Cat

Felis catus
Various types of domestic cat
Conservation status
Domesticated
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Felinae
Genus:	Felis
Species:	F. catus[1]
Binomial name
Felis catus[1] (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
F. catus domesticus Erxleben, 1777[2] F. angorensis Gmelin, 1788 F. vulgaris Fischer, 1829

Cats, also called domestic cats (Felis catus), are small, carnivorous (meat eating) mammals, of the family Felidae.^[3][4][5] Cats have been domesticated (tamed) for nearly 10,000 years.^[6]

Domestic cats may be called 'house cats' when kept as indoor pets.^[7] They are one of the most popular pets in the world. Humans keep them for hunting mice and rats, and as friends. There are also farm cats, which keep mice and rats away; and feral cats, which are domestic cats that live away from humans.^[8] In 2021, there were about 220 million pet cats and 480 million feral cats in the world.^[9][10][11]

There are about 92 breeds of cat.^[12] Domestic cats are found in shorthair, longhair, and hairless breeds. Cats which are not specific breeds can be referred to as 'domestic shorthair' (DSH) or 'domestic longhair' (DLH).

The word 'cat' is also used for other felines, like lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, pumas, and cheetahs.

1. ↑ Linnaeus, C. (1758). "Felis Catus". Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonyms, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (Tenth reformed ed.). Holmiae: Laurentii Salvii. p. 42.
2. ↑ Erxleben, J. C. P. (1777). "Felis Catus domesticus". Systema regni animalis per classes, ordines, genera, species, varietates cvm synonymia et historia animalivm. Classis I. Mammalia. Lipsiae: Weygandt. pp. 520–521.
3. ↑ Linnaeus, C. (1758). "Felis Catus". Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (Tenth reformed ed.). Holmiae: Laurentii Salvii. p. 42.
4. ↑ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Species Felis catus". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 534–535. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
5. ↑ The secret life of cats. 2023. National Geographic reissue. [can be recommended]
6. ↑ "Oldest known pet cat? 9500-year-old burial found on Cyprus". National Geographic News. 2004-04-08. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
7. ↑ Clutton-Brock, J. (1999) [1987]. "Cats". A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals (Second ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. pp. 133–140. ISBN 978-0-521-63495-3. OCLC 39786571.
8. ↑ Liberg, O.; Sandell, M.; Pontier, D. & Natoli, E. (2000). "Density, spatial organisation and reproductive tactics in the domestic cat and other felids". In Turner, D. C. & Bateson, P. (eds.). The domestic cat: the biology of its behaviour (Second ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 119–147. ISBN 9780521636483.
9. ↑ "Statistics on cats". carocat.eu. 2021. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
10. ↑ Rostami, A. (2020). "30". In Bowman, D. D. (ed.). Toxocara and Toxocariasis. Elsevier Science. p. 616. ISBN 9780128209585.
11. ↑ Flatt Osborn, Jen (23 September 2023). "How Many Cats Are in the World? A Statistical Overview". WorldAnimalFoundation.org. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
12. ↑ Driscoll, C. A.; Clutton-Brock, J.; Kitchener, A. C. & O'Brien, S. J. (2009). "The taming of the cat". Scientific American. 300 (6): 68–75. Bibcode:2009SciAm.300f..68D. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0609-68 (inactive 2024-01-23). ISSN 0036-8733. PMC 5790555. PMID 19485091.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link)