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{{Short description|Small domesticated carnivorous mammal}}
{{About|the species commonly kept as a pet|the cat family|Felidae|other uses|Cat (disambiguation)|and|Cats (disambiguation)}}
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{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}<!-- Per MOS:ENGVAR and MOS:DATEVAR, articles should conform to one overall spelling of English and date format, typically the ones with which it was created when the topic has no strong national ties. This article was created with American English, using international date format (DD Month YYYY), and should continue to be written that way. If there is a compelling reason to change it propose a change on the talk page. -->
{{Speciesbox
 |name=Cat
<!-- There has been extensive discussion about the choice of image in this infobox. Before replacing this image with something else, consider if it actually improves on the ENCYCLOPEDIC CRITERIA that led to this choice. See [[Talk:Cat]] and [[Talk:Cat/Lead photo]] and if in doubt, DISCUSS IT FIRST! -->
 |fossil_range= {{fossil range|0.0095|0}}<br/> [[Holocene]] to present (9,500 years ago)
 |image={{Multiple image
  |perrow=2/2/2
  |total_width=275
  |image1=Cat August 2010-4.jpg
  |image2=Gustav chocolate.jpg
  |image3=Orange tabby cat sitting on fallen leaves-Hisashi-01A.jpg
  |image4=Siam lilacpoint.jpg
  |image5=Felis catus-cat on snow.jpg
  |image6=Sheba1.JPG
  |border=infobox
  |footer=Various types of cats
}}
 |status=DOM
 |genus=Felis
 |species=catus<ref name="Linnaeus1758"/>
 |authority=[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]<ref name="MSW3fc"/>
 |synonyms=*''Catus domesticus'' {{small|[[Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben|Erxleben]], 1777}}<ref name=Erxleben>{{Cite book |last=Erxleben |first=J. C. P. |date=1777 |title=Systema regni animalis per classes, ordines, genera, species, varietates cvm synonymia et historia animalivm. Classis I. Mammalia |location=Lipsiae |publisher=Weygandt |pages=520–521 |chapter=Felis Catus domesticus |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/iochristpolycerx00erxl/page/520}}</ref>
* ''F. angorensis'' {{small|[[Karl Christian Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1788}}
* ''F. vulgaris'' {{small|Fischer, 1829}}
}}

The '''cat''' ('''''Felis catus'''''), also referred to as the '''domestic cat''' or '''house cat''', is a small [[Domestication|domesticated]] [[Carnivore|carnivorous]] mammal. It is the only domesticated [[species]] of the family [[Felidae]]. Advances in [[archaeology]] and [[genetics]] have shown that the [[domestication of the cat]] occurred in the [[Near East]] around 7500 BC. Valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill [[vermin]], it is commonly kept as a [[pet]] and [[working cat]], but it also ranges freely as a [[feral cat]], avoiding human contact. Its retractable [[claw]]s are adapted to killing small prey species such as [[mice]] and [[rat]]s. It has a strong, flexible body, quick [[reflex]]es, and sharp teeth, and its [[night vision]] and [[sense of smell]] are well developed. It is a [[social species]], but a solitary hunter and a [[crepuscular]] [[predator]].

[[Cat communication]] includes [[meow]]ing, [[purr]]ing, trilling, [[Wiktionary:hiss|hissing]], [[growling]], [[Wiktionary:grunt|grunting]], and [[cat body language|body language]]. It can hear sounds too faint or too high in [[frequency]] for human ears, such as those made by [[small mammal]]s. It secretes and perceives [[pheromone]]s. [[Cat intelligence]] is evident in its ability to adapt, learn through observation, and solve problems. 

Female domestic cats can have [[kitten]]s from [[Spring (season)|spring]] to late [[autumn]] in [[temperate zones]] and throughout the year in [[equatorial region]]s, with [[Litter (zoology)|litter]] sizes often ranging from two to five kittens. Domestic cats are bred and shown at [[cat fancy]] events as registered [[pedigreed cat]]s. [[Animal population control|Population control]] includes [[spaying]] and [[neutering]], but pet abandonment has exploded the global feral cat population, which has driven the extinction of [[bird]], [[mammal]], and [[reptile]] species.

Domestic cats occur across the globe, though their popularity as pets varies by region. Out of the estimated 600 million cats worldwide, 400 million reside in [[Asia]], including 58 million pet cats in [[China]]. The [[United States]] leads in cat ownership with 73.8 million cats. In the [[United Kingdom]], approximately 10.9 million domestic cats are kept as pets.

== Etymology and naming ==
The origin of the English word ''cat'', [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|catt}}, is thought to be the [[Late Latin]] word {{lang|la|cattus}}, which was first used at the beginning of the 6th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McKnight |first=G. H. |title=English Words and Their Background |publisher=[[D. Appleton and Company]]|location=New York, London |date=1923 |chapter=Words and Archaeology |pages=293–311 |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/englishwordsthei00mckn/page/300}}</ref> The Late Latin word may be derived from an unidentified [[Languages of Africa|African language]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Pictet |first=A. |date=1859 |title=Les origines indo-européennes ou les Aryas primitifs: essai de paléontologie linguistique |language=fr |volume=1 |location=Paris |publisher=Joël Cherbuliez |page=381}}</ref> The [[Nubian languages|Nubian]] word {{lang|nub|kaddîska}} 'wildcat' and [[Nobiin language|Nobiin]] {{lang|nub|kadīs}} are possible sources or cognates.<ref>{{cite book |last=Keller |first=O. |date=1909 |title=Die antike Tierwelt |language=de |volume=Säugetiere |location=Leipzig |page=75 |publisher=[[Walther von Wartburg]]}}</ref>

The forms might also have derived from an ancient Germanic word that was absorbed into Latin and then into Greek, Syriac, and Arabic.<ref>{{Cite book |first=J. |last=Huehnergard |chapter=Qitta: Arabic Cats |pages=407–418 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1_qqgNTsX8C&pg=PA407 |title=Classical Arabic Humanities in Their Own Terms: Festschrift for Wolfhart Heinrichs on his 65th Birthday |date=2008 |publisher=[[Brill (publisher)|Brill]] |location=Leiden, Boston |editor1-last=Gruendler |editor1-first=B. |editor2-last=Cooperson |editor2-first=M. |isbn=978-90-04-16573-1 |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-date=31 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331062414/https://books.google.com/books?id=n1_qqgNTsX8C&pg=PA407 |url-status=live}}</ref> The word may be derived from Germanic and Northern European languages, and ultimately be borrowed from [[Uralic languages|Uralic]], {{Cf.}}[[Northern Sámi]] {{lang|se|gáđfi}} ''<nowiki/>'''female [[stoat]]', and [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] {{lang|hu|hölgy}} 'lady, female stoat'; from [[Proto-Uralic language|Proto-Uralic]] {{Lang|mis|*käďwä}} 'female (of a furred animal)'.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kroonen |first1=G. |title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic |date=2013 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |location=Leiden, Netherlands |isbn=978-90-04-18340-7 |page=281f}}</ref>

The English ''[[wikt:puss#English|puss]]'', extended as ''pussy'' and ''pussycat'', is attested from the 16th century and may have been introduced from [[Dutch language|Dutch]] {{lang|nl|poes}} or from [[Low German]] {{lang|nds|puuskatte}}, related to [[Swedish language|Swedish]] {{lang|sv|kattepus}}, or [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] {{lang|no|pus}}, {{lang|no|pusekatt}}. Similar forms exist in [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] {{lang|lt|puižė}} and [[Irish language|Irish]] {{lang|ga|puisín}} or {{lang|ga|puiscín}}. The etymology is unknown, but it may be an [[onomatopoeia]] from using a sound to attract a cat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/155147#eid27609702 |title=Puss |work=The Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |access-date=1 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903215025/http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/155147#eid27609702 |archive-date=3 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Gramercy Unabridged">{{Cite book |title=Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language |chapter=puss |location=New York |publisher=[[Random House|Gramercy (Random House)]] |date=1996 |page=1571}}</ref>

A male cat is called a ''tom'', ''tommy'' or ''tomcat''<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/203100#eid18281825 |title=tom cat, tom-cat |work=The Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=1 October 2012 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> (or a ''gib'',<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/78103?rskey=Z7UU0G&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid |title=gib, n.2 |work=The Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=1 October 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180918111545/http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/78103?rskey=Z7UU0G&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid |archive-date=18 September 2018 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> if [[Neutering|neutered]]). A female is called a ''queen'' (or sometimes a ''molly'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 March 2020 |title=7 fascinating facts about female cats |url=https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/7-facts-about-female-cats |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216143959/https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/7-facts-about-female-cats |archive-date=16 December 2023 |access-date=30 April 2024 |website=Cats Protection |language=en}}</ref> if [[Spaying|spayed]]).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/156212?rskey=c2khr1&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid27437294 |title=queen cat |work=The Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=1 October 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150903215025/http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/156212?rskey=c2khr1&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid27437294 |archive-date=3 September 2015 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Some sources write that ''queen'' refers solely to unspayed cats that are in an [[estrous cycle]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grosskopf |first=Shane |date=23 June 2022 |title=What is a Female Cat Called? A Guide to the Fascinating Terms |url=https://spotpet.com/blog/cat-tips/what-is-a-female-cat-called |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240411035905/https://spotpet.com/blog/cat-tips/what-is-a-female-cat-called |archive-date=11 April 2024 |access-date=1 May 2024 |website=Spot Pet Insurance}} {{Cite web |last=Scamporrino |first=Christina |date=12 December 2018 |title=Cat Parenting 101: Special Considerations for Your Female Cat |url=https://www.prettylitter.com/blog/cat-parenting-101-special-considerations-for-your-female-cat |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001160548/https://www.prettylitter.com/blog/cat-parenting-101-special-considerations-for-your-female-cat |archive-date=1 October 2023 |access-date=1 May 2024 |website=PrettyLitter}}</ref>  A juvenile cat is referred to as a ''[[kitten]]'' (shortened to ''kitty'' in [[British English]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-13 |title=KITTIES definition and meaning {{!}} Collins English Dictionary |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/kitties |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=www.collinsdictionary.com |language=en}}</ref>), a term interchangeable with the now-obsolete word ''catling'' in [[Early Modern English]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/28995?redirectedFrom=catling#eid |title=catling |work=The Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=1 October 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150903215025/http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/28995?redirectedFrom=catling#eid |archive-date=3 September 2015 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> A group of cats can be referred to as a ''clowder'', a ''glaring'',<ref>{{cite web |url= http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/what-do-you-call-a-group-of |title=What do you call a group of&nbsp;...? |work=[[Oxford Dictionaries Online]] |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=1 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012112007/http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/what-do-you-call-a-group-of |archive-date=12 October 2012}}</ref> or a ''colony''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Terms we use for cats |url=https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/terms-we-use-cats |website=The Humane Society of the United States |access-date=2 August 2024}}</ref>

== Taxonomy ==
The [[scientific name]] ''Felis catus'' was proposed by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758 for a domestic cat.<ref name="Linnaeus1758">{{Cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=C. |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis |location=Holmiae |publisher=Laurentii Salvii |date=1758 |page=42 |chapter=Felis Catus |language=la |volume=1 |edition=10th reformed |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/mobot31753000798865/page/42}}</ref><ref name="MSW3fc">{{MSW3 Wozencraft |id=14000031 |pages=534–535 |heading=Species ''Felis catus''}}</ref> ''Felis catus domesticus'' was proposed by [[Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben]] in 1777.<ref name="Erxleben" /> ''Felis daemon'' proposed by [[Konstantin Satunin]] in 1904 was a black cat from the [[Transcaucasus]], later identified as a domestic cat.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Satunin |first1=C. |title=The Black Wild Cat of Transcaucasia |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |year=1904 |volume=II |pages=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofzoo19042zool/page/162 162]–163 |url= https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofzoo19042zool}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Bukhnikashvili |editor1-first=A. |editor2-last=Yevlampiev |editor2-first=I. |title=Catalogue of the Specimens of Caucasian Large Mammalian Fauna in the Collection |publisher=[[National Museum of Georgia]] |location=Tbilisi |url= http://caucasian-large-mammalian.narod.ru/catalogue_english.pdf |access-date=19 January 2019 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073023/http://caucasian-large-mammalian.narod.ru/catalogue_english.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2003, the [[International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature]] conserved the name ''silvestris'' Erxleben 1777 for the [[wildcat]], but did not suppress ''catus'' Linnaeus 1758.<ref name="ICZN">{{Cite journal |publisher=[[International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature]] |title=Opinion 2027 |journal=Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature |volume=60 |year=2003 |page=81−82 |url= https://archive.org/details/bulletinofzoolog602003int/page/81}}</ref><ref name=Gentry>{{cite journal |last1=Gentry |first1=A. |last2=Clutton-Brock |first2=J. |last3=Groves |first3=C. P. |name-list-style=amp |year=2004 |title=The naming of wild animal species and their domestic derivatives |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=645–651 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2003.10.006 |bibcode=2004JArSc..31..645G |url=http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/129/1297897712.pdf |access-date=19 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052316/http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/129/1297897712.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, the modern domesticated subspecies ''F. silvestris catus'' was sampled worldwide and considered to have probably descended from the [[African wildcat]] (''F. lybica''), following results of [[phylogenetic]] research.<ref name="Driscoll">{{Cite journal |title=In the Light of Evolution III: Two Centuries of Darwin Sackler Colloquium: From Wild Animals to Domestic Pets – An Evolutionary View of Domestication |last1=Driscoll |first1=C. A. |last2=Macdonald |first2=D. W. |last3=O'Brien |first3=S. J. |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |year=2009 |volume=106 |issue=S1 |pages=9971–9978 |pmid=19528637 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0901586106 |pmc=2702791 |bibcode=2009PNAS..106.9971D|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="MSW3fs">{{MSW3 Wozencraft |pages=536–537 |id=14000057 |heading=Species ''Felis silvestris''}}</ref>{{efn|{{harvnb|Driscoll|Macdonald|O'Brien|2009}} did not conclude a date for genetic divergence, noting from archaeological evidence that "the broadest range of dates for domestication to be from 11,000 to 4,000 B.P.".}} In 2017, the IUCN Cat Classification Taskforce, following the recommendation of Gentry et al. (2004)<ref name=Gentry/> that names based on domestic forms be used for domestic derivatives of wild species, regarded the domestic cat as a distinct species, ''Felis catus''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kitchener |first1=A. C. |last2=Breitenmoser-Würsten |first2=C. |last3=Eizirik |first3=E. |last4=Gentry |first4=A. |last5=Werdelin |first5=L. |last6=Wilting |first6=A. |last7=Yamaguchi |first7=N. |last8=Abramov |first8=A. V. |last9=Christiansen |first9=P. |last10=Driscoll |first10=C. |last11=Duckworth |first11=J. W. |last12=Johnson |first12=W. |last13=Luo |first13=S.-J. |last14=Meijaard |first14=E. |last15=O'Donoghue |first15=P. |last16=Sanderson |first16=J. |last17=Seymour |first17=K. |last18=Bruford |first18=M. |last19=Groves |first19=C. |last20=Hoffmann |first20=M. |last21=Nowell |first21=K. |last22=Timmons |first22=Z. |last23=Tobe |first23=S. |year=2017 |title=A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group |journal=Cat News |volume=Special Issue 11 |page=21 |url= https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=21 December 2018 |archive-date=17 January 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200117172708/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Evolution ==
{{Main|Felidae#Evolution|l1 = Cat evolution}}
[[File:Wild-domestic-hybrid cat skulls.png|thumb|Skulls of a wildcat (top left), a housecat (top right), and a hybrid between the two (bottom center)]]
The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae, a [[Family (biology)|family]] that has a [[common ancestor]] from about {{mya|10|15}}.<ref name="Johnson 1997">{{Cite journal |title=Phylogenetic Reconstruction of the Felidae Using 16S rRNA and NADH-5 Mitochondrial Genes |last1=Johnson |first1=W. E. |last2=O'Brien |first2=S. J. |journal=Journal of Molecular Evolution |year=1997 |volume=44 |issue=S1 |pages=S98–S116 |doi=10.1007/PL00000060 |pmid=9071018 |bibcode=1997JMolE..44S..98J |s2cid=40185850 |url= https://zenodo.org/record/1232587 |access-date=1 October 2018 |archive-date=4 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201004075723/https://zenodo.org/record/1232587 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[evolutionary radiation]] of the Felidae began in Asia during the [[Miocene]] around {{mya|8.38|14.45}}.<ref name=Johnson2006>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1126/science.1122277 |volume=311 |issue=5757 |pages=73–77 |title=The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: A genetic assessment |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |year=2006 |pmid=16400146 |last1=Johnson |first1=W. E. |last2=Eizirik |first2=E. |last3=Pecon-Slattery |first3=J. |last4=Murphy |first4=W. J. |last5=Antunes |first5=A. |last6=Teeling |first6=E. |last7=O'Brien |first7=S. J. |bibcode=2006Sci...311...73J |s2cid=41672825 |url= https://zenodo.org/record/1230866 |access-date=1 October 2018 |archive-date=4 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201004075725/https://zenodo.org/record/1230866 |url-status=live}}</ref> Analysis of [[mitochondrial DNA]] of all Felidae species indicates a radiation at {{mya|6.46|16.76}}.<ref name=Li_al2016>{{cite journal |author=Li, G. |author2=Davis, B. W. |author3=Eizirik, E. |name-list-style=amp |author4=Murphy, W. J. |year=2016 |title=Phylogenomic evidence for ancient hybridization in the genomes of living cats (Felidae) |journal=Genome Research |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1101/gr.186668.114 |pmid=26518481 |pmc=4691742}}</ref> The [[Genus (biology)|genus]] ''Felis'' [[Genetic divergence|genetically diverged]] from other Felidae around {{mya|6|7}}.<ref name=Johnson2006/> Results of [[phylogenetic]] research shows that the wild members of this genus evolved through [[sympatric speciation|sympatric]] or [[parapatric speciation]], whereas the domestic cat evolved through [[artificial selection]].<ref name="Mattern">{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1096-0031.2000.tb00354.x |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=232–253 |last1=Mattern |first1=M.Y. |last2=McLennan |first2=D.A. |title=Phylogeny and speciation of Felids |journal=Cladistics |year=2000 |pmid=34902955 |s2cid=85043293|doi-access=free }}</ref> The domestic cat and its closest wild ancestor are [[diploid]] and both possess 38 [[chromosome]]s<ref name="Nie 2002">{{cite journal |last1=Nie |first1=W. |last2=Wang |first2=J. |last3=O'Brien |first3=P. C. |title=The genome phylogeny of domestic cat, red panda and five Mustelid species revealed by comparative chromosome painting and G-banding |journal=Chromosome Research |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=209–222 |year=2002 |pmid=12067210 |doi=10.1023/A:1015292005631|s2cid=9660694}}</ref> and roughly 20,000 genes.<ref name=Pontius2007>{{cite journal |last1=Pontius |first1=J. U. |last2=Mullikin |first2=J. C. |last3=Smith |first3=D. R. |author4=Agencourt Sequencing Team |collaboration=NISC Comparative Sequencing Program |title=Initial sequence and comparative analysis of the cat genome |journal=Genome Research |volume=17 |issue=11 |pages=1675–1689 |year=2007 |pmid=17975172 |pmc=2045150 |doi=10.1101/gr.6380007}}</ref>

