Cat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the cat species that is commonly kept as a pet. For the cat family, see Felidae.
For other uses, see Cat (disambiguation) and Cats (disambiguation).
For technical reasons, "Cat #1" redirects here. For that album, see Cat 1 (album).

Domestic cat[1]

Various types of domestic cat

Conservation status

Domesticated

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Feliformia

Family: Felidae
 Genus: Felis

Species: F. silvestris

Subspecies: F. s. catus

Trinomial name

Felis silvestris catus

Linnaeus, 1758[2]

Synonyms

Felis catus (original combination)[3]

Felis catus domestica (invalid junior
synonym)[4]

The domestic cat[1][5] (Felis silvestris catus or Felis catus) is a small,

typically furry, carnivorous mammal. They are often called house cats[6] when kept as indoor pets or
simply cats when there is no need to distinguish them from other felids and felines. They are often
valued by humans for companionship and for their ability to hunt vermin. There are more than
seventy cat breeds recognized by various cat registries.
Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felids, with a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp
retractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey. Cat senses fit
a crepuscular and predatory ecological niche. Cats can hear sounds too faint or too high
in frequencyfor human ears, such as those made by mice and other small animals. They can see in
near darkness. Like most other mammals, cats have poorer color vision and a better sense of
smell than humans. Cats, despite being solitary hunters, are a social species and cat
communication includes the use of a variety of vocalizations (mewing, purring, trilling,
hissing, growling, and grunting), as well as cat pheromones and types of cat-specific body
language.[7]
Cats have a high breeding rate.[8] Under controlled breeding, they can be bred and shown
as registered pedigree pets, a hobby known as cat fancy. Failure to control the breeding of pet cats
by neutering, as well as the abandonment of former household pets, has resulted in large numbers
of feral cats worldwide, requiring population control.[9] In certain areas outside cats' native range, this
has contributed, along with habitat destruction and other factors, to the extinction of many bird
species. Cats have been known to extirpatea bird species within specific regions and may have
contributed to the extinction of isolated island populations.[10] Cats are thought to be primarily
responsible for the extinction of 33 species of birds, and the presence of feral and free-ranging cats
makes some otherwise suitable locations unsuitable for attempted species reintroduction.[11]
Since cats were venerated in ancient Egypt, they were commonly believed to have been
domesticated there,[12] but there may have been instances of domestication as early as
 the Neolithic from around 9,500 years ago (7,500 BC).[13] A genetic study in 2007[14]concluded that all
domestic cats are descended from Near Eastern wildcats, having diverged around 8,000 BC in
the Middle East.[12][15] A 2016 study found that leopard cats were undergoing domestication
independently in China around 5,500 BC, though this line of partially domesticated cats leaves no
trace in the domesticated populations of today.[16][17] A 2017 study confirmed that domestic cats are
descendants of those first domesticated by farmers in the Near East around 9,000 years ago.[18][19]
As of a 2007 study, cats are the second most popular pet in the US by number of pets owned,
behind freshwater fish.[20] In a 2010 study they were ranked the third most popular pet in the UK, after
fish and dogs, with around 8 million being owned.[21]

Contents
[hide]

 1Taxonomy and evolution

 2Nomenclature and etymology
 3Biology
o 3.1Anatomy
o 3.2Physiology
 3.2.1Nutrition
o 3.3Senses
o 3.4Health
 3.4.1Diseases
 3.4.1.1Central retinal degeneration
 3.4.2Poisoning
o 3.5Genetics
 4Behavior
o 4.1Sociability
o 4.2Communication
o 4.3Grooming
o 4.4Fighting
o 4.5Hunting and feeding
o 4.6Play
o 4.7Reproduction
 5Ecology
o 5.1Habitats
o 5.2Feral cats
o 5.3Impact on prey species
o 5.4Impact on birds
 6Interaction with humans
o 6.1Cat show
o 6.2Cat café
o 6.3Ailurophobia
o 6.4Cat bites
o 6.5Infections transmitted from cats to humans
o 6.6History and mythology
 6.6.1Superstitions and cat burning
 7See also
 8References
 9External links