. Grekh apparently confirmed the continued existence of Felinids, but due to Grekh being unable to tell Humans apart, Janus was unable to learn much from him and doubted Grekh's story. Regardless, Grekh claimed that Felinids are the type of Human that he most respects.