{{clade gallery |main-caption=Phylogenetic relationships of the domestic cat as derived through analysis of |header1=nuclear DNA:<ref name=Johnson2006/><ref name=Li_al2016/> |header2=mitochondrial DNA:<ref name="DriscollMenotti-Raymond2007"/> |height=325px
|cladogram1={{clade
   |label1=[[Felidae]]
   |1={{clade
      |1=[[Pantherinae]]
      |label2=[[Felinae]]
      |2={{clade
         |1=other Felinae [[Lineage (genetic)|lineages]]
         |label2=''[[Felis]]''
         |2={{clade
            |1=[[Jungle cat]] (''F. chaus'') [[File:Felis chaus - 1700-1880 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(White Background).jpg|79px]]
            |2={{clade
               |1=[[Black-footed cat]] (''F. nigripes'')
               |2={{clade
                  |1=[[Sand cat]] (''F. margarita'')
                  |2={{clade
                     |1={{clade
                        |1=[[Chinese mountain cat]] (''F. bieti'')
                        |2=[[African wildcat]] (''F. lybica'')
                        }}
                     |2={{clade
                        |1=[[European wildcat]] (''F. silvestris'') [[File:Anatomie descriptive et comparative du chat (1845) Pl-I (white background & colourised).jpg|52px]]
                        |2='''Domestic cat''' <span style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:202104 Cat.svg|60px]]</span>
                        }}
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
|cladogram2={{clade
   |label1=''[[Felis]]''
   |1={{clade
      |1=[[Sand cat]] (''F. margarita'')
      |2={{clade
         |1=[[Chinese mountain cat]] (''F. bieti'')
         |2={{clade
            |1=[[European wildcat]] (''F. silvestris'') [[File:Anatomie descriptive et comparative du chat (1845) Pl-I (white background & colourised).jpg|52px]]
            |2={{clade <!--extra dummy clade-->
               |label1=[[African wildcat]]
               |1={{clade
                  |1=[[Southern African wildcat]] ''(F. l. cafra)''
                  |2=[[Asiatic wildcat]] ''(F. l. ornata)''
                  |3={{clade
                     |1=Near Eastern wildcat
                     |2='''Domestic cat''' <span style="{{MirrorH}}">[[File:202104 Cat.svg|60px]]</span>
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}
{{clear}}

=== Domestication ===
{{See also|Domestication of the cat|Cats in ancient Egypt}}
[[File:Tomb of Nakht (7).jpg|thumb|A cat eats a fish under a chair, in a [[mural]] in an Egyptian tomb dating to the 15th century BC.]]
It was long thought that the [[domestication of the cat]] began in [[ancient Egypt]], where cats were venerated from around 3100 BC.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Cat in ancient Egypt, illustrated from the collection of cat and other Egyptian figures formed |publisher=Cambridge University Press |last1=Langton |first1=N. |last2=Langton |first2=M. B. |date=1940}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Cat in Ancient Egypt |publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]] |last=Malek |first=J. |date=1997 |edition=Revised |location=Philadelphia}}</ref> However, the earliest known indication for the [[taming]] of an African wildcat was [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavated]] close by a human [[Neolithic]] grave in [[Shillourokambos]], southern [[Cyprus]], dating to about 7500–7200 BC. Since there is no evidence of native mammalian [[fauna]] on Cyprus, the inhabitants of this Neolithic village most likely brought the cat and other wild mammals to the island from the [[Middle East]]ern mainland.<ref name="Vigne_al2004">{{cite journal |last1=Vigne |first1=J. D. |last2=Guilaine |first2=J. |last3=Debue |first3=K. |last4=Haye |first4=L. |last5=Gérard |first5=P. |s2cid=28294367 |title=Early taming of the cat in Cyprus |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=304 |issue=5668 |page=259 |year=2004 |pmid=15073370 |doi=10.1126/science.1095335}}</ref> Scientists therefore assume that African wildcats were attracted to early human settlements in the [[Fertile Crescent]] by rodents, in particular the [[house mouse]] (''Mus musculus''), and were tamed by Neolithic farmers. This [[Mutualism (biology)|mutual]] relationship between early farmers and tamed cats lasted thousands of years. As [[agricultural practices]] spread, so did tame and domesticated cats.<ref name="DriscollMenotti-Raymond2007">{{Cite journal |title=The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication |last1=Driscoll |first1=C. A. |last2=Menotti-Raymond |first2=M. |last3=Roca '|first3=A. L. |last4=Hupe |first4=K. |last5=Johnson |first5=W. E. |last6=Geffen |first6=E. |last7=Harley |first7=E. H. |last8=Delibes |first8=M. |last9=Pontier |first9=D. |last10=Kitchener |first10=A. C. |last11=Yamaguchi |first11=N. |last12=O'Brien |first12=S. J. |last13=Macdonald |first13=D. W. |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |year=2007 |volume=317 |issue=5837 |pages=519–523 |pmid=17600185 |pmc=5612713 |doi=10.1126/science.1139518 |oclc=808298830 |bibcode=2007Sci...317..519D}}</ref><ref name="Driscoll_al2009">{{cite journal |last1=Driscoll |first1=C. A. |last2=Clutton-Brock |first2=J. |last3=Kitchener |first3=A. C. |last4=O'Brien |first4=S. J. |year=2009 |title=The taming of the cat |journal=Scientific American |volume=300 |issue=6 |pages=68–75 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0609-68 |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |pmid=19485091 |pmc=5790555 |bibcode=2009SciAm.300f..68D |jstor=26001382}}</ref> Wildcats of Egypt contributed to the maternal [[gene pool]] of the domestic cat at a later time.<ref name="OttoniVan Neer2017">{{cite journal |last1=Ottoni |first1=C. |last2=van Neer |first2=W. |last3=de Cupere |first3=B. |last4=Daligault |first4=J. |last5=Guimaraes |first5=S. |last6=Peters |first6=J. |last7=Spassov |first7=N. |last8=Prendergast |first8=M. E. |last9=Boivin |first9=N. |last10=Morales-Muñiz |first10=A. |last11=Bălăşescu |first11=A. |last12=Becker |first12=C. |last13=Benecke |first13=N. |last14=Boroneant |first14=A. |last15=Buitenhuis |first15=H. |last16=Chahoud |first16=J. |last17=Crowther |first17=A. |last18=Llorente |first18=L. |last19=Manaseryan |first19=N. |last20=Monchot |first20=H. |last21=Onar |first21=V. |last22=Osypińska |first22=M. |last23=Putelat |first23=O. |last24=Quintana Morales |first24=E.M. |last25=Studer |first25=J. |last26=Wierer |first26=U. |last27=Decorte |first27=R. |last28=Grange |first28=T. |last29=Geigl |first29=E. |s2cid=44041769 |title=The palaeogenetics of cat dispersal in the ancient world |journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution |volume=1 |issue=7 |year=2017 |page=0139 |doi=10.1038/s41559-017-0139 |bibcode=2017NatEE...1..139O |url= https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/the-paleogenetics-of-cat-dispersal-in-the-ancient-world(04942e78-fa48-4700-ad97-29fcdf9077a1).html |access-date=18 October 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220307214831/https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/the-paleogenetics-of-cat-dispersal-in-the-ancient-world |url-status=live}}</ref>

The earliest known evidence for the occurrence of the domestic cat in [[Greece]] dates to around 1200 BC. Greek, [[Phoenicia]]n, [[Carthaginia]]n and [[Etrusca]]n traders introduced domestic cats to southern Europe.<ref name=Faure2009>{{cite journal |last1=Faure |first1=E. |last2=Kitchener |first2=A. C. |year=2009 |title=An archaeological and historical review of the relationships between Felids and people |journal=Anthrozoös |volume=22 |issue=3 |page=221−238 |doi=10.2752/175303709X457577|s2cid=84308532}}</ref> By the 5th century BC, they were familiar animals around settlements in [[Magna Graecia]] and [[Etruria]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ragni |first1=B. |last2=Possenti |first2=M. |last3=Sforzi |first3=A. |last4=Zavalloni |first4=D. |last5=Ciani |first5=F. |year=1994 |title=The wildcat in central-northern Italian peninsula: a biogeographical dilemma |journal=Biogeographia |volume=17 |issue=1 |doi=10.21426/B617110417 |url= https://cloudfront.escholarship.org/dist/prd/content/qt1dz6x5xf/qt1dz6x5xf.pdf |doi-access=free |access-date=29 August 2019 |archive-date=26 July 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180726121432/https://cloudfront.escholarship.org/dist/prd/content/qt1dz6x5xf/qt1dz6x5xf.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[Roman Empire]], they were introduced to [[Corsica]] and [[Sardinia]] before the beginning of the 1st century AD.<ref name=Vigne1992>{{cite journal |last1=Vigne |first1=J.-D. |title=Zooarchaeology and the biogeographical history of the mammals of Corsica and Sardinia since the last ice age |year=1992 |journal=Mammal Review |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=87–96 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.1992.tb00124.x|bibcode=1992MamRv..22...87V }}</ref> By the end of the [[Western Roman Empire]] in the 5th century, the Egyptian domestic cat lineage had arrived in a [[Baltic Sea]] port in northern [[Germany]].<ref name="OttoniVan Neer2017" />

The [[leopard cat]] (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') was [[tamed]] independently in China around 5500 BC. This line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Earliest 'domestic' cats in China identified as leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') |journal=PLOS ONE |year=2016 |article-number=e0147295 |volume=11 |issue=1 |first1=J.-D. |last1=Vigne |first2=A. |last2=Evin |first3=T. |last3=Cucchi |first4=L. |last4=Dai |first5=C. |last5=Yu |first6=S. |last6=Hu |first7=N. |last7=Soulages |first8=W. |last8=Wang |first9=Z. |last9=Sun |pmid=26799955 |pmc=4723238 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1147295V |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0147295 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

During domestication, cats have undergone only minor changes in anatomy and behavior, and they are still capable of surviving in the wild. Several natural behaviors and characteristics of wildcats may have [[Preadaptation|pre-adapted]] them for domestication as pets. These traits include their small size, social nature, obvious body language, love of play, and high intelligence. Their rigorous grooming habits and instinct to bury their bodily waste make them generally much less messy than other domesticated animals. Captive ''[[Leopardus]]'' cats may also display affectionate behavior toward humans but are not domesticated.<ref name=CameronBeaumont>{{cite journal |title=Evidence suggesting pre-adaptation to domestication throughout the small Felidae |last1=Cameron-Beaumont |first1=C. |last2=Lowe |first2=S. E. |last3=Bradshaw |first3=J. W. S. |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |year=2002 |volume=75 |issue=3 |pages=361–366 |doi=10.1046/j.1095-8312.2002.00028.x |url= https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/2002-cameronbeaumont.pdf |doi-access=free |access-date=10 October 2019 |archive-date=10 October 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191010072239/https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/2002-cameronbeaumont.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> House cats may mate with feral cats.<ref name=Bradshaw1999>{{cite journal |title=Feral cats: Their role in the population dynamics of ''Felis catus'' |last1=Bradshaw |first1=J. W. S. |last2=Horsfield |first2=G. F. |last3=Allen |first3=J. A. |last4=Robinson |first4=I. H. |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |year=1999 |volume=65 |issue=3 |pages=273–283 |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(99)00086-6 |url=https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/1999-bradshaw.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190130202509/https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/1999-bradshaw.pdf |archive-date=30 January 2019}}</ref> [[Felid hybrid#Domestic cat and hybridization|Hybridization between domestic and other Felinae species]] is also possible, producing hybrids such as the [[Kellas cat]] in [[Scotland]].<ref name=Oliveira/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kitchener |first1=C. |last2=Easterbee |first2=N. |year=1992 |title=The taxonomic status of black wild felids in Scotland |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=227 |issue=2 |pages=342–346 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1992.tb04832.x}}</ref>

Development of [[cat breeds]] started in the mid 19th century.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wastlhuber |first=J. |date=1991 |chapter=History of domestic cats and cat breeds |pages=1–59 |title=Feline Husbandry: Diseases and management in the multiple-cat environment |editor1-last=Pedersen |editor1-first=N. C. |publisher=American Veterinary Publications |location=Goleta |isbn=978-0-939674-29-9}}</ref> An analysis of the domestic cat [[genome]] revealed that the ancestral wildcat genome was significantly altered in the process of domestication, as specific [[mutation]]s were selected to develop cat breeds.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Montague |first1=M. J. |last2=Li |first2=G. |last3=Gandolfi |first3=B. |last4=Khan |first4=R. |last5=Aken |first5=B. L. |last6=Searle |first6=S. M. |last7=Minx |first7=P. |last8=Hillier |first8=L. W. |last9=Koboldt |first9=D. C. |last10=Davis |first10=B. W. |last11=Driscoll |first11=C. A. |year=2014 |title=Comparative analysis of the domestic cat genome reveals genetic signatures underlying feline biology and domestication |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=111 |issue=48 |pages=17230–17235 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1410083111 |pmid=25385592 |pmc=4260561 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2014PNAS..11117230M}}</ref> Most breeds are founded on random-bred domestic cats. [[Genetic diversity]] of these breeds varies between regions, and is lowest in purebred populations, which show more than 20 deleterious [[genetic disorder]]s.<ref name=Lipinski>{{cite journal |title=The ascent of cat breeds: Genetic evaluations of breeds and worldwide random-bred populations |last1=Lipinski |first1=M.J. |last2=Froenicke |first2=L. |last3=Baysac |first3=K. C. |last4=Billings |first4=N. C. |last5=Leutenegger |first5=C. M. |last6=Levy |first6=A. M. |last7=Longeri |first7=M. |last8=Niini |first8=T. |last9=Ozpinar |first9=H. |last10=Slater |first10=M.R. |last11=Pedersen |first11=N. C. |last12=Lyons |first12=L. A. |journal=Genomics |year=2008 |volume=91 |issue=1 |pages=12–21 |doi=10.1016/j.ygeno.2007.10.009 |pmid=18060738 |pmc=2267438}}</ref>

== Characteristics ==
{{Main|Cat anatomy}}

=== Size ===
[[File:Scheme cat anatomy.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Diagram of the general [[anatomy]] of a male domestic cat]]
The domestic cat has a smaller [[skull]] and shorter bones than the [[European wildcat]].<ref name="OConnor">{{cite journal |title=Wild or domestic? Biometric variation in the cat ''Felis silvestris'' |last=O'Connor |first=T. P. |journal=International Journal of Osteoarchaeology |year=2007 |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=581–595 |doi=10.1002/oa.913 |url= http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/3700/1/OConnor_Cats-IJOA-submitted.pdf |access-date=20 January 2019 |archive-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190121010849/http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/3700/1/OConnor_Cats-IJOA-submitted.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> It averages about {{cvt|46|cm}} in head-to-body length and {{cvt|23|-|25|cm}} in height, with about {{cvt|30|cm}} long tails. Males are larger than females.<ref name="WCoW">{{cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |date=2002 |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-77999-7 |chapter=Domestic cat |pages=[https://archive.org/details/wildcatsofworld00sunq/page/99 99–112] |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA99 |url= https://archive.org/details/wildcatsofworld00sunq/page/99}}</ref> Adult domestic cats typically weigh {{cvt|4|-|5|kg}}.<ref name="Mattern" />

=== Skeleton ===
Cats have seven [[cervical vertebrae]] (as do most [[mammal]]s); 13 [[thoracic vertebrae]] (humans have 12); seven [[lumbar vertebrae]] (humans have five); three [[sacrum|sacral vertebrae]] (as do most mammals, but humans have five); and a variable number of [[caudal vertebrae]] in the tail (humans have only three to five vestigial caudal vertebrae, fused into an internal [[coccyx]]).<ref name="Walker">{{cite book |title=Study of the Cat with Reference to Human Beings |last=Walker |first=W.F. |edition=4th revised |date=1982 |publisher=[[Cengage|Thomson Learning/Cengage]] |isbn=978-0-03-057914-1}}</ref>{{rp|11}} The extra lumbar and thoracic vertebrae account for the cat's spinal mobility and flexibility. Attached to the spine are 13 ribs, the shoulder, and the [[pelvis]].<ref name="Walker" />{{rp|16}} Unlike human arms, cat forelimbs are attached to the shoulder by free-floating [[clavicle]] bones which allow them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their head.<ref name="Gillis 2002">{{cite web |title=Cat Skeleton |editor-last=Gillis |editor-first=R. |work=Zoolab |publisher=[[University of Wisconsin]] Press |location=La Crosse |year=2002 |url= http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/zoolab/Table_of_Contents/Lab-9b/Cat_Skeleton_1/cat_skeleton_1.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061206105542/http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/zoolab/Table_of_Contents/Lab-9b/Cat_Skeleton_1/cat_skeleton_1.htm |archive-date=6 December 2006 |access-date=7 September 2012}}</ref>

=== Skull ===
[[File:Cat skull.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Cat skull]]
The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very large [[eye socket]]s and a powerful specialized jaw.<ref name="Case">{{cite book |title=The Cat: Its behavior, nutrition, and health |last=Case |first=Linda P. |date=2003 |publisher=[[Iowa State University]] Press |location=Ames |isbn=978-0-8138-0331-9}}</ref>{{rp|35}} Two long [[Canine tooth|canine teeth]] for killing and tearing prey, can stab between two of the prey's [[vertebra]]e and sever its [[spinal cord]], causing [[paralysis]] and death.<ref name="Smith1992">{{cite book |title=Structure, Function, and Evolution of Teeth |last1=Smith |first1=Patricia |last2=Tchernov |first2=Eitan |date=1992 |page=217 |publisher=Freund Publishing House |isbn=978-965-222-270-1}}</ref> Compared to other felines, domestic cats have narrowly spaced canine teeth relative to the size of their jaw, which is an adaptation to their preferred prey of small rodents, which have small vertebrae.<ref name="Smith1992" />

The [[premolar]] and first [[Molar (tooth)|molar]] together compose the [[carnassial]] pair on each side of the mouth, which efficiently shears meat into small pieces, like a pair of scissors. These are vital in feeding, because cats' small [[molar (tooth)|molars]] cannot chew food effectively, and cats are largely incapable of mastication.<ref name="Case" />{{rp|37}} Cats tend to have better dental health than most humans, with decay generally less likely because of a thicker protective layer of [[Tooth enamel|enamel]], a less damaging saliva, less retention of food particles between teeth, and a diet mostly devoid of sugar. Nonetheless, they are subject to occasional tooth loss and infection.<ref name="Carr1978">{{cite book |first=William H. A. |last=Carr |title=The New Basic Book of the Cat |date=1 January 1978 |publisher=[[Scribner's]] |isbn=978-0-684-15549-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newbasicbookofca00carr/page/174 174] |url= https://archive.org/details/newbasicbookofca00carr/page/174}}</ref>

