View source for Felidae

{{short description|Family of mammals}}
{{About|the biological family|the film|Felidae (film)|the novel|Felidae (novel)}}
{{redirect|Wild cat}}
{{redirect|Felid|the city in Iran called Felīd|Fildeh}}
{{excessive citations|date=September 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
{{automatic taxobox
| name = Felidae<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Wozencraft|pages=532–548|id=14000003|heading=Felidae}}</ref>
| taxon = Felidae
| authority = [[Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim|Fischer von Waldheim]], 1817
| fossil_range = <br />[[Oligocene]]–[[Holocene|Present]], {{Fossil range|30.8|0|earliest=Oligocene|ref=<ref>{{Cite web|title=Felidae|url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=41045&is_real_user=1|access-date=2021-07-04|website=paleobiodb.org|archive-date=2021-07-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711082439/https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=41045&is_real_user=1|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| image = {{Multiple image
   |perrow=2/3/3
   |total_width=275
   |image1 = Panthera tigris tigris edit2.jpg
   |caption1 = [[Tiger]] 
   |image2 = Canadian lynx by Keith Williams.jpg
   |caption2 = [[Canada lynx]] 
   |image3 = Asiatische-Goldkatze-Catopuma-temminckii-tier-katze-0001 2.JPG
   |caption3 = [[Asian golden cat]] 
   |image4 = Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)-8.jpg
   |caption4 = [[Ocelot]]
   |image5 = Serval (Leptailurus serval) (14034520905).jpg
   |caption5 = [[Serval]]
   |image6 = Cougar.jpg
   |caption6 = [[Cougar]]
   |image7 = Washington DC Zoo - Prionailurus viverrinus - 2.jpg
   |caption7= [[Fishing cat]]
   |image8 ='Lex' (5628421693).jpg
   |caption8 = [[European wildcat]]
   |border=infobox
}}
| type_genus = ''[[Felis]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies and genera
| subdivision = *†''[[Asilifelis]]''
*†''[[Diamantofelis]]''
*†''[[Hyperailurictis]]''
*†''[[Katifelis]]''
*†''[[Namafelis]]''
*†''[[Pseudaelurus]]''
*†''[[Sivaelurus]]''
*†''[[Styriofelis]]''
*†'''Proailurinae'''
**†''[[Vinayakia]]''
**†''[[Proailurus]]''
*†'''[[Machairodontinae]]''' (saber-toothed cats)
*'''Felinae''' ''sensu lato''
**†''[[Miopanthera]]''
**[[Pantherinae]]
**[[Felinae]] ''sensu stricto''
| range_map = Felid_Distribution.png
| range_map_caption = The native distribution and density of extant felid species.
}}

'''Felidae''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|i:|l|ə|,|d|i:}} {{respell|FEE|lə|dee}}<ref name="MW-Felidae">{{cite dictionary |title=Felidae |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/Felidae |dictionary=Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |access-date=20 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>) is the [[Family (biology)|family]] of [[mammal]]s in the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Carnivora]] colloquially referred to as '''cats'''. A member of this family is also called a '''felid''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|iː|l|ɪ|d|,_|-|l|ə|d}} {{respell|FEE|lid|,_|-ləd}}<ref name="OED-felid">{{Cite OED|term=felid|id=1175747985|access-date=2025-03-20}}</ref><ref name="MW-felid">{{cite dictionary |title=felid |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/felid |dictionary=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |access-date=20 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>).<ref name=Salles1992>{{cite journal |last1=Salles |first1=L. O. |date=1992 |title=Felid phylogenetics: extant taxa and skull morphology (Felidae, Aeluroidea) |journal=American Museum Novitates |issue=3047 |url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/handle/2246/5011//v2/dspace/ingest/pdfSource/nov/N3047.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=2017-04-17 |archive-date=2017-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418082034/http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/handle/2246/5011//v2/dspace/ingest/pdfSource/nov/N3047.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hemmer |first1=H. |date=1978 |title=Evolutionary systematics of living Felidae – present status and current problems |journal=Carnivore |volume=1 |pages=71–79}}</ref><ref name=Johnson1996>{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=W. E. |last2=Dratch |first2=P. A. |last3=Martenson |first3=J. S. |last4=O'Brien |first4=S. J. |date=1996 |title=Resolution of recent radiations within three evolutionary lineages of Felidae using mitochondrial restriction fragment length polymorphism variation |journal=Journal of Mammalian Evolution |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=97–120 |doi=10.1007/bf01454358|s2cid=38348868 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Christiansen |first1=P. |date=2008 |title=Evolution of skull and mandible shape in cats (Carnivora: Felidae) |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=3 |issue=7| article-number=e2807 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0002807 |pmid=18665225 |pmc=2475670 |bibcode=2008PLoSO...3.2807C |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The 41 extant Felidae species exhibit the greatest diversity in fur patterns of all terrestrial carnivores.<ref name=Peters1982>{{cite journal |last1=Peters |first1=G. |date=1982 |title=Zur Fellfarbe und -zeichnung einiger Feliden |journal=Bonner Zoologische Beiträge |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=19−31}}</ref> Cats have retractile claws, slender muscular bodies and strong flexible forelimbs. Their teeth and facial muscles allow for a powerful bite. They are all [[obligate carnivores]], and most are solitary predators ambushing or stalking their prey. Wild cats occur in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Some wild cat species are adapted to forest and savanna habitats, some to [[arid]] environments, and a few also to wetlands and mountainous terrain. Their activity patterns range from [[nocturnal]] and [[crepuscular]] to [[Diurnality|diurnal]], depending on their preferred prey species.<ref name=WCoW />

