---
title: Cats
description: The cat (Felis catus) is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal.[1][2] It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is often referred to as the domestic cat to distinguish it from the wild members of the family.[4] A cat can
---

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# Cats

## The cat (Felis catus) is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal.[1][2] It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is often referred to as the domestic cat to distinguish it from the wild members of the family.[4] A cat can

The cat is similar in [anatomy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_anatomy) to the other felid species: it has a strong flexible body, quick [reflexes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflexes), sharp teeth and [retractable claws](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retractable_claws) adapted to killing small prey. Its [night vision](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_vision) and sense of smell are well developed. [Cat communication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_communication) includes [vocalizations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_communication) like [meowing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meowing), [purring](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purring), [trilling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trill_consonant), hissing, [growling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growling) and grunting as well as [cat-specific body language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_body_language). A [predator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator) that is most active at dawn and dusk, the cat is a solitary hunter but a [social species](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_species). It can hear sounds too faint or too high in [frequency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency) for human ears, such as those made by [mice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mice) and other small mammals.[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-Moelk1944-7) It secretes and perceives [pheromones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheromones).[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-Bland1979-8)

Female domestic cats can have kittens from spring to late autumn, with litter sizes often ranging from two to five kittens.[[9]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-Nutter2004-9) Domestic cats are bred and shown at events as registered [pedigreed cats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedigreed_cat), a hobby known as [cat fancy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_fancy). Failure to control breeding of [pet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet) cats by [spaying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaying) and [neutering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutering), as well as abandonment of pets, resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, contributing to the extinction of entire bird, mammal, and reptile species, and evoking [population control](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_population_control).[[10]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-Rochlitz-10)

Cats were first domesticated in the [Near East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_East) around 7500 BC.[[11]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-DriscollMenotti-Raymond2007-11) It was long thought that cat domestication was initiated in [ancient Egypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt), as since around 3100 BC veneration was given to [cats in ancient Egypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_in_ancient_Egypt).[[12]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-12)[[13]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-13) As of 2021 there are an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-14)[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-15) As of 2017, the domestic cat was the second-most popular pet in the United States, with 95 million cats owned.[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-16)[[17]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-17)[[18]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-statistacats-18) In the United Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020.[[19]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#cite_note-19)