=== Claws ===
[[File:Cat claw closeup.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Cat's claw]]
Cats have protractible and retractable claws.<ref name="Kitchener2010">{{cite book |last1=Kitchener |first1=A. C. |last2=Van Valkenburgh |first2=B. |last3=Yamaguchi |first3=N. |date=2010 |chapter-url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266753114 |chapter=Felid form and function |title=Biology and Conservation of wild felids |editor1-first=D. |editor1-last=Macdonald |editor2-last=Loveridge |editor2-first=A. |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=83–106 |access-date=10 October 2019 |archive-date=16 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210216135340/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266753114_Felid_form_and_function |url-status=live}}</ref> In their normal, relaxed position, the claws are sheathed with the skin and fur around the paw's toe pads. This keeps the claws sharp by preventing wear from contact with the ground and allows for the silent stalking of prey. The claws on the forefeet are typically sharper than those on the hindfeet.<ref name="Armes 1900">{{cite journal |title=Outline of cat lessons |last=Armes |first=A.F. |journal=The School Journal |year=1900 |volume=LXI |page=659 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-_gBAAAAYAAJ |access-date=5 June 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210806133121/https://books.google.com/books?id=-_gBAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref> Cats can voluntarily extend their claws, such as in hunting, fighting, climbing, [[kneading (cats)|kneading]], or for extra traction on soft surfaces. Cats shed the outside layer of their claw sheaths when scratching rough surfaces.<ref name="pmid19422432">{{cite journal |last1=Homberger |first1=D. G. |last2=Ham |first2=K. |last3=Ogunbakin |first3=T. |last4=Bonin |first4=J. A. |last5=Hopkins |first5=B. A. |last6=Osborn |first6=M. L. |display-authors=etal |title=The structure of the cornified claw sheath in the domesticated cat (''Felis catus''): Implications for the claw-shedding mechanism and the evolution of cornified digital end organs |journal=J Anat |year=2009 |volume=214 |issue=4 |pages=620–43 |pmid=19422432 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7580.2009.01068.x |pmc=2736126}}</ref>

Most cats have five claws on their front paws and four on their rear paws. The [[dewclaw]] is [[proximal]] to the other claws. More proximally is a protrusion which appears to be a sixth "finger". This special feature of the front paws on the inside of the wrists has no function in normal walking but is thought to be an antiskidding device used while jumping. Some cat breeds are prone to having extra digits ("[[Polydactyl cat|polydactyly]]").<ref name="Danforth1947">{{cite journal |last=Danforth |first=C. H. |title=Heredity of polydactyly in the cat |journal=The Journal of Heredity |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=107–112 |year=1947 |pmid=20242531 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a105701}}</ref>

=== Ambulation ===
The cat is [[digitigrade]]. It walks on the toes, with the bones of the feet making up the lower part of the visible leg.<ref name="Pocock1917">{{cite journal |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |year=1917 |title=VII — On the external characters of the Felidæ |url= https://archive.org/details/ser8annalsmagazi19londuoft |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology |series=8 |volume=19 |issue=109 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ser8annalsmagazi19londuoft/page/113 113–136] |doi=10.1080/00222931709486916}}</ref> Unlike most mammals, it uses a "pacing" [[gait]] that alternates both legs together on each side. It registers directly by placing each hind paw close to the track of the corresponding fore paw, minimizing noise and visible tracks. This also provides sure footing for hind paws when navigating rough terrain. As it speeds up from walking to trotting, its gait changes to a "diagonal" gait: The diagonally opposite hind and fore legs move simultaneously.<ref name="Christensen 2004">{{Cite book |last=Christensen |first=W. |url= https://archive.org/details/outwittingcatsti0000chri/page/22 |title=Outwitting Cats |publisher=[[Globe Pequot]] |date=2004 |isbn=978-1-59228-240-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/outwittingcatsti0000chri/page/22 22–45] |chapter=The physical cat |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WmuQQXU6EtAC&pg=PA27}}</ref>

=== Balance ===
[[File:Cat in tree03.jpg|thumb|A cat is perched on a tree branch, having climbed up for exploration, escape, or hunting.]]
Cats are generally fond of perching in high places. This may be a concealed hunting site such as a tree branch, for domestic cats to pounce upon prey. They favor a superior observation point over territory. A cat falling from up to {{convert|3|m|ft|abbr=on}} can right itself and land on its paws.<ref name="Kent et al. 2010">{{Cite journal |last1=Kent |first1=Marc |last2=Platt |first2=Simon R. |date=September 2010 |title=The neurology of balance: Function and dysfunction of the vestibular system in dogs and cats |journal=The Veterinary Journal |volume=185 |issue=3 |pages=247–249 |doi=10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.10.029 |pmid=19944632}}</ref>

During a lofty fall, a cat reflexively twists and rights itself to land on its feet using its acute sense of balance and flexibility. This reflex is known as the [[cat righting reflex]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gerathewohl |first1=S. J. |last2=Stallings |first2=H. D. |year=1957 |title=The labyrinthine posture reflex (righting reflex) in the cat during weightlessness |url= https://spacemedicineassociation.org/download/history/history_files_1957/28040345-1.pdf |journal=The Journal of Aviation Medicine |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=345–355 |pmid=13462942 |access-date=27 April 2019 |archive-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201003155151/https://spacemedicineassociation.org/download/history/history_files_1957/28040345-1.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> A cat always rights itself in the same way, and it has enough time in falls of at least {{convert|90|cm|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Nguyen 1998">{{cite web |last=Nguyen |first=H. D. |year=1998 |title=How does a cat always land on its feet? |url= http://helix.gatech.edu/Classes/ME3760/1998Q3/Projects/Nguyen/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20010410235503/http://helix.gatech.edu/Classes/ME3760/1998Q3/Projects/Nguyen/ |archive-date=10 April 2001 |access-date=15 May 2007 |series=Dynamics II (ME 3760) course materials |publisher=[[Georgia Institute of Technology]] |department=School of Medical Engineering}} {{tertiary source|date=December 2011}}</ref> This has been investigated as the "[[falling cat problem]]".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Falling cats, parallel parking, and polarized light |last=Batterman |first=R. |year=2003 |journal=Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics |volume=34 |issue=4 |pages=527–557 |url=http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/794/1/falling-cats.pdf |bibcode=2003SHPMP..34..527B |doi=10.1016/s1355-2198(03)00062-5 |access-date=13 September 2022 |archive-date=20 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720140329/http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/794/1/falling-cats.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Coats ===
{{Main|Cat coat genetics}}
{{See also|Tabby cat}}
[[File:Nursing Cat 01.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Mother cat with her different-colored offspring]]
The cat family (Felidae) can pass down many colors and patterns to their offspring. The domestic cat genes ''[[MC1R]]'' and ''[[Agouti-signaling protein|ASIP]]'' allow color variety in their coats. The feline ''ASIP'' gene consists of three coding exons.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Eizirik |first1=Eduardo |last2=Yuhki |first2=Naoya |last3=Johnson |first3=Warren E. |last4=Menotti-Raymond |first4=Marilyn |last5=Hannah |first5=Steven S. |last6=O'Brien |first6=Stephen J. |date=4 March 2003 |title=Molecular Genetics and Evolution of Melanism in the Cat Family |journal=Current Biology |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=448–453 |doi=10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00128-3 |pmid=12620197 |s2cid=19021807 |issn=0960-9822|doi-access=free|bibcode=2003CBio...13..448E }}</ref> Three novel [[microsatellite]] markers linked to ''ASIP'' were isolated from a domestic cat BAC clone containing this gene to perform [[linkage analysis]] on 89 domestic cats segregated for [[melanism]]. The domestic cat family demonstrated a cosegregation between the ''ASIP'' allele and coat black coloration.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Eizirik |first1=Eduardo |last2=Yuhki |first2=Naoya |last3=Johnson |first3=Warren E. |last4=Menotti-Raymond |first4=Marilyn |last5=Hannah |first5=Steven S. |last6=O'Brien |first6=Stephen J. |date=4 March 2003 |title=Molecular Genetics and Evolution of Melanism in the Cat Family |url=https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(03)00128-3.pdf |journal=Cell Press |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=448–453 |doi=10.1016/s0960-9822(03)00128-3 |pmid=12620197 |bibcode=2003CBio...13..448E |access-date=26 March 2024 |archive-date=26 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326122953/https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(03)00128-3.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Senses ==
{{Main|Cat senses}}

=== Vision ===
[[File:Tabby cat with visible nictitating membrane.jpg|alt=A tabby cat with a third, translucent eyelid covering part of either eye|thumb|upright=0.7|A cat's [[nictitating membrane]] is exposed as it blinks.]]
Cats have excellent [[night vision]] and can see at one sixth the light level required for human vision.<ref name="Case" />{{rp|43}} This is partly the result of cat eyes having a ''[[tapetum lucidum]]'', which reflects any light that passes through the [[retina]] back into the eye, thereby increasing the eye's sensitivity to dim light.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Comparative morphology of the ''Tapetum Lucidum'' (among selected species) |last1=Ollivier |first1=F. J. |last2=Samuelson |first2=D. A. |last3=Brooks |first3=D. E. |last4=Lewis |first4=P. A. |last5=Kallberg |first5=M. E. |last6=Komaromy |first6=A. M. |s2cid=15419778 |journal=Veterinary Ophthalmology |year=2004 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=11–22 |doi=10.1111/j.1463-5224.2004.00318.x |pmid=14738502}}</ref> Large pupils are an adaptation to dim light. The domestic cat has [[Pupil#In other animals|slit pupils]], which allow it to focus bright light without [[chromatic aberration]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Malmström |first1=T. |last2=Kröger |first2=R. H. |title=Pupil shapes and lens optics in the eyes of terrestrial vertebrates |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |volume=209 |issue=1 |pages=18–25 |year=2006 |pmid=16354774 |doi=10.1242/jeb.01959|doi-access=free|bibcode=2006JExpB.209...18M }}</ref> At low light, a cat's pupils expand to cover most of the exposed surface of its eyes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hammond |first1=P. |last2=Mouat |first2=G. S. V. |title=The relationship between feline pupil size and luminance |journal=Experimental Brain Research |year=1985 |volume=59 |issue=3 |pages=485–490 |doi=10.1007/BF00261338|pmid=4029324|s2cid=11858455}}</ref> The domestic cat has rather poor [[color vision]] and only two types of [[cone cell]]s, optimized for sensitivity to blue and yellowish green; its ability to distinguish between red and green is limited.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Cat color vision: The effect of stimulus size |last1=Loop |first1=M. S. |last2=Bruce |first2=L. L. |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=199 |issue=4334 |pages=1221–1222 |year=1978 |pmid=628838 |doi=10.1126/science.628838 |bibcode=1978Sci...199.1221L}}</ref> A response to middle wavelengths from a system other than the [[rod cell]]s might be due to a third type of cone. This appears to be an adaptation to low light levels rather than representing true [[Trichromacy|trichromatic]] vision.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guenther |first1=E. |last2=Zrenner |first2=E. |title=The spectral sensitivity of dark- and light-adapted cat retinal ganglion cells |journal=Journal of Neuroscience |volume=13 |pages=1543–1550 |year=1993 |issue=4 |pmid=8463834 |pmc=6576706 |doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-04-01543.1993 }}</ref> Cats have a [[nictitating membrane]], allowing them to blink without hindering their vision.

=== Hearing ===
The domestic cat's hearing is most acute in the range of 500&nbsp;[[Hz]] to 32&nbsp;kHz.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Hearing range of the domestic cat |last=Heffner |first=R. S. |journal=Hearing Research |year=1985 |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=85–88 |doi=10.1016/0378-5955(85)90100-5 |pmid=4066516 |s2cid=4763009 |url= https://www.utoledo.edu/al/psychology/pdfs/comphearaudio/HearingRangeOfTheDomesticCat_1985.pdf |access-date=10 October 2019 |archive-date=7 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210707001511/https://www.utoledo.edu/al/psychology/pdfs/comphearaudio/HearingRangeOfTheDomesticCat_1985.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> It can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies ranging from 55&nbsp;Hz to 79&nbsp;kHz, whereas humans can only detect frequencies between 20&nbsp;Hz and 20&nbsp;kHz. It can hear a range of 10.5 [[octave]]s, compared to about 9 octaves for humans and dogs.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Auditory awareness |last=Heffner |first=H. E. |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |year=1998 |volume=57 |issue=3–4 |pages=259–268 |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(98)00101-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Primate hearing from a mammalian perspective |last=Heffner |first=R. S. |s2cid=4991969 |journal=The Anatomical Record Part A: Discoveries in Molecular, Cellular, and Evolutionary Biology |year=2004 |volume=281 |issue=1 |pages=1111–1122 |pmid=15472899 |doi=10.1002/ar.a.20117|doi-access=free}}</ref> Its hearing sensitivity is enhanced by its large movable outer ears, the [[Pinna (anatomy)|pinnae]], which amplify sounds and help detect the location of a noise. It can detect [[ultrasound]], including ultrasonic calls from [[rodent]] prey.<ref name="Sunquist">{{cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |date=2002 |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-77999-7 |chapter=What is a Cat? |pages=5–18 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA3 |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-date=19 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719111036/https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA3 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blumberg |first=M. S. |title=Rodent ultrasonic short calls: Locomotion, biomechanics, and communication |journal=Journal of Comparative Psychology |year=1992 |volume=106 |issue=4 |pages=360–365 |pmid=1451418 |doi=10.1037/0735-7036.106.4.360}}</ref> Research has shown that cats have socio-spatial cognitive abilities to create mental maps of familiar people's locations based on hearing their voices.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Takagi |first1=S. |last2=Chijiiwa |first2=H. |last3=Arahori |first3=M. |last4=Saito|first4=A. |last5=Fujita |first5=K. |last6=Kuroshima |first6=H. |year=2021|title=Socio-spatial cognition in cats: Mentally mapping owner's location from voice |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=16 |issue=11 |article-number=e0257611 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0257611 |pmc=8580247 |pmid=34758043 |bibcode=2021PLoSO..1657611T |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Smell ===
Cats have an acute sense of smell, due in part to their well-developed [[olfactory bulb]] and a large surface of [[olfactory mucosa]], about {{convert|5.8|cm2|in2|abbr=on}} in area, which is about twice that of humans<!-- impossible logic and only 1.7-fold less than the average dog. -->.<ref name="Moulton 1967">{{cite journal |last=Moulton |first=David G. |date=1 August 1967 |title=Olfaction in mammals |url= https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/7/3/421/244992 |journal=American Zoologist |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=421–429 |doi=10.1093/icb/7.3.421 |pmid=6077376 |issn=0003-1569 |doi-access=free |access-date=22 November 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210806144530/https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/7/3/421/244992 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cats and many other animals have a [[Jacobson's organ]] in their mouths that is used in the behavioral process of [[Flehmen response|flehmening]]. It allows them to sense certain aromas in a way that humans cannot. Cats are sensitive to [[Cat pheromone|pheromones]] such as [[3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol]],<ref name="felinine">{{cite journal |last1=Miyazaki |first1=Masao |last2=Yamashita |first2=Tetsuro |last3=Suzuki |first3=Yusuke |last4=Saito |first4=Yoshihiro |last5=Soeta |first5=Satoshi |last6=Taira |first6=Hideharu |last7=Suzuki |first7=Akemi |date=October 2006 |title=A major urinary protein of the domestic cat regulates the production of felinine, a putative pheromone precursor |journal=Chemistry & Biology |volume=13 |issue=10 |pages=1071–1079 |doi=10.1016/j.chembiol.2006.08.013 |pmid=17052611 |doi-access=free}}</ref> which they use to communicate through [[urine spraying]] and marking with [[scent gland]]s.<ref name="Sommerville" /> Many cats also respond strongly to plants that contain [[nepetalactone]], especially [[catnip]], which they can detect at less than one part per billion.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Grognet |first=Jeff |title=Catnip: Its uses and effects, past and present |journal=The Canadian Veterinary Journal |date=June 1990 |volume=31 |issue=6 |pages=455–456 |pmc=1480656 |pmid=17423611}}</ref> About 70–80% of cats are affected by nepetalactone.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-how-does-catnip-work-on-cats |title=How does catnip work its magic on cats? |date=29 May 2007 |last=Turner |first=Ramona |magazine=[[Scientific American]] |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131022023257/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-how-does-catnip-work-on-cats |archive-date=22 October 2013}}</ref> This response is also produced by other plants, such as silver vine (''[[Actinidia polygama]]'') and the herb [[Valerian (herb)|valerian]]; it may be caused by the smell of these plants mimicking a pheromone and stimulating cats' social or sexual behaviors.<ref name="Tucker">{{cite journal |title=Catnip and the catnip response |last1=Tucker |first1=Arthur |last2=Tucker |first2=Sharon |journal=Economic Botany |year=1988 |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=214–231 |doi=10.1007/BF02858923|bibcode=1988EcBot..42..214T |s2cid=34777592}}</ref>

=== Taste ===
Cats have about 470 [[taste bud]]s, compared to more than 9,000 on the human tongue.<ref name="sch">{{cite web |title=Do cats have a sense of taste? |url= http://www.cathealth.com/nutrition/do-cats-have-a-sense-of-taste |website=CatHealth.com |last=Schelling |first=Christianne |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160128163535/http://www.cathealth.com/nutrition/do-cats-have-a-sense-of-taste|archive-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> Domestic and wild cats share a [[Taste receptor#Loss of function|taste receptor gene mutation]] that keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules, leaving them with no ability to taste [[sweetness]].<ref>{{Citation |last1=Jiang |first1=Peihua |last2=Josue |first2=Jesusa |last3=Li |first3=Xia |last4=Glaser |first4=Dieter |last5=Li |first5=Weihua |last6=Brand |first6=Joseph G. |last7=Margolskee |first7=Robert F. |last8=Reed |first8=Danielle R. |last9=Beauchamp |first9=Gary K. |title=Major taste loss in carnivorous mammals |journal=PNAS |volume=13 |issue=109 |pages=4956–4961 |date=12 March 2012 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1118360109 |pmid=22411809 |pmc=3324019 |doi-access=free}}</ref> But they do have taste bud receptors specialized for [[acid]]s, [[amino acid]]s such as the constituents of protein, and bitter tastes.<ref name="Bradshaw2006">{{cite journal |volume=136 |issue=7 |pages=1927S–1931 |last=Bradshaw |first=John W. S. |title=The evolutionary basis for the feeding behavior of domestic dogs (''Canis familiaris'') and cats (''Felis catus'') |journal=Journal of Nutrition |date=1 July 2006 |pmid=16772461 |doi=10.1093/jn/136.7.1927S |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Cats' taste buds possess the receptors needed to detect [[umami]]. However, these receptors contain molecular changes that make them taste umami differently from humans. In humans, they detect the amino acids [[glutamic acid]] and [[aspartic acid]]; but in cats, they instead detect [[inosine monophosphate]] and [[histidine]].<ref name="McGrane Gibbs Hernangomez de Alvaro Dunlop">{{cite journal |last1=McGrane |first1=Scott J. |last2=Gibbs |first2=Matthew |last3=Hernangomez de Alvaro |first3=Carlos |last4=Dunlop |first4=Nicola |last5=Winnig |first5=Marcel |last6=Klebansky |first6=Boris |last7=Waller |first7=Daniel |title=Umami taste perception and preferences of the domestic cat (''Felis catus''), an obligate carnivore |journal=Chemical Senses |volume=48 |date=1 January 2023 |article-number=bjad026 |issn=0379-864X |doi=10.1093/chemse/bjad026 |pmid=37551788 |pmc=10468298}}</ref> These molecules are particularly enriched in [[tuna]].<ref name="McGrane Gibbs Hernangomez de Alvaro Dunlop" /> Researchers argue why cats find tuna so [[Palatability|palatable]]: "the specific combination of the high IMP and free histidine contents of tuna, which produces a strong umami taste synergy that is highly preferred by cats."<ref name="McGrane Gibbs Hernangomez de Alvaro Dunlop" /> One researcher said, "I think umami is as important for cats as sweet is for humans."<ref name="Science Tuna Cat">{{cite journal |last=Grimm |first=David |title=Why do cats love tuna so much? |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=381 |date=1 October 2023 |issue=6661 |issn=0036-8075 |doi=10.1126/science.adk5725 |page=935|pmid=37651517 |bibcode=2023Sci...381..935G |s2cid=261395204}}</ref>