[[Reginald Innes Pocock]] divided the extant Felidae into three subfamilies: the [[Pantherinae]], the [[Felinae]] and the [[Acinonyx|Acinonychinae]], differing from each other by the [[ossification]] of the [[hyoid apparatus]] and by the cutaneous sheaths which protect their claws.<ref name=Pocock_1917>{{cite journal |last1=Pocock |first1=R. I. |date=1917 |title=The classification of the existing Felidae |journal=Annals and Magazine of Natural History |series=Series 8 |volume=XX |issue=119 |pages=329–350 |url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsmagazineof8201917lond#page/n359/mode/2up |doi=10.1080/00222931709487018}}</ref>
This concept has been revised following developments in molecular biology and techniques for the analysis of [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] data. Today, the living Felidae are divided into two subfamilies: the Pantherinae and Felinae, with the Acinonychinae subsumed into the latter. Pantherinae includes five ''[[Panthera]]'' and two ''[[Neofelis]]'' [[species]], while Felinae includes the other 34 species in 12 [[Genus (biology)|genera]].<ref name=CatSG2017>{{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. |date=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 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |access-date=2017-07-19 |archive-date=2020-01-17 |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>

The first cats emerged during the [[Oligocene]] about {{Mya|25|million years ago}}, with the appearance of ''[[Proailurus]]'' and ''[[Pseudaelurus]]''. The latter [[species complex]] was ancestral to two main lines of felids: the cats in the extant subfamilies, and the "saber-toothed cats" of the extinct subfamily [[Machairodontinae]], including the famous [[Smilodon|saber-toothed tiger]].

