Any object can be referenced, including user-defined objects. Note that you create a reference to an object, not to a class. You do not write this:
int & rIntRef = int; // wrong
You must initialize rIntRef to a particular integer, such as this:
int howBig = 200; int & rIntRef = howBig;
In the same way, you don't initialize a reference to a CAT:
CAT & rCatRef = CAT; // wrong
You must initialize rCatRef to a particular CAT object:
CAT frisky; CAT & rCatRef = frisky;
References to objects are used just like the object itself. Member data and methods are accessed using the normal class member access operator (.), and just as with the built-in types, the reference acts as an alias to the object.
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