Cats distinctly prefer food temperature around {{convert|38|C|F|abbr=on}}, similar to a fresh kill. Some cats reject cold food, which would signal to the cat that the prey is long dead and therefore possibly toxic or decomposing.<ref name="sch" />

=== Whiskers ===
[[File:Kittyply edit1.jpg|thumb|The whiskers of a cat are highly sensitive to touch.]]
To aid with navigation and sensation, cats have dozens of movable [[vibrissa|whiskers (vibrissae)]] over their body, especially their faces. These provide information on the width of gaps and on the location of objects in the dark, both by touching objects directly and by sensing air currents. They trigger protective [[blink reflex]]es to protect the eyes from damage.<ref name="Case" />{{rp|47}}

== Behavior ==
{{See also|Cat behavior}}
Outdoor cats are active both day and night, although they tend to be slightly more active at night.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Spatio-temporal Sharing between the European Wildcat, the Domestic Cat and their Hybrids |last1=Germain |first1=E. |last2=Benhamou |first2=S. |last3=Poulle |first3=M.-L. |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=2008 |volume=276 |issue=2 |pages=195–203 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00479.x|doi-access=free }}</ref> Domestic cats spend the majority of their time in the vicinity of their homes, but they can range a radius of many hundreds of meters. They establish [[Territory (animal)|territories]] that vary considerably in size, in one study ranging {{cvt|7|-|28|ha|acre}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Barratt |first=D. G. |title=Home Range Size, Habitat Utilisation and Movement Patterns of Suburban and Farm Cats ''Felis catus'' |journal=Ecography |year=1997 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0587.1997.tb00371.x |jstor=3682838 |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=271–280|bibcode=1997Ecogr..20..271B }}</ref> The timing of cats' activity is quite flexible and varied; but being low-light predators, they are generally [[Crepuscular animal|crepuscular]], which means they tend to be more active near dawn and dusk. However, house cats' behavior is also influenced by human activity, and they may adapt to their owners' sleeping patterns to some extent.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Circadian rhythms in food intake and activity in domestic cats |last1=Randall |first1=W. |last2=Johnson |first2=R. F. |last3=Randall |first3=S. |last4=Cunningham |first4=J. T. |journal=Behavioral Neuroscience |year=1985 |volume=99 |issue=6 |pmid=3843546 |doi=10.1037/0735-7044.99.6.1162 |pages=1162–1175}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ling |first=Thomas |date=2 June 2021 |title=Why do cats sleep so much? |url=https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/why-do-cats-sleep-so-much/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=BBC Science Focus Magazine |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403180235/https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/why-do-cats-sleep-so-much/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Cats conserve energy by sleeping more than most animals, especially as they grow older. The daily duration of sleep varies, usually between 12 and 16 hours, with 13 to 14 being the average. Some cats can sleep as much as 20 hours. The term "cat nap" for a short rest refers to the cat's tendency to fall asleep (lightly) for a brief period. Short periods of [[rapid eye movement sleep]] are often accompanied by muscle twitches, which suggests they are dreaming.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1016/0166-2236(79)90110-3 |volume=2 |pages=280–282 |last=Jouvet |first=M. |title=What Does a Cat Dream About? |journal=Trends in Neurosciences |year=1979|s2cid=53161799}}</ref>

Behavioral and personality traits depend on a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Scientific evidence is mixed about the popular belief that those traits are linked to coat colors.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Delgado |first1=Mikel M. |last2=Munera |first2=Jacqueline D. |last3=Reevy |first3=Gretchen M. |date=2012-12-01 |title=Human Perceptions of Coat Color as an Indicator of Domestic Cat Personality |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175303712X13479798785779 |journal=Anthrozoös |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=427–440 |doi=10.2752/175303712X13479798785779 |issn=0892-7936|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Udell |first1=Monique |last2=Delgado |first2=Mikel |last3=Ekenstedt |first3=Kari |last4=Shoveller |first4=Anna Kate |last5=Croney |first5=Candace |year=2023 |title=CATastrophic myths part 2: Common misconceptions about the environmental, nutritional, and genetic management of domestic cats and their welfare implications |journal=The Veterinary Journal |volume=300-302 |article-number=106029 |doi=10.1016/j.tvjl.2023.106029 |pmid=37683762 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=González-Ramírez |first1=Mónica Teresa |last2=Landero-Hernández |first2=René |date=15 April 2022 |title=Cat Coat Color, Personality Traits and the Cat-Owner Relationship Scale: A Study with Cat Owners in Mexico |journal=Animals |language=en |volume=12 |issue=8 |page=1030 |doi=10.3390/ani12081030 |doi-access=free |pmid=35454276 |pmc=9024431 |issn=2076-2615}}</ref>

=== Sociability ===
The social behavior of the domestic cat ranges from widely dispersed individuals to [[Feral cat colony|feral cat colonies]] that gather around a food source, based on groups of co-operating females.<ref name="Crowell-davis2004">{{Cite journal |title=Social Organization in the Cat: A Modern Understanding |last1=Crowell-Davis |first1=S. L. |last2=Curtis |first2=T. M. |last3=Knowles |first3=R. J. |year=2004 |journal=Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=19–28 |doi=10.1016/j.jfms.2003.09.013 |pmid=15123163 |pmc=10822437 |s2cid=25719922 |url=http://zoopsy.free.fr/veille_biblio/social_organization_cat_2004.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110720231305/http://zoopsy.free.fr/veille_biblio/social_organization_cat_2004.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="Liberg_al2014">{{Cite book |last1=Liberg |first1=O. |last2=Sandell |first2=M. |last3=Pontier |first3=D. |last4=Natoli |first4=E. |chapter=Density, spatial organisation and reproductive tactics in the domestic cat and other felids |title=The domestic cat: the biology of its behaviour |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2000 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0-521-63648-3 |editor1-last=Turner |editor1-first=D. C. |editor2-last=Bateson |editor2-first=P. |pages=119–147 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=GgUwg6gU7n4C&pg=PA119 |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-date=31 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210331062218/https://books.google.com/books?id=GgUwg6gU7n4C&pg=PA119 |url-status=live}}</ref> Within such groups, one cat is usually dominant over the others.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Patterns of social interaction in cats (''Felis domestica'') |last1=Baron |first1=A. |last2=Stewart |first2=C. N. |last3=Warren |first3=J. M. |journal=Behaviour |date=1 January 1957 |doi=10.1163/156853956X00084 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=56–66 |jstor=4532869}}</ref> Each cat in a colony holds a distinct territory, with sexually active males having the largest territories, which are about 10 times larger than those of female cats and may overlap with several females' territories. These territories are marked by [[urine spraying]], rubbing objects at head height with secretions from facial glands, and by [[defecation]].<ref name="Sommerville">{{Cite journal |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(98)00102-6 |volume=57 |issue=3–4 |pages=269–286 |last=Sommerville |first=B. A. |title=Olfactory Awareness |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |year=1998}}</ref> Between these territories are neutral areas where cats watch and greet one another without territorial conflicts. Outside these neutral areas, territory holders usually chase away stranger cats, at first by staring, hissing, and [[growling]], and, if that does not work, by short and violent, noisy attacks. Because cats do not have a social survival strategy or [[herd behavior]], they always hunt alone.<ref name="Bradshaw">{{cite journal |last1=Bradshaw |first1=J. W. |last2=Goodwin |first2=D. |last3=Legrand-Defrétin |first3=V. |last4=Nott |first4=H. M. |year=1996 |title=Food selection by the domestic cat, an obligate carnivore |journal=Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology – Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology |volume=114 |issue=3 |pages=205–209 |doi=10.1016/0300-9629(95)02133-7 |pmid=8759144}}</ref>

[[File:Kittens resting close together for warmth and security.jpg|thumb|Two kittens lying side by side, an instinctive behavior that offers both comfort and protection|alt=Two kittens resting side by side, an instinctive behavior that offers both protection and comfort]]
Life in proximity to humans and other domestic animals has led to a symbiotic social adaptation in cats, and cats may express great affection toward humans or other animals. [[Ethology|Ethologically]], a cat's human keeper functions as a mother surrogate.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vrueZDfPUzoC&pg=PA518 |last1=Mills |first1=D. S. |last2=Marchant-Forde |first2=J. |date=2010 |title=Encyclopedia of Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare |page=518 |isbn=978-0-85199-724-7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407004417/https://books.google.com/books?id=vrueZDfPUzoC&pg=PA518 |archive-date=7 April 2017}}</ref> Adult cats live in a type of extended kittenhood, a form of behavioral [[neoteny]]. Their high-pitched sounds may mimic the cries of a hungry human infant, making them particularly difficult for humans to ignore.<ref name="McComb 2009">{{Cite journal |last1=McComb |first1=K. |last2=Taylor |first2=A. M. |last3=Wilson |first3=C. |last4=Charlton |first4=B. D. |title=The Cry Embedded within the Purr |journal=Current Biology |volume=19 |issue=13 |pages=R507–508 |year=2009 |pmid=19602409 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2009.05.033|s2cid=10972076 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2009CBio...19.R507M }}</ref> Some pet cats are poorly socialized. In particular, older cats may show aggressiveness toward newly arrived kittens, which includes biting and scratching; this type of behavior is known as feline asocial aggression.<ref name="Levine 2005">{{Cite journal |title=Intercat aggression in households following the introduction of a new cat |last1=Levine |first1=E. |last2=Perry |first2=P. |last3=Scarlett |first3=J. |last4=Houpt |first4=K. |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |issue=3–4 |year=2005 |pages=325–336 |doi=10.1016/j.applanim.2004.07.006 |volume=90 |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/jcha/330_cats_introducing.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090326225932/http://faculty.washington.edu/jcha/330_cats_introducing.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref>

[[Redirected aggression]] is a common form of aggression that can occur in multiple cat households. In redirected aggression, a cat is usually agitated by a stimulus such as a sight, sound, or other trigger that causes heightened anxiety or arousal; if the cat cannot attack the original stimulus, it may redirect its aggression toward the nearest cat, pet, human, or other being.<ref name="Horwitz">{{cite news |last1=Horwitz |first1=Debra |title=Cat Behavior Problems - Aggression Redirected |url= https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cat-behavior-problems-aggression-redirected |access-date=16 June 2022 |publisher=VCA Animal Hospitals |year=2022 |archive-date=19 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319184510/https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cat-behavior-problems-aggression-redirected |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Behaviorist">{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Ingrid |title=Redirected Aggression in Cats: Recognition and Treatment Strategies |url= https://iaabc.org/cat/redirected-aggression-in-cats |access-date=16 June 2022 |publisher=International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants |date=17 May 2014 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220307001045/https://iaabc.org/cat/redirected-aggression-in-cats |url-status=live}}</ref>

Domestic cats' [[scent rubbing]] behavior toward humans or other cats is thought to be a feline means of social bonding.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Soennichsen |first1=S. |last2=Chamove |first2=A. S. |year=2015 |title=Responses of cats to petting by humans |journal=Anthrozoös |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=258–265 |doi=10.2752/089279302786992577|s2cid=144843766}}</ref>

=== Communication ===
{{Main|Cat communication}}
{{Listen image
| main_image = Domestic Cat Face Shot.jpg
| main_image_caption = Vocalizing domestic cat
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| filename = Meow domestic cat.ogg
| title              = A meow
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Domestic cats use many [[Animal communication|vocalizations]] for communication, including [[purr]]ing, [[Trill consonant|trilling]], hissing, growling/snarling, grunting, and several different forms of meowing.<ref name=Moelk1944>{{Cite journal |title=Vocalizing in the House-cat; A Phonetic and Functional Study |last=Moelk |first=M. |journal=The American Journal of Psychology |year=1944 |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=184–205 |doi=10.2307/1416947 |jstor=1416947}}</ref> Their [[Cat body language|body language]], including position of ears and tail, relaxation of the whole body, and kneading of the paws, are all indicators of mood. The tail and ears are particularly important social signal mechanisms; a raised tail indicates a friendly greeting, and flattened ears indicate hostility. Tail-raising also indicates the cat's position in the group's [[social hierarchy]], with dominant individuals raising their tails less often than subordinate ones.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cafazzo |first1=S. |last2=Natoli |first2=E. |title=The Social Function of Tail Up in the Domestic Cat (''Felis silvestris catus'') |journal=Behavioural Processes |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=60–66 |year=2009 |pmid=18930121 |doi=10.1016/j.beproc.2008.09.008 |s2cid=19883549}}</ref> Feral cats are generally silent.<ref name="Jensen">{{Cite book |last=Jensen |first=P. |title=The Ethology of Domestic Animals |series="Modular Text" series |publisher=[[Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International]] |location=Wallingford, England |date=2009 |isbn=978-1-84593-536-8}}</ref>{{rp|208}} Nose-to-nose touching is also a common greeting and may be followed by [[social grooming]], which is solicited by one of the cats raising and tilting its head.<ref name="Crowell-davis2004" />

[[Purring]] may have developed as an evolutionary advantage as a signaling mechanism of reassurance between mother cats and [[Breastfeeding|nursing]] kittens, who are thought to use it as a care-soliciting signal.<ref name="bradshaw2012"/> Post-nursing cats also often purr as a sign of contentment: when being petted, becoming relaxed,<ref name="BruelKjaer">{{cite web |first1=E. |last1=von Muggenthaler |first2=B. |last2=Wright |url=http://www.bksv.com/catspurr |title=Solving the Cat's Purr Mystery Using Accelerometers |work=BKSV |publisher=[[Brüel & Kjær]] |access-date=11 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722131617/http://www.bksv.com/catspurr |archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="IsnareCom">{{cite web |url= http://www.isnare.com/?aid=195293&ca=Pets |title=The Cat's Remarkable Purr |work=ISnare |access-date=6 August 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110713063142/http://www.isnare.com/?aid=195293&ca=Pets |archive-date=13 July 2011}}</ref> or eating. Although purring is popularly interpreted as indicative of pleasure, it has been recorded in a wide variety of circumstances, most of which involve physical contact between the cat and another, presumably trusted individual.<ref name="bradshaw2012"/> Some cats have been observed to purr continuously when chronically ill or in apparent pain.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beaver |first1=Bonnie V. G. |title=Feline behavior: a guide for veterinarians |date=2003 |publisher=Saunders |location=St. Louis, Missouri |isbn=978-0-7216-9498-6 |edition=2nd}}</ref>

The exact mechanism by which cats purr has long been elusive, but it has been proposed that purring is generated via a series of sudden build-ups and releases of pressure as the [[glottis]] is opened and closed, which causes the [[vocal folds]] to separate forcefully. The [[Larynx|laryngeal muscles]] in control of the glottis are thought to be driven by a [[neural oscillation|neural oscillator]] which generates a cycle of contraction and release every 30–40 [[millisecond]]s (giving a frequency of 33 to 25&nbsp;Hz).<ref name="bradshaw2012">{{cite book |last=Bradshaw |first=John W. S. |title=The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat |date=2012 |publisher=CABI |location=Wallingford |isbn=978-1-78064-120-1 |pages=71–72 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CMQdnrR0xEsC |access-date=6 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Remmers |first1=J. E. |last2=Gautier |first2=H. |title=Neural and mechanical mechanisms of feline purring |journal=Respiration Physiology |year=1972 |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=351–361 |doi=10.1016/0034-5687(72)90064-3 |pmid=4644061}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Frazer Sissom |first1=D. E. |last2=Rice |first2=D. A. |last3=Peters |first3=G. |title=How cats purr |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=1991 |volume=223 |issue=1 |pages=67–78 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1991.tb04749.x |s2cid=32350871}}</ref>

Domestic cats observed in rescue facilities have 276 morphologically distinct [[facial expression]]s based on 26 facial movements; each facial expression corresponds to different social functions that are probably influenced by domestication.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Scott |first1=L. |last2=Florkiewicz |first2=B. N. |year=2023 |title=Feline Faces: Unraveling the Social Function of Domestic Cat Facial Signals |journal=Behavioural Processes |volume=213 |article-number=104959 |doi=10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104959|pmid=37858844 |s2cid=264176390}}</ref> Facial expressions have helped researchers detect pain in cats. The feline [[grimace scale]]'s five criteria—ear position, orbital tightening, muzzle tension, whisker change, and head position—indicated the presence of acute pain in cats.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Evangelista |first1=M. C. |last2=Watanabe |first2=R. |last3=Leung |first3=V. S. Y. |last4=Monteiro |first4=B. P. |last5=O'Toole |first5=E. |last6=Pang |first6=D. S. J. |last7=Steagall |first7=P. V. |year=2019 |title=Facial expressions of pain in cats: the development and validation of a Feline Grimace Scale |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=19128 |doi=10.1038/s41598-019-55693-8 |pmc=6911058 |pmid=31836868|bibcode=2019NatSR...919128E}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Monteiro |first1=B. P |last2=Lee |first2=N. H.Y. |last3=Steagall |first3=P. V. |year=2023 |title=Can cat caregivers reliably assess acute pain in cats using the Feline Grimace Scale? A large bilingual global survey |journal=Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery |volume=25 |issue=1 |article-number=1098612X221145499 |doi=10.1177/1098612X221145499 |pmid=36649089|pmc=10812049 }}</ref>