The "false saber-toothed cats", the [[Barbourofelidae]] and [[Nimravidae]], are not true cats but are closely related. Together with the Felidae, [[Viverridae]], [[Nandiniidae]], [[Eupleridae]], [[hyena]]s and [[mongoose]]s, they constitute the [[Feliformia]].<ref name="Werdelin_al2010">{{cite book |last1=Werdelin |first1=L. |last2=Yamaguchi |first2=N. |last3=Johnson |first3=W. E. |last4=O'Brien |first4=S. J. |chapter=Phylogeny and evolution of cats (Felidae) |date=2010 |pages=59–82 |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266755142 |editor1-last=Macdonald |editor1-first=D. W. |editor2-last=Loveridge |editor2-first=A. J. |title=Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-19-923445-5 |access-date=2019-03-15 |archive-date=2018-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925141956/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266755142 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Characteristics==
{{prose|section|date=November 2025}}
[[File:Whiskers'_purr_edit.ogg|right|thumb|Domestic cat purring]]
[[File:Meow_normalized.opus|right|thumb|Domestic cat meowing]]
[[File:Lion raring-sound1TamilNadu178.ogg|thumb|Lion [[roaring]]]]
[[File:Cat Claws (149400819).jpeg|alt=Close-up photo of a cat paw with extended claws|thumb|Extended claws on a house cat]]
[[File:Sisters grooming (9997099123).jpg|thumb|Lionesses [[social grooming|grooming each other]]]]
All members of the cat family have the following characteristics in common:
* They are [[digitigrade]] and have five toes on their forefeet and four on their hind feet. Their curved claws are [[Protraction|protractile]] and attached to the terminal [[phalanges|bones of the toe]] with [[ligament]]s and [[tendon]]s. The claws are guarded by [[cutaneous]] sheaths, except in the ''[[Acinonyx]]''.<ref name=Pocock1917>{{cite journal |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |date=1917 |title=VII.—On the external characters of the Felidæ |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology |series=8 |volume=19 |issue=109 |pages=113−136 |url=https://archive.org/details/ser8annalsmagazi19londuoft/page/112 |doi=10.1080/00222931709486916}}</ref>
* The [[wikt:plantar#Adjective|plantar]] pads of both fore and hind feet form compact three-lobed cushions.<ref name=Pocock1939 />
* They actively protract the claws by contracting muscles in the toe,<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 |location=Chicago |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=2020-12-31 |archive-date=2021-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331062330/https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA3 |url-status=live}}</ref> and they passively retract them. The [[dewclaw]]s are expanded but do not protract.<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 |location=Oxford |pages=83−106 |access-date=2018-09-11 |archive-date=2021-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216135340/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266753114_Felid_form_and_function |url-status=live}}</ref>
* They have lithe and flexible bodies with muscular limbs.<ref name=WCoW />
* Their skulls are foreshortened with a rounded profile and large orbits.<ref name=Kitchener2010 />
* They have 30 teeth with a [[dentition|dental formula]] of {{DentalFormula|upper=3.1.3.1|lower=3.1.2.1}}. The upper third premolar and lower molar are adapted as [[carnassial]] teeth, suited to tearing and cutting flesh.<ref name=Pocock1939>{{cite book |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |date=1939 |chapter=Felidae |title=The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. – Volume 1 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |location=London |pages=191–330 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/PocockMammalia1/pocock1#page/n241/mode/2up}}</ref> The [[canine teeth]] are large, reaching exceptional size in the extinct [[Machairodontinae]]. The lower carnassial is smaller than the upper carnassial and has a crown with two compressed blade-like pointed cusps.<ref name=WCoW />
* Their tongues are covered with horn-like [[Filiform papilla|papillae]], which rasp meat from prey and aid in grooming.<ref name=Kitchener2010 />
* Their noses project slightly beyond the lower jaw.<ref name=Pocock1917 />
* Their eyes are relatively large, situated to provide [[binocular vision]]. Their night vision is especially good due to the presence of a ''[[tapetum lucidum]]'', which reflects light inside the eyeball, and gives felid eyes their distinctive shine. As a result, the eyes of felids are about six times more light-sensitive than those of humans, and many species are at least partially [[nocturnal]]. The [[retina]] of felids also contains a relatively high proportion of [[rod cell]]s, adapted for distinguishing moving objects in conditions of dim light, which are complemented by the presence of [[cone cell]]s for sensing colour during the day.<ref name=WCoW />
* They have well-developed and highly sensitive whiskers above the eyes, on the cheeks, and the muzzle, but not below the chin.<ref name=Pocock1917 /> Whiskers help to navigate in the dark and to capture and hold prey.<ref name=Kitchener2010 />
* Their [[pinna (anatomy)|external ears]] are large and especially sensitive to high-frequency sounds in the smaller cat species. This sensitivity allows them to locate small rodent prey.<ref name=WCoW />
* The penis is subconical,<ref name=Pocock1917 /> facing downward when not erect<ref name="Ewer1973" /> and backward during urination.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ewer |first=R. F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LTzBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA107 |title=Ethology of Mammals |date=2013-12-11 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4899-4656-0 |language=en}}</ref> The [[baculum]] is small or vestigial, and shorter than in the [[Canidae]].<ref name="Ewer1973">{{cite book |last=Ewer |first=R. F. |date=1973 |title=The Carnivores |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IETMd3-lSlkC |access-date=27 January 2013 |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, New York |isbn=978-0-8014-8493-3 |archive-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528110801/http://books.google.com/books?id=IETMd3-lSlkC&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lariviere |first1=S. |last2=Ferguson |first2=S. H. |date=2002 |title=On the evolution of the mammalian baculum: vaginal friction, prolonged intromission or induced ovulation? |journal=Mammal Review |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=283–294 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2907.2002.00112.x |bibcode=2002MamRv..32..283L |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227798788 |access-date=2020-08-25 |archive-date=2021-02-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212220657/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227798788_On_the_evolution_of_the_mammalian_baculum_Vaginal_friction_prolonged_intromission_or_induced_ovulation |url-status=live}}</ref> Most felids have [[penile spines]] that [[Induced ovulation (animals)|induce ovulation]] during [[copulation (zoology)|copulation]].