=== Grooming ===
[[File:Cat tongue macro.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Cat tongue]]
Cats are known for spending considerable amounts of time licking their coats to keep them clean.<ref name="hairballs" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Noel |first1=A. C. |last2=Hu |first2=D. L. |title=Cats use hollow papillae to wick saliva into fur |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America]] |year=2018 |volume=115 |issue=49 |pages=12377–12382 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1809544115 |pmid=30455290 |pmc=6298077 |bibcode=2018PNAS..11512377N |doi-access=free}}</ref> The cat's tongue has backward-facing spines about 0.5 millimeter long, called [[lingual papilla]]e, which contain [[keratin]] making them rigid.<ref name="Boshel 1982">{{Cite journal |title=Filiform Papillae of Cat Tongue |last1=Boshel |first1=J. |last2=Wilborn |first2=W. H. |last3=Singh |first3=B. B. |last4=Peter |first4=S. |last5=Stur |first5=M. |s2cid=36216103 |journal=Acta Anatomica |year=1982 |volume=114 |issue=2 |pages=97–105 |doi=10.1159/000145583 |pmid=7180385}}</ref> The papillae act like a hairbrush, and some cats, particularly [[Domestic long-haired cat|long-haired cats]], occasionally regurgitate sausage-shaped {{cvt|2|–|3|cm|1}} long [[hairball]]s of fur that have collected in their stomachs from grooming. Hairballs can be prevented with remedies that ease elimination of the hair through the [[gut (anatomy)|gut]], and regular grooming of the coat with a comb or stiff brush.<ref name="hairballs">{{cite web |last=Hadzima |first=E. |title=Everything You Need to Know About Hairballs |work=Dewinton Pet Hospital |year=2016 |url= http://www.dewintonvet.com/everything-you-need-know-about-hairballs/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161006104436/http://www.dewintonvet.com/everything-you-need-know-about-hairballs/ |archive-date=6 October 2016 |access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref>

=== Cat intelligence ===
{{Main|Cat intelligence}}
[[File:Cat_opening_door.webm|thumb|A cat uses problem-solving skills to open a door.]]
Cat intelligence refers to a cat's ability to solve problems, adapt to its environment, learn new behaviors, and communicate its needs. Structurally, a cat's brain shares similarities with the human brain,<ref name="Gross 20102">{{cite book |last1=Gross |first1=Richard |title=Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour |publisher=Hodder Education |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4441-0831-6}}{{page needed |date=June 2013}}</ref> containing around 250 million neurons in the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for complex processing.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ananthanarayanan |first1=Rajagopal |title=Proceedings of the Conference on High Performance Computing Networking, Storage and Analysis – SC '09 |last2=Esser |first2=Steven K. |last3=Simon |first3=Horst D. |last4=Modha |first4=Dharmendra S. |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60558-744-8 |pages=1–12 |chapter=The cat is out of the bag: cortical simulations with 10<sup>9</sup> neurons, 10<sup>13</sup> synapses |doi=10.1145/1654059.1654124 |s2cid=6110450}}</ref> Cats display [[neuroplasticity]] allowing their brains to reorganize based on experiences. They have well-developed memory retaining information for a decade or longer. These memories are often intertwined with emotions, allowing cats to recall both positive and negative experiences associated with specific places.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Smart Are Cats? |url=https://bondvet.com/b/how-smart-are-cats |access-date=2024-04-25 |work=Bond Vet}}</ref> While they excel in [[observational learning]] and problem-solving, studies conclude that they struggle with understanding cause-and-effect relationships in the same way that humans do.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pallaud |first1=B. |year=1984 |title=Hypotheses on mechanisms underlying observational learning in animals |journal=Behavioural Processes |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=381–394 |doi=10.1016/0376-6357(84)90024-X |pmid=24924084 |s2cid=31226100}}</ref>

Cat [[Animal cognition|intelligence]] study is mostly from consideration of the domesticated cat. Living in urban environments has exposed them to challenges that require adaptive behaviors, contributing to cognitive development.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carlstead |first1=Kathy |last2=Brown |first2=Janine L. |last3=Seidensticker |first3=John |year=1993 |title=Behavioral and adrenocortical responses to environmental changes in leopard cats (''Felis bengalensis'') |journal=Zoo Biology |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=321–331 |doi=10.1002/zoo.1430120403 |s2cid=32582485}}</ref> Selective breeding and genetic changes have further influenced their intelligence.<ref name="pmid176001852">{{cite journal |last1=Driscoll |first1=C. A. |last2=Menotti-Raymond |first2=M. |last3=Roca |first3=A. L. |last4=Hupe |first4=K. |last5=Johnson |first5=W. E. |last6=Geffen |first6=E. |last7=Harley |first7=E. H. |last8=Delibes |first8=M. |last9=Pontier |first9=D. |last10=Kitchener |first10=A. C. |last11=Yamaguchi |first11=N. |last12=O'Brien |first12=S. J. |last13=MacDonald |first13=D. W. |display-authors=8 |year=2007 |title=The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication |journal=Science |volume=317 |issue=5837 |pages=519–23 |bibcode=2007Sci...317..519D |doi=10.1126/science.1139518 |pmc=5612713 |pmid=17600185}}</ref><ref name="fabcats.org2">{{cite web |title=Evolution of the cat |url=http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour/understanding/evolution.html |publisher=The Feline Advisory Bureau}}</ref> [[Kitten]]s learn essential survival skills by observing their mothers, while adult cats refine their abilities through [[trial and error]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

=== Play ===
{{Main|Cat play and toys}}
[[File:Play fight between cats.webmhd.webm|thumbnail|thumbtime=4|alt=Play fight between kittens, age 14 weeks|Kittens aged 14 weeks use fighting as a form of play.]]
Domestic cats, especially young kittens, are known for their love of play. This behavior mimics hunting and is important in helping kittens learn to stalk, capture, and kill prey.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Poirier |first1=F. E. |last2=Hussey |first2=L. K. |year=1982 |title=Nonhuman Primate Learning: The Importance of Learning from an Evolutionary Perspective |journal=Anthropology and Education Quarterly |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=133–148 |doi=10.1525/aeq.1982.13.2.05x1830j |jstor=3216627 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Cats also engage in [[Rough-and-tumble play|play fighting]], both with each other and with humans. This behavior may be a way for cats to practice the skills needed for real combat, and it might also reduce the fear that they associate with launching attacks on other animals.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hall |first=S. L. |title=Animal Play: Evolutionary, Comparative, and Ecological Perspectives |date=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-58656-6 |editor1=Byers, J. A. |pages=45–60 |chapter=Object play by adult animals |access-date=25 October 2020 |editor2=Bekoff, M. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jkiTQ8dIIHsC&pg=PA45 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126043154/https://books.google.com/books?id=jkiTQ8dIIHsC&pg=PA45 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cats also tend to play with toys more when they are hungry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hall |first=S. L. |year=1998 |title=The Influence of Hunger on Object Play by Adult Domestic Cats |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |volume=58 |issue=1–2 |pages=143–150 |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(97)00136-6}}</ref> Owing to the close similarity between play and hunting, cats prefer to play with objects that resemble prey, such as small furry toys that move rapidly, but rapidly lose interest. They become [[habituation|habituated]] to a toy they have played with before.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hall |first=S. L. |year=2002 |title=Object Play in Adult Domestic Cats: The Roles of Habituation and Disinhibition |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |volume=79 |issue=3 |pages=263–271 |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00153-3}}</ref> String is often used as a toy, but if it is eaten, it can become caught at the base of the cat's tongue and then move into the [[intestine]]s, a medical emergency which can cause serious illness, even death.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=MacPhail |first=C. |year=2002 |title=Gastrointestinal obstruction |journal=Clinical Techniques in Small Animal Practice |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=178–183 |doi=10.1053/svms.2002.36606 |pmid=12587284 |s2cid=24977450}}</ref>

=== Hunting and feeding ===
{{See also|Cat food}}
[[File:Kot z myszą.jpg|thumb|right|A [[deermouse]] is the prey of this domestic cat.]]
The shape and structure of cats' cheeks is insufficient to allow them to take in liquids using suction. Lapping at a rate of four times a second, the cat touches the smooth tip of its tongue to the surface of the water, and quickly retracts it like a corkscrew, drawing water upward into their mouths.<ref name="Reis 2010">{{cite journal |last1=Reis |first1=P. M. |last2=Jung |first2=S. |last3=Aristoff |first3=J. M. |last4=Stocker |first4=R. |year=2010 |title=How cats lap: Water uptake by ''Felis catus'' |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=330 |issue=6008 |pages=1231–1234 |bibcode=2010Sci...330.1231R |doi=10.1126/science.1195421 |pmid=21071630 |s2cid=1917972 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Kim 2012">{{cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=W. |last2=Bush |first2=J.W.M. |year=2012 |title=Natural drinking strategies |url=https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/1721.1/80405/2/Bush_Natural%20drinking%20strategies.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Fluid Mechanics |volume=705 |pages=7–25 |bibcode=2012JFM...705....7K |doi=10.1017/jfm.2012.122 |s2cid=14895835 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307214820/https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/80405/Bush_Natural |archive-date=7 March 2022 |access-date=23 September 2019 |hdl-access=free |hdl=1721.1/80405}}</ref>

Feral cats and free-fed house cats consume several small meals in a day. The frequency and size of meals varies between individuals. They select food based on its temperature, smell, and texture; they dislike chilled foods and respond most strongly to moist foods rich in amino acids, which are similar to meat. Cats reject novel flavors (a response termed [[neophobia]]) and learn quickly to [[conditioned taste aversion|avoid foods that have tasted unpleasant]] in the past.<ref name="Bradshaw" /><ref name="Zaghini">{{cite journal |last1=Zaghini |first1=G. |last2=Biagi |first2=G. |year=2005 |title=Nutritional peculiarities and diet palatability in the cat |journal=Veterinary Res. Commun. |volume=29 |issue=Supplement 2 |pages=39–44 |doi=10.1007/s11259-005-0009-1 |pmid=16244923 |s2cid=23633719}}</ref> It is also a common misconception that all cats like milk or cream, as they tend to avoid sweet food and milk. Most adult cats are [[lactose intolerant]]; the sugar in milk is not easily digested and may cause soft stools or [[diarrhea]].<ref name="Kienzle 1994">{{cite journal |last=Kienzle |first=E. |year=1994 |title=Blood sugar levels and renal sugar excretion after the intake of high carbohydrate diets in cats |url=http://jn.nutrition.org/content/124/12_Suppl/2563S.full.pdf |journal=Journal of Nutrition |volume=124 |issue=12 Supplement |pages=2563S–2567S |doi=10.1093/jn/124.suppl_12.2563S |pmid=7996238 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903163949/http://jn.nutrition.org/content/124/12_Suppl/2563S.full.pdf |archive-date=3 September 2013}}</ref> Some also develop odd eating habits and like to eat or chew on things such as wool, plastic, cables, paper, string, aluminum foil, or even coal. This condition, [[pica (disorder)|pica]], can threaten their health, depending on the amount and toxicity of the items eaten.<ref name="Bradshaw 1997">{{cite journal |last=Bradshaw |first=J. W. S. |year=1997 |title=Factors affecting pica in the domestic cat |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |volume=52 |issue=3–4 |pages=373–379 |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01136-7}}</ref>

Cats hunt small prey, primarily birds and rodents,<ref name="Woods">{{cite journal |last1=Woods |first1=M. |last2=McDonald |first2=R. A. |last3=Harris |first3=S. |year=2003 |title=Predation of wildlife by domestic cats ''Felis catus'' in Great Britain |journal=Mammal Review |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=174–188 |bibcode=2003MamRv..33..174W |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2907.2003.00017.x |s2cid=42095020}}</ref> and are often used as a form of pest control.<ref>{{cite book |last=Slesnick |first=I. L. |url=https://archive.org/details/clonescatschemic00sles/page/n16 |title=Clones, Cats, and Chemicals: Thinking scientifically about controversial issues |date=2004 |publisher=NSTA Press |isbn=978-0-87355-237-0 |page=9 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hill |first=D. S. |url=https://archive.org/details/pestscropswarmer00hill/page/n125 |title=Pests of Crops in Warmer Climates and their Control |date=2008 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4020-6737-2 |edition=First |page=120 |url-access=limited}}</ref> Other common small creatures, such as lizards and snakes, may also become prey.<ref>{{cite web |last=Learn |first=Joshua Rapp |date=17 August 2018 |title=Cats Have A Killer Impact on Reptiles: Experiments in Australia reveal that kitties are catching more than birds |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/cats-kill-reptiles-populations-australia-animals |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124225514/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/cats-kill-reptiles-populations-australia-animals |archive-date=24 November 2023 |access-date=24 November 2023 |work=[[National Geographic Society|NationalGeographic]]}}</ref> Cats use two hunting strategies, either stalking prey actively, or [[Ambush predator|waiting in ambush]] until an animal comes close enough to be captured.<ref name="How Cats Evolved to Win the Internet">{{cite news |last=Tucker |first=A. |year=2016 |title=How cats evolved to win the Internet |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/opinion/sunday/how-cats-evolved-to-win-the-internet.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019204937/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/opinion/sunday/how-cats-evolved-to-win-the-internet.html |archive-date=19 October 2016 |access-date=13 November 2016 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The strategy used depends on available prey, with cats waiting in ambush outside burrows, but tending to actively stalk birds.<ref name="Turner 2000">{{cite book |title=The Domestic Cat: The biology of its behaviour |date=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-63648-3 |editor-last1=Turner |editor-first1=D. C. |edition=2nd |editor-last2=Bateson |editor-first2=P.}}</ref>{{rp|153}} Domestic cats are a major [[Cat predation on wildlife|predator of wildlife]] in the United States, killing an estimated 1.3 to 4.0&nbsp;billion birds and 6.3 to 22.3&nbsp;billion mammals annually.<ref name="NC012913">{{cite journal |last1=Loss |first1=S. R. |last2=Will |first2=T. |last3=Marra |first3=P. P. |year=2013 |title=The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States |journal=[[Nature Communications]] |volume=4 |article-number=1396 |bibcode=2013NatCo...4.1396L |doi=10.1038/ncomms2380 |pmid=23360987 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Certain species appear more susceptible than others; in one English village, for example, 30% of house sparrow mortality was linked to the domestic cat.<ref name="Chucher 1987">{{cite journal |last1=Chucher |first1=P. B. |last2=Lawton |first2=J. H. |year=1987 |title=Predation by domestic cats in an English village |journal=Journal of Zoology, London |volume=212 |issue=3 |pages=439–455 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1987.tb02915.x}}</ref> In the recovery of ringed robins (''[[Erithacus rubecula]]'') and dunnocks (''[[Prunella modularis]]'') in Britain, 31% of deaths were a result of cat predation.<ref name="Mead 1982 183–186">{{cite journal |last=Mead |first=C. J. |year=1982 |title=Ringed birds killed by cats |journal=Mammal Review |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=183–186 |bibcode=1982MamRv..12..183M |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.1982.tb00014.x}}</ref> In parts of North America, the presence of larger carnivores such as [[coyote]]s, which prey on cats and other small predators, reduces the effect of predation by cats and other small predators such as [[opossum]]s and [[raccoon]]s on bird numbers and variety.<ref name="Crooks 1999">{{cite journal |last1=Crooks |first1=K. R. |last2=Soul |first2=M. E. |year=1999 |title=Mesopredator release and avifaunal extinctions in a fragmented system |url=http://www38.homepage.villanova.edu/jameson.chace/Urban%20Ecology/Crooks%26Soule_Mesopredator_release.pdf |journal=Nature |volume=400 |issue=6744 |pages=563–566 |bibcode=1999Natur.400..563C |doi=10.1038/23028 |s2cid=4417607 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720110246/http://www38.homepage.villanova.edu/jameson.chace/Urban%20Ecology/Crooks%26Soule_Mesopredator_release.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref>

Another poorly understood element of cat hunting behavior is the presentation of prey to human guardians. One explanation is that cats adopt humans into their social group and share excess kill with others in the group according to the [[dominance hierarchy]], in which humans are reacted to as if they are at or near the top.<ref name="Leyhausen 1978">{{cite book |last=Leyhausen |first=P. |title=Cat Behavior: The predatory and social behavior of domestic and wild cats |date=1978 |publisher=[[Garland STPM Press]] |isbn=978-0-8240-7017-5 |location=New York}}</ref> Another explanation is that they attempt to teach their guardians to hunt or to help their human as if feeding "an elderly cat, or an inept kitten".<ref name="Morris Catwatching 1">{{cite book |last=Desmond |first=M. |title=Catwatching: Why cats purr and everything else you ever wanted to know |date=2002 |publisher=Ebury Press |isbn=978-1-4090-2221-3 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=51–52 |chapter=Why does a cat play with its prey before killing it? |access-date=25 October 2020 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3ysT6xTJu4C&pg=PA51 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331062240/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3ysT6xTJu4C&pg=PA51 |archive-date=31 March 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> This hypothesis is inconsistent with the fact that male cats also bring home prey, though males have negligible involvement in raising kittens.<ref name="Turner 2000" />{{rp|153}}

=== Fighting ===
[[File:GAto.jpg|thumb|This domestic cat hisses and arches its back.]]
Domestic males are more likely to fight than females.<ref name="Lindell">{{Cite journal |last=Lindell |first=E. M. |title=Intercat Aggression: A Retrospective Study Examining Types of Aggression, Sexes of Fighting Pairs, and Effectiveness of Treatment |journal=Applied Animal Behaviour Science |year=1997 |volume=55 |issue=1–2 |pages=153–162 |doi=10.1016/S0168-1591(97)00032-4 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The most common reason for feral [[Catfight (animal behavior)|cat fighting]] is competition between two males to mate with a female, and most fights are won by the heavier male.<ref name="courtship">{{Cite journal |title=Mating Behaviors, Courtship Rank and Mating Success of Male Feral Cat (''Felis catus'') |first1=A. |last1=Yamane |first2=T. |last2=Doi |first3=Y. |last3=Ono |journal=Journal of Ethology |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=35–44 |year=1996 |doi=10.1007/BF02350090 |s2cid=27456926}}</ref> Another common reason for fighting in domestic cats is the difficulty of establishing territories within a small home.<ref name="Lindell" /> Female cats also fight over territory or to defend their kittens. [[Neutering]] decreases or eliminates this behavior in many cases, suggesting that the behavior is linked to [[sex hormone]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Determining the Optimal age for Gonadectomy of Dogs and Cats |doi=10.2460/javma.231.11.1665 |year=2007 |last1=Kustritz |first1=M. V. R. |s2cid=4651194 |journal=Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association |volume=231 |issue=11 |pages=1665–1675 |pmid=18052800 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