<ref name="Morais2008">{{cite book |last=de Morais |first=R. N. |title=Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of South American Wild Animals |date=2008 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-37698-0 |editor1=Fowler, M. E. |edition=Second |place=New York |pages=312–316 |chapter=Reproduction in small felid males |access-date=2020-08-25 |editor2=Cubas, Z. S. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_Wn3wfd0SQC&pg=PA312 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212220647/https://books.google.com/books?id=P_Wn3wfd0SQC&pg=PA312 |archive-date=2021-02-12 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* They have a [[vomeronasal organ]] in the roof of the mouth, allowing them to "taste" the air.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Salazar |first1=I. |last2=Quinteiro |first2=P. |last3=Cifuentes |first3=J. M. |last4=Caballero |first4=T. G. |date=1996 |title=The vomeronasal organ of the cat |journal=Journal of Anatomy |volume=188 |issue=2 |pages=445–454 |pmc=1167581 |pmid=8621344}}</ref> The use of this organ is associated with the [[flehmen response]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hart |first1=B. L. |last2=Leedy |first2=M. G. |date=1987 |title=Stimulus and hormonal determinants of flehmen behavior in cats |journal=Hormones and Behavior |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=44−52 |doi=10.1016/0018-506X(87)90029-8 |pmid=3557332 |s2cid=6039377 |url=https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Leedy_Gail_1987_Stimulus_and_Hormonal_Determinants.pdf |access-date=2019-03-27 |archive-date=2019-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608065844/https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Leedy_Gail_1987_Stimulus_and_Hormonal_Determinants.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
* They cannot detect the sweetness of sugar, as they lack the sweet taste receptor.<ref name =PLOS>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=X. |last2=Li, W. |last3=Wang, H. |last4=Cao, J. |last5=Maehashi, K. |last6=Huang, L. |last7=Bachmanov, A. A. |last8=Reed, D. R. |last9=Legrand-Defretin, V. |last10=Beauchamp, G. K. |last11=Brand, J. G. |date=2005 |title=Pseudogenization of a Sweet-Receptor Gene Accounts for Cats' Indifference toward Sugar |journal=PLOS Genetics |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=27–35 |doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.0010003 |pmid=16103917 |pmc=1183522 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
* They share a broadly similar set of vocalizations but with some variation between species. In particular, the pitch of calls varies, with larger species producing deeper sounds; overall, the frequency of felid calls ranges between 50 and 10,000 hertz.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |date=2002 |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-51823-7 |chapter=Appendix 4. Vocal communication in felids |pages=421–424 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IF8nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA421 |access-date=2020-12-25 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223074738/https://books.google.com/books?id=IF8nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA421 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Graf |first=R. F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o2I1JWPpdusC&pg=PA43 |title=Modern Dictionary of Electronics |date=1999 |publisher=Newnes |isbn=978-0-7506-9866-5 |access-date=2020-12-31 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223074729/https://books.google.com/books?id=o2I1JWPpdusC&pg=PA43 |url-status=live}}</ref> The standard sounds made by felids include mewing, chuffing, spitting, hissing, snarling and growling. Mewing and chuffing are the main contact sound, whereas the others signify an aggressive motivation.<ref name=WCoW />
* They can purr during both phases of [[Respiration (physiology)|respiration]], though pantherine cats seem to purr only during [[oestrus]] and copulation, and as cubs when suckling. Purring is generally a low-pitch sound of 16.8–27.5 [[Hz]] and is mixed with other vocalization types during the expiratory phase.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Peters |first1=G. |date=2002 |title=Purring and similar vocalizations in mammals |journal=Mammal Review |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=245−271 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2907.2002.00113.x|bibcode=2002MamRv..32..245P }}</ref> The ability to roar comes from an elongated and specially adapted larynx and [[hyoid bone|hyoid apparatus]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Weissengruber |first1=G. E. |last2=Forstenpointner |first2=G. |last3=Peters |first3=G. |last4=Kübber-Heiss |first4=A. |last5=Fitch |first5=W. T. |title=Hyoid apparatus and pharynx in the lion (''Panthera leo''), jaguar (''Panthera onca''), tiger (''Panthera tigris''), cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') and the domestic cat (''Felis silvestris f. catus'') |journal=Journal of Anatomy |publisher=Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland |pages=195–209 |volume=201 |issue=3 |date=2002 |doi=10.1046/j.1469-7580.2002.00088.x |pmc=1570911 |pmid=12363272}}</ref> When air passes through the larynx on the way from the lungs, the cartilage walls of the larynx vibrate, producing sound. Only lions, leopards, tigers, and jaguars are truly able to roar, although the loudest mews of snow leopards have a similar, if less structured, sound.<ref name=WCoW /> Clouded leopards can neither purr nor roar, and so ''[[Neofelis]]'' is said to be a sister group to ''[[Panthera]]''. Sabre-toothed cats may have had the ability to both roar and purr.
The colour, length and density of their fur are very diverse. Fur colour covers the gamut from white to black, and fur patterns from distinctive small spots, and stripes to small blotches and [[Rosette (zoology)|rosette]]s. Most cat species are born with spotted fur, except the [[jaguarundi]] (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''), [[Asian golden cat]] (''Catopuma temminckii'') and [[caracal]] (''Caracal caracal''). The spotted fur of lion (''Panthera leo''), cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') and [[cougar]] (''Puma concolor'') cubs change to uniform fur during their [[ontogeny|development to adulthood]].<ref name=Peters1982 /> Those living in cold environments have thick fur with long hair, like the [[snow leopard]] (''Panthera uncia'') and the [[Pallas's cat]] (''Otocolobus manul'').<ref name=Kitchener2010 /> Those living in tropical and hot climate zones have short fur.<ref name=WCoW /> Several species exhibit [[melanism]] with all-black individuals, cougars are notable for lacking melanism but [[leucism]] and [[albinism]] are present in cougars along with many other felids.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eizirik |first1=E. |last2=Yuhki |first2=N. |last3=Johnson |first3=W. E. |last4=Menotti-Raymond |first4=M. |last5=Hannah |first5=S. S. |last6=O'Brien |first6=S. J. |s2cid=19021807 |title=Molecular Genetics and Evolution of Melanism in the Cat Family |journal=Current Biology |date=2003 |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=448–453 |doi=10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00128-3 |pmid=12620197|doi-access=free|bibcode=2003CBio...13..448E }}</ref>

In the great majority of cat species, the tail is between a third and a half of the body length, although with some exceptions, like the ''[[Lynx]]'' species and [[margay]] (''Leopardus wiedii'').<ref name=WCoW /> Cat species vary greatly in body and skull sizes, and weights:
* The largest cat species is the [[tiger]] (''Panthera tigris''), with a head-to-body length of up to {{cvt|390|cm}}, a weight range of at least {{cvt|65|to|325|kg}}, and a skull length ranging from {{cvt|316|to|413|mm}}.<ref name=WCoW /><ref name="Hewett&Hewett1938">{{cite book |last1=Hewett |first1=J. P. |last2=Hewett Atkinson |first2=L. |date=1938 |title=Jungle trails in northern India: reminiscences of hunting in India |publisher=Metheun and Company Limited |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.209125}}</ref> Although the maximum skull length of a lion is slightly greater at {{cvt|419|mm}}, it is generally smaller in head-to-body length than the tiger.<ref name="Geptner1972">{{cite book |last1=Heptner |first1=V. G. |last2=Sludskij |first2=A. A. |orig-date=1972 |date=1992 |title=Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola |trans-title=Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) |publisher=Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation |location=Washington DC |chapter=Tiger |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalsofsov221992gept#page/94/mode/2up |pages=95–202}}</ref>
* The smallest cat species are the [[rusty-spotted cat]] (''Prionailurus rubiginosus'') and the [[black-footed cat]] (''Felis nigripes''). The former is {{cvt|35|-|48|cm}} in length and weighs {{cvt|0.9|-|1.6|kg}}.<ref name=WCoW /> The latter has a head-to-body length of {{cvt|36.7|-|43.3|cm}} and a maximum recorded weight of {{cvt|2.45|kg}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mills |first1=M. G. L. |date=2005 |title=The mammals of the southern African subregion |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-84418-5 |editor1-last=Skinner |editor1-first=J. D. |editor2-last=Chimimba |editor2-first=C. T. |edition=Third |chapter=''Felis nigripes'' Burchell, 1824 Black-footed cat |pages=405−408 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iqwEYkTDZf4C&pg=PA405 |access-date=2020-12-31 |archive-date=2021-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412215230/https://books.google.com/books?id=iqwEYkTDZf4C&pg=PA405 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sliwa |first1=A. |date=2004 |title=Home range size and social organization of black-footed cats (''Felis nigripes'') |journal=[[Mammalian Biology]] |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=96–107 |doi=10.1078/1616-5047-00124}}</ref>