When cats become aggressive, they try to appear larger and more threatening by raising their fur, arching their backs, turning sideways, hissing, or spitting.<ref name="behaviourguide">{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Cat Behavior: Body Language |url=http://animal.discovery.com/guides/cats/behavior/bodylanguageintro.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224154137/http://animal.discovery.com/guides/cats/behavior/bodylanguageintro.html |archive-date=24 February 2009 |access-date=7 September 2012 |work=AnimalPlanet}}</ref> Often, the ears are pointed down and back to avoid damage to the inner ear and potentially listen for any changes behind them while focused forward. Cats may also vocalize loudly and bare their teeth in an effort to further intimidate their opponents. Fights usually consist of grappling, slapping the face and body with the forepaws, and bites. Cats throw themselves to the ground in a defensive posture to rake their opponent's belly with their hind legs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aggression Between Family Cats and Feline Social Behavior |url=https://www.paws.org/resources/aggression/ |website=PAWS |access-date=6 September 2022 |archive-date=28 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828003314/https://www.paws.org/resources/aggression/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Serious damage is rare, because the fights are usually short, with the loser fleeing with scratches to the face and ears. More severe fights for mating rights may give deep punctures and lacerations. Normally, serious injuries from fighting are limited to infections from scratches and bites. Bites are probably the main route of transmission of the [[feline immunodeficiency virus]].<ref name="Pederson 1989">{{Cite journal |title=Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Infection |last1=Pedersen |first1=N. C. |last2=Yamamoto |first2=J. K. |last3=Ishida |first3=T. |last4=Hansen |first4=H. |journal=Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology |year=1989 |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=111–129 |pmid=2549690 |doi=10.1016/0165-2427(89)90134-7}}</ref> Sexually active males are usually involved in many fights and have battered faces.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Whiteley |first=H. E. |date=1994 |chapter=Correcting misbehavior |title=Understanding and Training Your Cat or Kitten |publisher=Sunstone Press |location=Santa Fe |pages=146–147 |isbn=978-1-61139-080-3}}</ref> Cats are willing to threaten animals larger than them to defend their territory, such as dogs and [[Red fox|foxes]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Devlin |first1=Hannah |author-link=Hannah Devlin |title=Cat v fox: what made Downing Street's Larry so brave? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/oct/13/cat-v-fox-what-made-downing-streets-larry-so-brave |access-date=16 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=16 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016011130/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/oct/13/cat-v-fox-what-made-downing-streets-larry-so-brave |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Reproduction ===
{{See also|Kitten}}
[[File:Mating Cats (Domestic cats) in Kannur.jpg|thumb|When cats mate, the tomcat (male) bites the scruff of the female's neck as she assumes a position conducive to [[mating]] known as [[lordosis behavior]].]]
The cat secretes and perceives [[pheromone]]s.<ref name="Bland1979">{{cite journal |last1=Bland |first1=K. P. |year=1979 |title=Tom-cat odour and other pheromones in feline reproduction |journal=Veterinary Science Communications |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=125–136 |url= https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/1979-bland.pdf |doi=10.1007/BF02268958 |s2cid=22484090 |access-date=15 May 2019 |archive-date=30 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190130202521/https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/1979-bland.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Female cats, called ''queens'', are [[polyestrous]] with several [[estrus]] cycles during a year, lasting usually 21 days. They are usually ready to mate between early February and August<ref name="Jemmett1977">{{cite journal |last1=Jemmett |first1=J. E. |last2=Evans |first2=J. M. |year=1977 |title=A survey of sexual behaviour and reproduction of female cats |journal=Journal of Small Animal Practice |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=31–37 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-5827.1977.tb05821.x |pmid=853730}}</ref> in northern temperate zones and throughout the year in equatorial regions.<ref name="estrous_cycle">{{Cite book |title=Feline Reproduction |chapter=Feline Estrous Cycle |series=CABI Books |date=2022 |pages=11–22 |doi=10.1079/9781789247107.0002 |isbn=978-1-78924-708-4 |editor-last1=Johnson |editor-first1=A.K |editor-last2=Kutzler |editor-first2=M.A |url=https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/9781789247107.0002 |access-date=18 August 2023 |archive-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820105417/https://cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/9781789247107.0002 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several males, called tomcats, are attracted to a female in heat. They fight over her, and the victor wins the right to mate. At first, the female rejects the male, but eventually, the female allows the male to mate. The female utters a loud yowl as the male pulls out of her because a male cat's [[penis]] has a band of about 120–150 backward-pointing [[penile spines]], which are about {{convert|1|mm|in|abbr=on|2}} long; upon withdrawal of the penis, the spines may provide the female with increased sexual stimulation, which acts to [[Induced ovulation (animals)|induce ovulation]].<ref name="Aronson 1967">{{Cite journal |title=Penile Spines of the Domestic Cat: Their Endocrine-behavior Relations |last1=Aronson |first1=L. R. |last2=Cooper |first2=M. L. |journal=The Anatomical Record |year=1967 |volume=157 |issue=1 |pages=71–78 |pmid=6030760 |doi=10.1002/ar.1091570111 |s2cid=13070242 |url= http://www.catcollection.org/files/PenileSpines.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150319031546/http://www.catcollection.org/files/PenileSpines.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Radiography of a pregnant cat.jpg|thumb|upright|In this radiography of a pregnant cat, the skeletons of two fetuses are on the left and right of the uterus.]]
After mating, the female cleans her [[vulva]] thoroughly. If a male attempts to mate with her at this point, the female attacks him. After about 20 to 30 minutes, once the female is finished grooming, the cycle will repeat.<ref name="compendium" /> Because ovulation is not always triggered by a single mating, females may not be impregnated by the first male with which they mate.<ref name="Wildt 1980">{{Cite journal |last1=Wildt |first1=D. E. |last2=Seager |first2=S. W. |last3=Chakraborty |first3=P. K. |title=Effect of Copulatory Stimuli on Incidence of Ovulation and on Serum Luteinizing Hormone in the Cat |journal=Endocrinology |year=1980 |volume=107 |issue=4 |pages=1212–1217 |pmid=7190893 |doi=10.1210/endo-107-4-1212}}</ref> Furthermore, cats are [[Superfecundation|superfecund]]; that is, a female may mate with more than one male when she is in heat, with the result that different kittens in a litter may have different fathers.<ref name="compendium">{{cite web |title=Prolific Cats: The Estrous Cycle |url= http://vlsstore.com/Media/PublicationsArticle/PV_23_12_1049.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161209220101/http://vlsstore.com/Media/PublicationsArticle/PV_23_12_1049.pdf |archive-date=9 December 2016 |publisher=Veterinary Learning Systems |access-date=19 June 2009}}</ref>

The [[morula]] forms 124 hours after conception. At 148 hours, early [[blastocyst]]s form. At 10–12 days, implantation occurs.<ref>{{Cite journal |journal=Biology of Reproduction |title=In Vivo Embryogenesis, Embryo Migration and Embryonic Mortality in the Domestic Cat |first1=W. F. |last1=Swanson |first2=T. L. |last2=Roth |first3=D. E. |last3=Wilt |doi=10.1095/biolreprod51.3.452 |pmid=7803616 |volume=51 |issue=3 |year=1994 |pages=452–464|doi-access=free}}</ref> The [[gestation]] of queens lasts between 64 and 67 days, with an average of 65 days.<ref name="Jemmett1977" /><ref name="Tsutsui 1993">{{Cite journal |last1=Tsutsui |first1=T. |last2=Stabenfeldt |first2=G. H. |title=Biology of Ovarian Cycles, Pregnancy and pseudopregnancy in the Domestic Cat |journal=Journal of Reproduction and Fertility |volume=Supplement 47 |pages=29–35 |year=1993 |pmid=8229938}}</ref>
[[File:പൂച്ചക്കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങൾ (17 ദിവസം പ്രായം).JPG|thumb|Two 17-day-old kittens]]
Based on a study of 2,300 free-ranging queens conducted from May 1998 and October{{Nbsp}}2000, they had one to six kittens per [[Litter (animal)|litter]], with an average of three kittens. They produced a mean of 1.4 litters per year, but a maximum of three litters in a year. Of 169 kittens, 127 died before they were six months old due to a trauma caused in most cases by dog attacks and road accidents.<ref name="Nutter2004">{{cite journal |last1=Nutter |first1=F. B. |last2=Levine |first2=J. F. |last3=Stoskopf |first3=M. K. |s2cid=1903272 |year=2004 |title=Reproductive capacity of free-roaming domestic cats and kitten survival rate |journal=Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association |volume=225 |issue=9 |pages=1399–1402 |doi=10.2460/javma.2004.225.1399 |pmid=15552315 |citeseerx=10.1.1.204.1281}}</ref> The first litter is usually smaller than subsequent litters. Kittens are weaned between six and seven weeks of age. Queens normally reach sexual maturity at 5–10 months, and males at 5–7 months. This varies depending on breed.<ref name="compendium" /> Kittens reach [[puberty]] at the age of 9–10 months.<ref name="Jemmett1977" />

Cats are ready to go to new homes at about 12 weeks of age, when they are ready to leave their mother.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Complete Book of Cat Care: How to Raise a Happy and Healthy Cat |last1=Behrend |first1=K. |last2=Wegler |first2=M. |date=1991 |publisher=[[Barron's Educational Series]] |location=Hauppauge, New York |isbn=978-0-8120-4613-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/completebookofca00behr/page/28 28–29] |chapter=Living with a Cat |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/completebookofca00behr/page/28}}</ref> They can be surgically [[neutering|sterilized]] (spayed or [[castration|castrated]]) as early as seven weeks to limit unwanted reproduction.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Early-age Neutering of Dogs and Cats in the United States (A Review) |last1=Olson |first1=P. N. |last2=Kustritz |first2=M. V. |last3=Johnston |first3=S. D. |journal=Journal of Reproduction and Fertility |year=2001 |volume=Supplement 57 |pages=223–232 |pmid=11787153}}</ref> This surgery also prevents undesirable sex-related behavior, such as aggression, [[spraying (animal behavior)|territory marking]] (spraying urine) in males, and yowling (calling) in females. Traditionally, this surgery was performed at around six to nine months of age, but it is increasingly being performed before [[puberty]], at about three to six months.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats |last=Root Kustritz |first=M. V. |journal=Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association|year=2007 |volume=231 |issue=11 |pages=1665–1675 |doi=10.2460/javma.231.11.1665 |pmid=18052800 |s2cid=4651194 |url= http://www.imom.org/spay-neuter/pdf/kustritz.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100713133619/http://www.imom.org/spay-neuter/pdf/kustritz.pdf |archive-date=13 July 2010}}</ref> In the United States, about 80% of household cats are neutered.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Population characteristics and neuter status of cats living in households in the United States |last1=Chu |first1=K. |last2=Anderson |first2=W. M. |last3=Rieser |first3=M. Y. |s2cid=39208758 |journal=Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association|year=2009 |volume=234 |issue=8 |pages=1023–1030 |doi=10.2460/javma.234.8.1023 |pmid=19366332|doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Lifespan and health ==
{{Main|Cat health|Aging in cats}}
The average lifespan of pet cats has risen in recent decades. In the early 1980s, it was about 7 years,<ref name="Kraft1998">{{Cite journal |last=Kraft |first=W. |title=Geriatrics in canine and feline internal medicine |journal=European Journal of Medical Research |volume=3 |issue=1–2 |pages=31–41 |year=1998 |pmid=9512965}}</ref>{{rp|33}}<ref name="Nassar 1984">{{Cite journal |last1=Nassar |first1=R. |last2=Mosier |first2=J. E. |last3=Williams |first3=L. W. |title=Study of the feline and canine populations in the greater Las Vegas area |journal=American Journal of Veterinary Research |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=282–287 |year=1984 |doi=10.2460/ajvr.1984.45.02.282 |pmid=6711951}}</ref> rising to 9.4 years in 1995<ref name="Kraft1998" />{{rp|33}} and an average of about 13 years as of 2014 and 2023.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=O'Neill |first1=Dan G |last2=Church |first2=David B |last3=McGreevy |first3=Paul D |last4=Thomson |first4=Peter C |last5=Brodbelt |first5=David C |year=2014 |title=Longevity and mortality of cats attending primary care veterinary practices in England |journal=Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=125–133 |doi=10.1177/1098612X14536176 |pmid=24925771|doi-access=free |pmc=10816413 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Montoya |first1=M. |last2=Morrison |first2=J. A. |last3=Arrignon |first3=F. |last4=Spofford |first4=N. |last5=C. |first5=H. |last6=Hours |first6=M.-A. |last7=Biourge |first7=V. |year=2023 |title=Life expectancy tables for dogs and cats derived from clinical data |journal=Frontiers in Veterinary Science |volume=10 |article-number=1082102 |doi=10.3389/fvets.2023.1082102 |doi-access=free |pmc=9989186 |pmid=36896289}}</ref>

Neutering increases life expectancy; one study found castrated male cats live twice as long as intact males, while spayed female cats live 62% longer than intact females.<ref name="Kraft1998" />{{rp|35}} Having a cat [[Neutering|neutered]] confers some health benefits, such as a greater life expectancy and a decreased incidence of reproductive [[neoplasia]].<ref name="Obesity1">{{cite journal | last1=Vendramini | first1=Thiago H. A. | last2=Amaral | first2=Andressa R. | last3=Pedrinelli | first3=Vivian | last4=Zafalon | first4=Rafael V. A. | last5=Rodrigues | first5=Roberta B. A. | last6=Brunetto | first6=Marcio A. | title=Neutering in dogs and cats: current scientific evidence and importance of adequate nutritional management | journal=Nutrition Research Reviews | publisher=Cambridge University Press (CUP) | volume=33 | issue=1 | date=14 January 2020 | issn=0954-4224 | doi=10.1017/s0954422419000271 | pages=134–144| pmid=31931899 }}</ref> However, neutering decreases metabolism<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Hoenig | first1=Margarethe | last2=Ferguson | first2=Duncan C. | title=Effects of neutering on hormonal concentrations and energy requirements in male and female cats | journal=American Journal of Veterinary Research | publisher=American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) | volume=63 | issue=5 | date=1 May 2002 | issn=0002-9645 | doi=10.2460/ajvr.2002.63.634 | pages=634–639| pmid=12013460 }}</ref><ref name="Obesity2">{{cite journal | last1=Harper | first1=E. J. | last2=Stack | first2=D. M. | last3=Watson | first3=T. D. G. | last4=Moxham | first4=G. | title=Effects of feeding regimens on bodyweight, composition and condition score in cats following ovariohysterectomy | journal=Journal of Small Animal Practice | publisher=Wiley | volume=42 | issue=9 | year=2001 | issn=0022-4510 | doi=10.1111/j.1748-5827.2001.tb02496.x | pages=433–438| pmid=11570385 }}</ref><ref name="Obesity3">{{cite journal | last1=Fettman | first1=M.J | last2=Stanton | first2=C.A | last3=Banks | first3=L.L | last4=Hamar | first4=D.W | last5=Johnson | first5=D.E | last6=Hegstad | first6=R.L | last7=Johnston | first7=S | title=Effects of neutering on bodyweight, metabolic rate and glucose tolerance of domestic cats | journal=Research in Veterinary Science | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=62 | issue=2 | year=1997 | issn=0034-5288 | doi=10.1016/s0034-5288(97)90134-x | pages=131–136| pmid=9243711 }}</ref> and increases food intake,<ref name="Obesity3"/><ref name="Obesity4">{{cite journal | last1=Kanchuk | first1=Marc L. | last2=Backus | first2=Robert C. | last3=Morris | first3=James G. | last4=Rogers | first4=Quinton R. | last5=Calvert | first5=Christopher C. | title=Weight Gain in Gonadectomized Normal and Lipoprotein Lipase–Deficient Male Domestic Cats Results from Increased Food Intake and Not Decreased Energy Expenditure | journal=The Journal of Nutrition | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=133 | issue=6 | year=2003 | issn=0022-3166 | doi=10.1093/jn/133.6.1866 | pages=1866–1874| doi-access=free | pmid=12771331 }}</ref> both of which can cause obesity in neutered cats.<ref name="Obesity5">{{cite journal | last1=Öhlund | first1=Malin | last2=Palmgren | first2=Malin | last3=Holst | first3=Bodil Ström | title=Overweight in adult cats: a cross-sectional study | journal=Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica | volume=60 | issue=1 | date=19 January 2018 | issn=1751-0147 | doi=10.1186/s13028-018-0359-7 | doi-access=free | page=5| pmid=29351768 | pmc=5775588 }}</ref> Pre-pubertal neutering (neutering at 4 months or earlier) was only recommended by 28% of American veterinarians in one study. Some concerns of early neutering were metabolic, retarded [[Epiphyseal plate|physeal closure]], and urinary tract disease related.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Murray | first1=J. K. | last2=Skillings | first2=E. | last3=Gruffydd-Jones | first3=T. J. | title=Opinions of veterinarians about the age at which kittens should be neutered | journal=Veterinary Record | volume=163 | issue=13 |year=2008 | issn=0042-4900 | doi=10.1136/vr.163.13.381 | pages=381–385| pmid=18820325 }}</ref>

=== Disease ===
{{Main|List of feline diseases}}
About 250 heritable [[genetic disorder]]s have been identified in cats; many are similar to human [[inborn errors of metabolism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=State of Cat Genomics |last1=O'Brien |first1=S. J. |last2=Johnson |first2=W. |last3=Driscoll |first3=C. |last4=Pontius |first4=J. |last5=Pecon-Slattery |first5=J. |last6=Menotti-Raymond |first6=M. |journal=Trends in Genetics |volume=24 |issue=6 |pages=268–279 |year=2008 |pmid=18471926 |doi=10.1016/j.tig.2008.03.004|pmc=7126825}}</ref> The high level of similarity among the [[metabolism]] of mammals allows many of these feline diseases to be diagnosed using [[Genetic testing|genetic tests]] that were originally developed for use in humans, as well as the use of cats as [[animal model]]s in the study of the human diseases.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Inherited Metabolic Disease in Companion Animals: Searching for Nature's Mistakes |last1=Sewell |first1=A. C. |last2=Haskins |first2=M. E. |last3=Giger |first3=U. |journal=Veterinary Journal |volume=174 |issue=2 |pages=252–259 |year=2007 |pmid=17085062 |doi=10.1016/j.tvjl.2006.08.017 |pmc=3132193}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=O'Brien |first1=S. J. |last2=Menotti-Raymond |first2=M. |last3=Murphy |first3=W. J. |last4=Yuhki |first4=N. |title=The Feline Genome Project |journal=Annual Review of Genetics |volume=36 |pages=657–686 |year=2002 |pmid=12359739 |doi=10.1146/annurev.genet.36.060602.145553 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1234973 |access-date=11 July 2019 |archive-date=5 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005230324/https://zenodo.org/record/1234973 |url-status=live}}</ref> Diseases affecting domestic cats include acute infections, [[parasitic disease|parasitic infestation]]s, injuries, and chronic diseases such as [[Chronic kidney disease in cats|kidney disease]], [[thyroid disease]], and [[arthritis]]. [[Feline vaccination|Vaccinations]] are available for many infectious diseases, as are treatments to eliminate parasites such as worms, ticks, and fleas.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/lhuston/2012/dec/veterinary-care-for-your-new-cat-29565 |title=Veterinary Care for Your New Cat |first=L. |last=Huston |work=PetMD |year=2012 |access-date=31 January 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508122739/http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/lhuston/2012/dec/veterinary-care-for-your-new-cat-29565 |archive-date=8 May 2017}}</ref>