Most cat species have a [[haploid]] number of 18 or 19. Central and South American cats have a haploid number of 18, possibly due to the combination of two smaller [[chromosome]]s into a larger one.<ref name=robinson>{{cite book| last1=Vella |first1=C. |last2=Shelton |first2=L. M. |last3=McGonagle |first3=J. J. |last4=Stanglein |first4=T. W. |title=Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians |edition=Fourth |publisher=Butterworh-Heinemann Ltd. |date=2002 |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-7506-4069-5}}</ref>

Felidae have type IIx [[Skeletal muscle|muscle fibers]] three times more [[Power (physics)|powerful]] than the muscle fibers of human athletes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kohn |first1=Tertius A. |last2=Noakes |first2=Timothy D. |date=2013 |title=Lion (''Panthera leo'') and caracal (''Caracal caracal'') type IIx single muscle fibre force and power exceed that of trained humans |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |volume=216 |issue=Pt 6 |pages=960–969 |doi=10.1242/jeb.078485 |issn=1477-9145 |pmc=3587382 |pmid=23155088}}</ref>

==Evolutionary history==
[[File:Feliform Timeline.svg|thumb|Feliform evolutionary timeline]]
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 1
| image1            = Megantereon model.jpg
| caption1          = ''[[Megantereon]]'' model at [[Natural History Museum of Basel]]
| image2            = Homotherium latidens cub mummy fig2.webp
| caption2          = External appearance of three-week-old heads of large felid cubs, right lateral view:
(A) ''[[Homotherium]] latidens'' (Owen, 1846), specimen DMF AS RS, no. Met-20-1, frozen mummy, Russia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Indigirka River basin, Badyarikha River; Upper Pleistocene;
(B) ''[[Lion|Panthera leo]]'' (Linnaeus, 1758), specimen ZMMU, no. S-210286; Recent.
| image3            = Panthera leo atrox Sergiodlarosa.jpg
| caption3          = Graphical reconstruction of an [[American lion]] (''Panthera atrox'')
}}

The family Felidae is part of the [[Feliformia]], a suborder that diverged probably about {{mya|50.6|35}} into several families.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eizirik |first1=E. |last2=Murphy |first2=W. J. |last3=Köpfli |first3=K. P. |last4=Johnson |first4=W. E. |last5=Dragoo |first5=J. W. |last6=O'Brien |first6=S. J. |date=2010 |title=Pattern and timing of the diversification of the mammalian order Carnivora inferred from multiple nuclear gene sequences |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=56 |issue=1 |pages=49–63 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.033 |pmid=20138220 |pmc=7034395|bibcode=2010MolPE..56...49E }}</ref> The Felidae and the [[Asiatic linsang]]s are considered a [[sister group]], which split about {{mya|35.2|31.9}}.<ref name=Gaubert_al2003>{{cite journal |last1=Gaubert |first1=P. |last2=Veron |first2=G. |date=2003 |title=Exhaustive sample set among Viverridae reveals the sister-group of felids: the linsangs as a case of extreme morphological convergence within Feliformia |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B |volume=270 |issue=1532 |pages=2523–2530 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2003.2521 |pmid=14667345 |pmc=1691530}}</ref>