== Ecology ==
=== Habitats ===
[[File:Siamese cat of Altai shepherds.jpg|thumb|A [[Siamese cat]] living among the [[yurts]] of shepherds in the [[Altai Mountains]], Russia]]
The domestic cat is a [[cosmopolitan species]] and occurs across much of the world.<ref name="Lipinski" /> It is adaptable and now present on all continents except [[Antarctica]], and on 118 of the 131 main groups of islands, even on the remote [[Kerguelen Islands]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Spatio-temporal variation in cat population density in a sub-Antarctic environment |last=Say |first=L. |journal=Polar Biology |year=2002 |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=90–95 |doi=10.1007/s003000100316|bibcode=2002PoBio..25...90S |s2cid=22448763}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Biological Invasions in the Antarctic: Extent, Impacts and Implications |last1=Frenot |first1=Y. |last2=Chown |first2=S. L. |last3=Whinam |first3=J. |last4=Selkirk |first4=P. M. |last5=Convey |first5=P. |last6=Skotnicki |first6=M. |last7=Bergstrom |first7=D. M. |s2cid=5574897 |journal=Biological Reviews |year=2005 |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=45–72 |doi=10.1017/S1464793104006542 |pmid=15727038 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Due to its ability to thrive in almost any terrestrial habitat, it is among the world's most [[invasive species]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Medina |first1=F. M. |last2=Bonnaud |first2=E. |last3=Vidal |first3=E. |last4=Tershy |first4=B. R. |author-link5=Erika Zavaleta |last5=Zavaleta |first5=E. |last6=Josh Donlan |first6=C. |last7=Keitt |first7=B. S. |last8=Le Corre |first8=M. |last9=Horwath |first9=S. V. |last10=Nogales |first10=M. |year=2011 |title=A global review of the impacts of invasive cats on island endangered vertebrates |journal=Global Change Biology |volume=17 |issue=11 |pages=3503–3510 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02464.x |citeseerx=10.1.1.701.4082 |bibcode=2011GCBio..17.3503M|s2cid=323316}}</ref> It lives on small islands with no human inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=A Review of Feral Cat Eradication on Islands |last1=Nogales |first1=M. |last2=Martin |first2=A. |last3=Tershy |first3=B. R. |last4=Donlan |first4=C. J. |last5=Veitch |first5=D. |last6=Uerta |first6=N. |last7=Wood |first7=B. |last8=Alonso |first8=J. |journal=Conservation Biology |year=2004 |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=310–319 |doi=10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00442.x |bibcode=2004ConBi..18..310N |hdl=10261/22249 |s2cid=11594286 |url= https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/22249/1/CBL-2004-18-310.pdf |hdl-access=free |access-date=24 September 2019 |archive-date=6 December 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191206034647/https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/22249/1/CBL-2004-18-310.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Feral cats can live in forests, grasslands, tundra, coastal areas, agricultural land, scrublands, urban areas, and wetlands.<ref name="ISSG 2006">{{cite web |url= http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=24&fr=1&sts=sss |work=Global Invasive Species Database |title=Ecology of ''Felis catus'' |author=Invasive Species Specialist Group |publisher=[[IUCN Species Survival Commission|Species Survival Commission]], [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] |year=2006 |access-date=31 August 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091027123405/http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=24&fr=1&sts=sss |archive-date=27 October 2009}}</ref>

The unwantedness that leads to the domestic cat being [[Cat predation on wildlife#Impact by location|treated as an invasive species]] is twofold. As it is little altered from the wildcat, it can readily interbreed with the wildcat. This [[hybrid (biology)|hybridization]] poses a danger to the genetic distinctiveness of some wildcat populations, particularly in [[Scotland]] and [[Hungary]], possibly also the [[Iberian Peninsula]], and where protected natural areas are close to human-dominated landscapes, such as [[Kruger National Park]] in [[South Africa]].<ref name="Kruger">{{cite journal |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270912183 |title=Genetic analysis shows low levels of hybridization between African wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) and domestic cats (F. s. catus) in South Africa |last1=Le Roux |first1=Johannes J. |last2=Foxcraft |first2=Llewellyn C. |last3=Herbst |first3=Marna |last4=Macfadyen |first4=Sandra |date=19 August 2014 |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=288–299 |doi=10.1002/ece3.1275 |pmid=25691958 |pmc=4314262 |bibcode=2015EcoEv...5..288L |access-date=14 November 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220307214831/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270912183_Genetic_analysis_shows_low_levels_of_hybridization_between_African_wildcats_Felis_silvestris_lybica_and_domestic_cats_F_s_catus_in_South_Africa |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Oliveira">{{Cite journal |last1=Oliveira |first1=R. |last2=Godinho |first2=R. |last3=Randi |first3=E. |last4=Alves |first4=P. C. |title=Hybridization Versus Conservation: Are Domestic Cats Threatening the Genetic Integrity of Wildcats (''Felis silvestris silvestris'') in Iberian Peninsula? |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences |volume=363 |issue=1505 |pages=2953–2961 |year=2008 |pmid=18522917 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2008.0052 |pmc=2606743}}</ref> However, its introduction to places where no native felines are present also contributes to the decline of native species.<ref name="contr-ext" />

=== Ferality ===
{{Main|Feral cat}}
[[File:Feral cat Virginia crop.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Feral [[farm cat]]]]
Feral cats are domestic cats that were born in or have reverted to a wild state. They are unfamiliar with and wary of humans and roam freely in urban and rural areas.<ref name="Rochlitz">{{Cite book |title=The Welfare of Cats |last=Rochlitz |first=I. |date=2007 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |isbn=978-1-4020-6143-1 |series="Animal Welfare" series |location=Berlin |pages=141–175 |oclc=262679891}}</ref> The numbers of feral cats are not known, but estimates of the United States feral population range from 25 to 60 million.<ref name="Rochlitz" /> Feral cats may live alone, but most are in large [[feral cat colonies|colonies]], which occupy a specific territory and are usually associated with a source of food.<ref name="hsus-feral">{{cite web |url= http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/feral_cats/feral_cats_frequently_asked_questions.html#1_What_is_a_feral_cat |title=What is the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat? |date=2 January 2008 |work=HSUS.org |publisher=[[Humane Society of the United States]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080501093143/http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/feral_cats/feral_cats_frequently_asked_questions.html#1_What_is_a_feral_cat |archive-date=1 May 2008}}</ref> Famous feral cat colonies are in Rome around the [[Colosseum]] and [[Forum Romanum]], some being fed and given medical attention by volunteers.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.romancats.com/index_eng.php |title=Torre Argentina cat shelter. |access-date=17 June 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090122203413/http://www.romancats.com/index_eng.php |archive-date=22 January 2009}}</ref>

Public attitudes toward feral cats vary widely, from seeing them as free-ranging pets to regarding them as [[vermin]].<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=Humane Society of the United States |isbn=978-0-9658942-7-2 |editor-last1=Rowan |editor-first1=Andrew N. |editor-last2=Salem |editor-first2=Deborah J. |first1=Margaret R. |last1=Slater |first2=Stephanie |last2=Shain |title=The State of the Animals II: 2003 |date=November 2003 |chapter=Feral Cats: An Overview (4) |chapter-url= http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/hsp/SOA_3-2005_Chap4.pdf
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061110230426/http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/hsp/SOA_3-2005_Chap4.pdf
|archive-date=10 November 2006}}</ref>

=== Impact on wildlife ===
{{main|Cat predation on wildlife}}
[[File:Feral_Cat_(5573630708).jpg|thumb|Cats kill billions of wild birds each year. This feral cat near [[Brisbane]] has caught a [[Pale-headed rosella]].]]
Domestic cats are a contributing factor to the decline of several species, a factor that has ultimately led, in some cases, to extinction. [[Turnagra capensis|The South Island piopio]], [[Rallus modestus|Chatham rail]],<ref name="Mead 1982 183–186" /> and the [[New Zealand merganser]]<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Stattersfield |first1=A. J. |last2=Crosby |first2=M. J. |last3=Long |first3=A. J. |last4=Wege |first4=D. C. |title=Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation |date=1998 |publisher=Burlington Press |isbn=978-0-946888-33-7 |series="BirdLife Conservation" series No. 7 |location=Cambridge, England}}</ref> are a few from a long list, with the most extreme case being the flightless [[Lyall's wren]], which was driven to extinction only a few years after its discovery.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Falla |first=R. A. |title=New Zealand Bird Life Past and Present |date=1955 |publisher=[[Cawthron Institute]]}}{{page needed|date=November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Galbreath |first1=R. |last2=Brown |first2=D. |year=2004 |title=The Tale of the Lighthouse-keeper's Cat: Discovery and Extinction of the Stephens Island Wren (''Traversia lyalli'') |url= http://www.notornis.org.nz/free_issues/Notornis_51-2004/Notornis_51_4_193.pdf |journal=Notornis |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=193–200 |doi=10.63172/755004iiybli |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081017221501/http://www.notornis.org.nz/free_issues/Notornis_51-2004/Notornis_51_4_193.pdf |archive-date=17 October 2008}}</ref> One feral cat in New Zealand killed 102 [[New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat]]s in seven days.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Scrimgeour |first1=J. |last2=Beath |first2=A. |last3=Swanney |first3=M. |year=2012 |title=Cat predation of short-tailed bats (''Mystacina tuberculata rhyocobia'') in Rangataua Forest, Mount Ruapehu, Central North Island, New Zealand |journal=New Zealand Journal of Zoology |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=257–260 |doi=10.1080/03014223.2011.649770 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In the United States, feral and free-ranging domestic cats kill an estimated 6.3–22.3&nbsp;billion mammals annually.<ref name="NC012913" />

In Australia, one study found feral cats to kill 466 million reptiles per year. More than 258 reptile species were identified as being predated by cats.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Woinarski | first1=J. C. Z. | last2=Murphy | first2=B. P. | last3=Palmer | first3=R. | last4=Legge | first4=S. M. | last5=Dickman | first5=C. R. | last6=Doherty | first6=T. S. | last7=Edwards | first7=G. | last8=Nankivell | first8=A. | last9=Read | first9=J. L. | last10=Stokeld | first10=D. | title=How many reptiles are killed by cats in Australia? | journal=Wildlife Research | publisher=CSIRO Publishing | volume=45 | issue=3 | year=2018 | issn=1035-3712 | doi=10.1071/wr17160 | page=247| bibcode=2018WildR..45..247W }}</ref> Cats have contributed to the extinction of the [[Navassa curly-tailed lizard]] and ''[[Chioninia coctei]].''<ref name="contr-ext">{{Cite journal |last1=Doherty |first1=T. S. |last2=Glen |first2=A. S. |last3=Nimmo |first3=D. G. |last4=Ritchie |first4=E. G. |last5=Dickman |first5=C. R. |year=2016 |title=Invasive predators and global biodiversity loss |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=113 |issue=40 |pages=11261–11265 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1602480113 |pmc=5056110 |pmid=27638204 |bibcode=2016PNAS..11311261D |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Interaction with humans ==
{{Main|Human interaction with cats}}
[[File:Mainecoon-lap.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|alt=A long-haired calico cat sat in the lap of a man who is sat cross-legged on the floor.|A cat lying on a man's lap]]
Cats are common [[pet]]s throughout the world, and their worldwide population as of 2007 exceeded 500&nbsp;million.<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news |last=Wade |first=N. |year=2007 |title=Study Traces Cat's Ancestry to Middle East |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/science/29cat.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2 April 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090418082840/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/science/29cat.html |archive-date=18 April 2009}}</ref> {{As of|2024|post=,}} the domestic cat was the second most popular pet in the [[United States]], with 73.8&nbsp;million cats owned and around 42.2&nbsp;million households owning at least one cat.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. pet ownership statistics |url= https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics |publisher=[[American Veterinary Medical Association]] |access-date= 14 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=12 December 2020|title=61 Fun Cat Statistics That Are the Cat's Meow! (2022 UPDATE)|url= https://petpedia.co/cat-statistics/|access-date=18 February 2022 |archive-date=18 February 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220218184821/https://petpedia.co/cat-statistics/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]], 26% of adults have a cat, with an estimated population of 10.9&nbsp;million pet cats {{As of|2020|lc=y|post=.}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=How many pets are there in the UK? |url= https://www.pdsa.org.uk/get-involved/our-campaigns/pdsa-animal-wellbeing-report/uk-pet-populations-of-dogs-cats-and-rabbits |access-date=29 March 2021 |website=PDSA.org.uk |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210303184319/https://www.pdsa.org.uk/get-involved/our-campaigns/pdsa-animal-wellbeing-report/uk-pet-populations-of-dogs-cats-and-rabbits }}</ref> {{As of|2021|post=,}} there were an estimated 220&nbsp;million owned and 480&nbsp;million stray cats in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://carocat.eu/statistics-on-cats-and-dogs/ |title=Statistics on cats |year=2021 |website=carocat.eu |access-date=15 February 2021 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210225150136/https://carocat.eu/statistics-on-cats-and-dogs/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cats have been used for millennia to control rodents, notably [[Farm cat|around grain stores]] and [[Ship's cat|aboard ships]], and both uses extend to the present day.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Beadle|first=Muriel|title=Cat|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=1979|isbn=978-0-671-25190-1|pages=93–96}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mayers |first=Barbara |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=q3LvHwAACAAJ |title=Toolbox: Ship's Cat on the Kalmar Nyckel|date=2007|publisher=Bay Oak Publishers |isbn=978-0-9741713-9-5 |access-date=17 July 2020 |archive-date=31 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210331062435/https://books.google.com/books?id=q3LvHwAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Cats are also used in the international [[fur trade]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/What-is-that-they-re-wearing_FurBooklet.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061201153853/http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/What-is-that-they-re-wearing_FurBooklet.pdf |archive-date=1 December 2006 |title=What Is That They're Wearing? |publisher=[[Humane Society of the United States]] |access-date=22 October 2009}}</ref> and leather industries for making coats, hats, blankets, stuffed toys,<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Primer on Animal Rights: Leading Experts Write about Animal Cruelty and Exploitation |editor-first=K. W. |editor-last=Stallwood |publisher=[[Lantern Books]] |date=2002}}</ref> shoes, gloves, and musical instruments.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/japan-finale-for-the-worlds-most-elegant-use-of-a-dead-cat-1294096.html |title=Japan: Finale for the world's most elegant use of a dead cat |date=15 November 1997 |work=[[The Independent]] |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170621114633/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/japan-finale-for-the-worlds-most-elegant-use-of-a-dead-cat-1294096.html|archive-date=21 June 2017}}</ref> About 24 cats are needed to make a cat-fur coat.<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6165786.stm |title=EU proposes cat and dog fur ban |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=22 October 2009 |year=2006 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090102231651/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6165786.stm |archive-date=2 January 2009}}</ref> This use has been outlawed in the United States since 2000 and in the European Union (as well as the United Kingdom) since 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hsus.org/about_us/humane_society_international_hsi/hsi_europe/dog_cat_fur/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090217153420/http://www.hsus.org/about_us/humane_society_international_hsi/hsi_europe/dog_cat_fur/ |archive-date=17 February 2009 |title=EU Announces Strict Ban on Dog and Cat Fur Imports and Exports |year=2007 |first=C. |last=Ikuma |work=[[Humane Society International]] |access-date=14 December 2011}}</ref>

Cat pelts have been used for superstitious purposes as part of the practice of [[witchcraft]],<ref>{{Cite book |title=Witchcraft and Magic in Europe |volume=3: ''The Middle Ages'' |last1=Jolly |first1=K. L. |last2=Raudvere |first2=C. |last3=Peters |first3=E. |publisher=Athlone |date=2002 |isbn=978-0-567-57446-6 |location=London |oclc=747103210}}</ref> and they are still made into blankets in [[Switzerland]] as [[traditional medicine]]s thought to cure [[rheumatism]].<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-finds-a-way-to-skin-a-cat-for-the-fur-trade-and-high-fashion-815426.html |title=Switzerland Finds a Way to Skin a Cat for the Fur Trade and High Fashion |last=Paterson |first=T. |year=2008 |work=The Independent |access-date=23 October 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090707080420/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-finds-a-way-to-skin-a-cat-for-the-fur-trade-and-high-fashion-815426.html |archive-date=7 July 2009 |location=London}}</ref>

A few attempts to build a cat census have been made over the years, both through associations or national and international organizations (such as that of the [[Canadian Federation of Humane Societies]]<ref name="Canadian">{{Cite news |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/humane-society-launches-national-cat-census-1.1185950 |title=Humane society launches national cat census |access-date=18 September 2012 |publisher=[[CBC News]] |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121024184326/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/07/17/nb-cat-census-1000.html |archive-date=24 October 2012}}</ref>) and over the Internet.<ref name="catsbe">{{cite web |url= http://www.catsbe.com |title=Cats Be |access-date=18 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120922235823/http://www.catsbe.com/ |archive-date=22 September 2012}}</ref><ref name="SupremeCatCensus">{{cite web |url= http://www.supremecatcensus.co.za/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120316024409/http://www.supremecatcensus.co.za/ |archive-date=16 March 2012 |title=The Supreme Cat Census |access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref> General estimates for the global population of domestic cats range widely from anywhere between 200&nbsp;million to 600&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Pets |work=IFAHEurope.org |publisher=Animal Health Europe |url= http://www.ifaheurope.org/companion-animals/about-pets.html |access-date=3 October 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141006074439/http://www.ifaheurope.org/companion-animals/about-pets.html|archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Legay |first=J. M. |title=Sur une tentative d'estimation du nombre total de chats domestiques dans le monde |trans-title=Tentative estimation of the total number of domestic cats in the world |language=fr |journal=Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série III |volume=303 |issue=17 |pages=709–712 |year=1986 |id={{INIST|7950138}} |pmid=3101986}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xYKqluO6c8UC&q=million%20cats%20worldwide&pg=PA157 |first1=S. D. |last1=Gehrt |first2=S. P. D. |last2=Riley |first3=B. L. |last3=Cypher |title=Urban Carnivores: Ecology, Conflict, and Conservation |date=2010 |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University]] Press |access-date=3 October 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151231224128/https://books.google.com/books?id=xYKqluO6c8UC&lpg=PA157&pg=PA157&q=million%20cats%20worldwide |archive-date=31 December 2015 |isbn=978-0-8018-9389-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0HmB3ix5IQ8C&q=million%20cats%20worldwide&pg=PA47 |first=I. |last=Rochlitz |title=The Welfare of Cats |date=2007 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |access-date=3 October 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151231224128/https://books.google.com/books?id=0HmB3ix5IQ8C&lpg=PA47&pg=PA47&q=million%20cats%20worldwide |archive-date=31 December 2015 |isbn=978-1-4020-3227-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cats: Most interesting facts about common domestic pets |url= http://english.pravda.ru/society/family/09-01-2006/9478-cats-0/ |work=[[Pravda]] |access-date=3 October 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141006105806/http://english.pravda.ru/society/family/09-01-2006/9478-cats-0/ |archive-date=6 October 2014 |date=9 January 2006}}</ref> [[Walter Chandoha]] made his career photographing cats after his 1949 images of ''Loco'', a stray cat, were published. He is reported to have photographed 90,000 cats during his career and maintained an archive of 225,000 images that he drew from for publications during his lifetime.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sandomir |first=R. |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/obituaries/walter-chandoha-dead.html?emc=edit_th_190119&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=686341800119/ |title=Walter Chandoha, Photographer Whose Specialty Was Cats, Dies at 98 |work=The New York Times |date=18 January 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190119231032/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/obituaries/walter-chandoha-dead.html?emc=edit_th_190119&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=686341800119%2FWalter |archive-date=19 January 2019 }}</ref>

[[Pet humanization]] is a form of [[anthropomorphism]] in which cats are kept for companionship and treated more like human family members than traditional pets.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f414e0b8a79bc04e0a2729/t/6081b71ec312977485a24fa4/1619113759478/CD-The+Rise+of+Pet+Humanization.pdf |title=The Rise of Pet Humanization |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-date=2 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402002609/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f414e0b8a79bc04e0a2729/t/6081b71ec312977485a24fa4/1619113759478/CD-The+Rise+of+Pet+Humanization.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> This trend of [[pet culture]] involves providing cats with a higher level of care, attention and often even luxury, similar to the way humans are treated.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://advantagesolutions.net/news/the-humanization-of-pets/ |title=The Humanization of Pets |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-date=6 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231206214159/https://advantagesolutions.net/news/the-humanization-of-pets/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Shows ===
{{main|Cat show}}
A [[cat show]] is a judged event in which the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat-registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard.<ref name="How Stuff Works-2008">{{Cite news |url= https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/cat-show1.htm |title=All About Cat Shows |year=2008 |work=How Stuff Works |access-date=8 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143813/https://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/cat-show1.htm |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is often required that a cat must be healthy and vaccinated to participate in a cat show.<ref name="How Stuff Works-2008" /> Both [[Pedigree (cat)|pedigreed]] and non-[[purebred]] companion ("moggy") cats are admissible, although the rules differ depending on the organization. Competing cats are compared to the applicable breed standard, and assessed for temperament.<ref name="How Stuff Works-2008" />

=== Infection ===
{{Main|Feline zoonosis}}
Cats can be infected or infested with [[virus]]es, [[pathogenic bacteria]], [[fungus]], [[protozoans]], [[arthropod]]s or worms that can transmit diseases to humans; infections of most concern include [[salmonella]], [[cat-scratch disease]], and [[toxoplasmosis]].<ref name=Chomel2014>{{Cite journal |last=Chomel |first=B. |title=Emerging and re-emerging zoonoses of dogs and cats |journal=Animals |volume=4 |issue=3 |year=2014 |pages=434–445 |issn=2076-2615 |doi=10.3390/ani4030434 |pmid=26480316 |pmc=4494318|doi-access=free}}</ref> In some cases, the cat exhibits no [[symptoms]] of the disease.<ref name="Ohio2016">{{cite web |title=Cats |publisher=Ohio Department of Health |url=http://www.odh.ohio.gov/en/odhprograms/bid/zdp/animals/cats |access-date=26 November 2016 |date=2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127023823/https://www.odh.ohio.gov/en/odhprograms/bid/zdp/animals/cats|archive-date=27 November 2016 }}</ref> The same disease can then become evident in a human.<ref name=Goldstein2015>{{cite journal |last1=Goldstein |first1=E. J. C. |last2=Abrahamian |first2=F. M. |year=2015 |title=Diseases Transmitted by Cats |journal=Microbiology Spectrum |volume=3 |issue=5 |article-number=3.5.03 |doi=10.1128/microbiolspec.iol5-0013-2015 |pmid=26542039}}</ref> The likelihood that a person will become diseased depends on the age and [[Immunocompetence|immune status]] of the person. Others might also acquire infections from cat [[feces]] and [[parasite]]s exiting the cat's body.<ref name=Chomel2014/><ref name=StullBrophy2015>{{Cite journal |last1=Stull |first1=J. W. |last2=Brophy |first2=J. |last3=Weese |first3=J. S. |title=Reducing the risk of pet-associated zoonotic infections |journal=Canadian Medical Association Journal |volume=187 |issue=10 |year=2015 |pages=736–743 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.141020 |pmid=25897046 |pmc=4500695}}</ref>

== History and mythology ==
{{Main|Cultural depictions of cats|Cats in ancient Egypt}}
{{Multiple images|direction=vertical
|image1=Louvre egyptologie 21.jpg
|caption1=The ancient Egyptians [[Mummy|mummified]] dead cats out of respect in the same way that they mummified people.<ref name="Clutton-Brock1999">{{Cite book |title=A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals |last=Clutton-Brock |first=J. |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge, England<!--This is not redundant; there's a Cambridge, Massachusetts, also, with academic publishers.--> |date=1999 |isbn=978-0-521-63495-3 |edition=2nd |pages=133–140 |chapter=Cats |oclc=39786571 |orig-date=1987 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cgL-EbbB8a0C&pg=PA133 |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210122145647/https://books.google.com/books?id=cgL-EbbB8a0C&pg=PA133 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|image2=Cat birds MAN Napoli Inv9993.jpg
|caption2=An ancient [[Roman mosaic]] depicts a cat killing a [[partridge]] from the [[House of the Faun]] in [[Pompeii]].
|image3=PSM V37 D105 English tabby cat.jpg
|caption3=A 19th-century drawing of a tabby cat
|image4=Black Cat (7983739954).jpg
|caption4=Some cultures superstitiously attribute good or bad luck to black cats.
}}
In [[ancient Egypt]], cats were [[animal worship|revered]], and the goddess [[Bastet]] often depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the war-like aspect of a lioness. The Greek historian [[Herodotus]] reported that killing a cat was forbidden, and when a household cat died, the entire family mourned and shaved their eyebrows. Families took their dead cats to the sacred city of [[Bubastis]], where they were embalmed and buried in sacred repositories. Herodotus expressed astonishment at the domestic cats in Egypt, because he had only ever seen wildcats.<ref name="Malek1997">{{cite book |title=The Cat in Ancient Egypt |last=Malek |first=J. |date=1997 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-1632-5 |edition=Revised}}</ref>

Ancient Greeks and Romans kept [[weasel]]s as pets, which were seen as the ideal rodent-killers. The earliest unmistakable evidence of the Greeks having domestic cats comes from two coins from [[Magna Graecia]] dating to the mid-fifth century BC showing Iokastos and Phalanthos, the legendary founders of [[Reggio Calabria|Rhegion]] and [[Taranto|Taras]] respectively, playing with their pet cats. The usual ancient Greek word for 'cat' was {{lang|grc-Latn|ailouros}}, meaning 'thing with the waving tail'. Cats are rarely mentioned in [[ancient Greek literature]]. [[Aristotle]] remarked in his ''[[History of Animals]]'' that "female cats are naturally [[Promiscuity|lecherous]]". The Greeks later [[Interpretatio graeca|syncretized]] their own goddess [[Artemis]] with the Egyptian goddess Bastet, adopting Bastet's associations with cats and ascribing them to Artemis. In [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'', when the deities flee to Egypt and take animal forms, the goddess [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]] turns into a cat.<ref name="Engels2001">{{Cite book |last=Engels |first=D. W. |title=Classical Cats: The Rise and Fall of the Sacred Cat |date=2001 |orig-date=1999 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-415-26162-3 |chapter=Greece |pages=[https://archive.org/details/classicalcats00dona/page/48 48–87] |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XAkeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 |url= https://archive.org/details/classicalcats00dona/page/48}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=K. M. |title=Cat |date=2006 |publisher=Reaktion Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-86189-292-8 |chapter=Wildcat to Domestic Mousecatcher |pages=7–48 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=16ZsW4QLKlUC&pg=PA19 |access-date=5 June 2020 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200727182342/https://books.google.com/books?id=16ZsW4QLKlUC&pg=PA19 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cats eventually displaced [[weasel]]s as the pest control of choice because they were more pleasant to have around the house and were more enthusiastic hunters of mice. During the [[Middle Ages]], many of Artemis's associations with cats were grafted onto the [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]]. Cats are often shown in icons of [[Annunciation]] and of the [[Holy Family]] and, according to [[Folklore of Italy|Italian folklore]], on the same night that Mary gave birth to [[Jesus]], a cat in [[Bethlehem]] gave birth to a kitten.<ref name="Beadle1977">{{Cite book |last=Beadle |first=M. |title=Cat |date=1977 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-671-22451-6 |chapter=Ups and Downs |pages=[https://archive.org/details/cathistorybiolog00bead/page/75 75–88] |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tnjgqpNKYksC&pg=PA75 |url= https://archive.org/details/cathistorybiolog00bead/page/75}}</ref> Domestic cats were spread throughout much of the rest of the world during the [[Age of Discovery]], as [[Ship's cat|ships' cats]] were carried on [[sailing ship]]s to control shipboard rodents and as good-luck charms.<ref name="Faure2009" />

Several ancient religions believed cats are exalted souls, companions or guides for humans, that are all-knowing but mute so they cannot influence decisions made by humans. In Japan, the {{lang|ja-Latn|[[maneki neko]]}} cat is a symbol of good fortune.<ref>{{cite journal |url= http://www.darumamagazine.com/new/articles-excerpts/maneki-neko-feline-fact-fiction/ |title=Maneki Neko: Feline Fact & Fiction |first=A. |last=Pate |journal=Daruma Magazine |year=2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130314191210/http://www.darumamagazine.com/new/articles-excerpts/maneki-neko-feline-fact-fiction/ |archive-date=14 March 2013 }}</ref> In [[Norse mythology]], [[Freyja]], the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, is depicted as riding a chariot drawn by cats.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Faulkes |first=A. |date=1995 |title=Edda |page=24 |isbn=978-0-460-87616-2}}</ref> In [[Legends of the Jews|Jewish legend]], the first cat was living in the house of the first man [[Adam]] as a pet that got rid of [[mice]]. The cat was once partnering with the first dog before the latter broke an oath they had made which resulted in enmity between the descendants of these two animals. It is also written that neither cats nor [[fox]]es are represented in the water, while every other animal has an incarnation species in the water.<ref name="Ginzberg">{{Cite book |last=Ginzberg |first=L. |date=1909 |title=The Legends of the Jews, Vol. I: The Sixth Day |url= http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/e-books/misc/Legends/Legends%20of%20the%20Jews.pdf |translator-first=H. |translator-last=Szold |location=Philadelphia |publisher=[[Jewish Publication Society]] |access-date=19 February 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180516120617/http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/e-books/misc/Legends/Legends%20of%20the%20Jews.pdf |archive-date=16 May 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Although no species are sacred in Islam, [[Islam and cats|cats are revered by Muslims]]. Some Western writers have stated [[Muhammad]] had a favorite cat, ''[[Muezza]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Geyer |first=G. A. |title=When Cats Reigned Like Kings: On the Trail of the Sacred Cats |publisher=[[Andrews McMeel Publishing]] |location=Kansas City, Missouri |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-7407-4697-0 |url= https://archive.org/details/whencatsreignedl00geor}}</ref> He is reported to have loved cats so much, "he would do without his cloak rather than disturb one that was sleeping on it".<ref name="Reeves">{{Cite book |first=M. |last=Reeves |title=Muhammad in Europe |publisher=[[New York University Press]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/muhammadineurope0000reev/page/52 52] |isbn=978-0-8147-7533-2 |date=2000 |url= https://archive.org/details/muhammadineurope0000reev/page/52}}</ref> The story has no origin in early Muslim writers, and seems to confuse a story of a later [[Sufi]] saint, [[Ahmed ar-Rifa'i]], centuries after Muhammad.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://library.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?idfrom=5401&idto=5401&bk_no=60&ID=5263 |title=Biography of al-Rifai |last=Al-Thahabi |first=S. |work=سير أعلام النبلاء |language=ar |access-date=11 November 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141025030332/http://library.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?idfrom=5401&idto=5401&bk_no=60&ID=5263 |archive-date=25 October 2014}}</ref> One of the companions of Muhammad was known as [[Abu Hurayrah]] ("father of the kitten"), in reference to his documented affection to cats.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://pictures-of-cats.org/abu-hurairah-and-cats.html |title=Abu Hurairah and Cats |date=13 January 2015 |first1=Michael |last1=Broad |work=Pictures-of-Cats.org |access-date=5 March 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180305203105/http://pictures-of-cats.org/abu-hurairah-and-cats.html |archive-date=5 March 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Superstitions and rituals ===
[[File:The Love Potion.jpg|thumb|''[[The Love Potion]]'' is a 1903 painting by [[Evelyn De Morgan]] depicting a [[witch]] with a black cat.]]
Many cultures have negative [[superstition]]s about cats. For example, that encountering a [[black cat]] ("crossing one's path")<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Roud |first1=Stephen |title=The Penguin guide to the superstitions of Britain and Ireland |last2=Roud |first2=Stephen |date=2003 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-100673-4 |location=London |page=67}}</ref> leads to bad luck, or that cats are witches' [[familiar spirit]]s used to augment a witch's powers and skills. The killing of cats in medieval [[Ypres]], [[Belgium]], is commemorated in the innocuous present-day [[Kattenstoet]] (cat parade).<ref>{{cite web |title=Are Black Cats Really Bad Luck? [Hoax] |url=http://socialnewsdaily.com/58901/are-black-cats-really-bad-luck-hoax/ |work=Social News Daily |first1= K. |last1=Adzo |date=2015 |access-date=19 December 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222141607/http://socialnewsdaily.com/58901/are-black-cats-really-bad-luck-hoax/ |archive-date=22 December 2015}}</ref>

According to a myth in many cultures, cats have multiple lives. In many countries, they are believed to have nine lives, but in Italy, Germany, Greece, Brazil, and some Spanish-speaking regions, they are said to have seven lives,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Las vidas del gato |year=2010 |url= http://elcomercio.pe/impresa/notas/vidas-gato/20100307/423959 |access-date=19 March 2010 |first=N. |last=Sugobono |language=es |work=[[El Comercio (Peru)]] |location=Lima, Peru |archive-date=27 January 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120127052854/http://elcomercio.pe/impresa/notas/vidas-gato/20100307/423959}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Qual é a origem da lenda de que os gatos teriam sete vidas? |language=pt-BR |work=[[Mundo Estranho]] |publisher=[[Abril Media]] |location=São Paulo, Brazil |access-date=15 November 2015 |url= http://mundoestranho.abril.com.br/materia/qual-e-a-origem-da-lenda-de-que-os-gatos-teriam-sete-vidas |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117031757/http://mundoestranho.abril.com.br/materia/qual-e-a-origem-da-lenda-de-que-os-gatos-teriam-sete-vidas |archive-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> while in Arabic traditions, the number of lives is six.<ref>{{Cite news |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2010/mar/18/guide-to-pets-pet-myths?picture=360591960 |access-date=15 November 2023 |first=T. |last=Dowling |title=Tall tails: Pet myths busted |date=2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909160834/http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2010/mar/18/guide-to-pets-pet-myths?picture=360591960|archive-date=9 September 2013}}</ref> An early mention of the myth is in [[John Heywood]]'s ''The Proverbs of John Heywood'' (1546):<ref>{{cite book |first=J. |last=Heywood |author-link=John Heywood |editor-first=J. |editor-last=Sharman |url=https://archive.org/details/proverbsofjohnhe00heywrich/page/104/mode/2up |title=The Proverbs of John Heywood |date=1874 |page=104}}</ref>
{{Poem quote|text=Husband, ([[:wikt:quoth#Verb 2|quoth]] she), ye studie, be merrie now,
And even as ye thinke now, so come to yow.
Nay not so, (quoth he), for my thought to tell right,
I thinke how you lay [[:wikt:groning#English|groning]], wife, all last night.
Husband, ''a groning horse and a groning wife''
''Never faile their master'', (quoth she), for my life.
No wife, ''a woman [[:wikt:hath#English|hath]] nine lives like a cat''.}}

The myth is attributed to the natural suppleness and swiftness cats exhibit to escape life-threatening situations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Can Cats Cheat Death? |url=https://be.chewy.com/behavior-pet-facts-do-cats-really-have-nine-lives/ |website=BeChewy |date=6 October 2017 |access-date=25 September 2023 |archive-date=25 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925171409/https://be.chewy.com/behavior-pet-facts-do-cats-really-have-nine-lives/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Falling cats often land on their feet, using an instinctive [[cat righting reflex|righting reflex]] to twist their bodies around.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://cats.about.com/od/catsafety/a/highrisefalls.htm |title=The ASPCA Warns About High-rise Falls by Cats: High-rise Apartments, Windows, Terraces and Fire Escapes Pose Risk to Urban Cats |date=30 June 2005 |author=<!--staff writer(s)--> |publisher=[[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]] |via=About.com |access-date=2 March 2025 |location=New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522014805/http://cats.about.com/od/catsafety/a/highrisefalls.htm |archive-date=22 May 2012}}</ref>
{{clear}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Cats|Mammals|Animals}}
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Aging in cats]]
* [[Ailurophobia]]
* [[Animal testing on cats]]
* [[Cancer in cats]]
* [[Cat bite]]
* [[Cat café]]
* [[Cat collar]]
* [[Cat fancy]]
* [[Cat lady]]
* [[Cat food]]
* [[Cat meat]]
* [[Cat repeller]]
* [[Cats and the Internet]]
* [[Cats in Australia]]
* [[Cats in New Zealand]]
* [[Cats in the United States]]
* [[Cat–dog relationship]]
* [[Dog]]
* [[Dried cat]]
* [[Feral cats in Istanbul]]
* [[List of cat breeds]]
* [[List of cat documentaries, television series and cartoons]]
* [[List of individual cats]]
* [[List of fictional felines]]
* [[List of feline diseases]]
* [[Neko-dera]]
* [[Perlorian]]
* [[Pet door]]
* [[Pet first aid]]
* [[Popular cat names]]
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=13 May 2007|En-Cat_(part_1).ogg|En-Cat_(part_2).ogg|En-Cat_(part_3).ogg}}
* {{Wiktionary-inline|cat}}
* {{Wikispecies-inline|Felis catus|''Felis catus''}}
* {{Commons-inline}}
* {{Wikibooks inline|Animal Care}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Cat, Domestic, The |short=x}}
* [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/name/Felis_catus Biodiversity Heritage Library bibliography] for ''Felis catus''
* View the [http://www.ensembl.org/Felis_catus/Info/Index/ cat genome] in [[Ensembl]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190520030950/http://brainmaps.org/index.php?p=speciesdata&species=felis-catus High-resolution images of the cat's brain]
* ''[[Scientific American]]''. "[https://books.google.com/books?id=YIE9AQAAIAAJ&q=carbonic+oxide The Origin of the Cat]". 1881. p.&nbsp;120.

{{Cat nav|state=uncollapsed}}
{{Carnivora|Fe.}}
{{Animal domestication}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q20980826}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cats| ]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1758]]
[[Category:Animal models]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Felis]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Cosmopolitan mammals]]