The earliest cats probably appeared about {{mya|35|28.5}}. ''[[Proailurus]]'' is the oldest known cat that occurred after the [[Eocene–Oligocene extinction event]] about {{mya|33.9}}; [[fossil]] remains were [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavated]] in France and Mongolia's [[Hsanda Gol Formation]].<ref name=Werdelin_al2010 /> Fossil occurrences indicate that the Felidae arrived in North America around {{mya|18.5}}. This is about 20{{nbsp}}million years later than the [[Ursidae|bears]] and the [[Nimravidae|false saber-tooth cats]], and about 10&nbsp;million years later than the [[Canidae|canines]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Silvestro |first1=D. |last2=Antonelli |first2=A. |last3=Salamin |first3=N. |last4=Quental |first4=T. B. |date=2015 |title=The role of clade competition in the diversification of North American canids |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=112 |issue=28 |pages=8684−8689 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1502803112 |pmid=26124128 |pmc=4507235 |bibcode=2015PNAS..112.8684S |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In the [[Early Miocene]] about {{mya|20|16.6}}, ''[[Pseudaelurus]]'' lived in Africa. Its fossil jaws were also excavated in [[geological formation]]s of Europe's [[Vallesian]], Asia's [[Middle Miocene]] and North America's late [[Hemingfordian]] to late [[Barstovian]] epochs.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rothwell |first1=T. |date=2003 |title=Phylogenetic systematics of North American Pseudaelurus (Carnivora: Felidae) |journal=American Museum Novitates |issue=3403 |pages=1−64 |doi=10.1206/0003-0082(2003)403<0001:PSONAP>2.0.CO;2 |url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/handle/2246/2829/v2/dspace/ingest/pdfSource/nov/N3403.pdf |hdl=2246/2829 |s2cid=67753626}}{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Modelling of felid coat pattern transformations revealed that nearly all patterns evolved from small spots.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Werdelin |first1=L. |last2=Olsson |first2=L. |date=2008 |title=How the leopard got its spots: a phylogenetic view of the evolution of felid coat patterns |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229884719 |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=62 |issue=3 |pages=383–400 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.1997.tb01632.x |doi-access=free}}</ref>

During the Middle Miocene around 15 million years ago, the extinct subfamily [[Machairodontinae]] (colloquially known as "saber-toothed cats") emerged and became widespread across Afro-Eurasia and North America by the Late Miocene.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Antón |first1=Mauricio |last2=Siliceo |first2=Gema |last3=Pastor |first3=Juan Francisco |last4=Morales |first4=Jorge |last5=Salesa |first5=Manuel J |date=2020-01-01 |title=The early evolution of the sabre-toothed felid killing bite: the significance of the cervical morphology of Machairodus aphanistus (Carnivora: Felidae: Machairodontinae) |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/188/1/319/5581941 |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |volume=188 |issue=1 |pages=319–342 |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz086 |issn=0024-4082|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Turner-2011">{{Cite journal |last1=Turner |first1=A. |last2=Antón |first2=M. |last3=Salesa |first3=M. J. |last4=Morales |first4=J. |date=2011-12-30 |title=Changing ideas about the evolution and functional morphology of Machairodontine felids |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235349543 |journal=Estudios Geológicos |volume=67 |issue=2 |pages=255–276 |doi=10.3989/egeol.40590.188 |issn=1988-3250 |doi-access=free}}</ref> With their large upper [[Canine tooth|canine]] [[Saber-toothed predator|saber teeth]], they were adapted to prey on large-bodied [[Megafauna|megaherbivores]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Randau |first1=M. |last2=Carbone |first2=C. |last3=Turvey |first3=S. T. |date=2013 |title=Canine evolution in sabretoothed carnivores: natural selection or sexual selection? |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=8 |article-number=e72868 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0072868|pmid=23951334 |pmc=3738559 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...872868R|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Piras, P. |last2=Silvestro, D. |last3=Carotenuto, F. |last4=Castiglione, S. |last5=Kotsakis, A. |last6=Maiorino, L. |last7=Melchionna, M. |last8=Mondanaro, A. |last9=Sansalone, G. |last10=Serio, C. |last11=Vero, V. A. |date=2018 |title=Evolution of the sabertooth mandible: A deadly ecomorphological specialization |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume=496 |pages=166−174 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.01.034 |bibcode=2018PPP...496..166P|hdl=2158/1268434 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> During the Late Miocene and early Pliocene, machairodontines were the dominant cats and large mammalian predators across Afro-Eurasia and North America, with ancestors of living cats generally being small at this time.<ref name="Turner-2011" />

The earliest members of the living cat lineages are known from the Middle Miocene,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Salesa |first1=Manuel J. |last2=Gamarra |first2=JEsús |last3=Siliceo |first3=Gema |last4=Antón |first4=Mauricio |last5=Morales |first5=Jorge |date=2023-05-04 |title=Unraveling the diversity of early felines: a new genus of Felinae (Carnivora, Felidae) from the Middle Miocene of Madrid (Spain) |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2023.2288924 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |language=en |volume=43 |issue=3 |article-number=e2288924 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2023.2288924 |bibcode=2023JVPal..43E8924S |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription |hdl=10261/388427 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> with the last common ancestor of living cats estimated to have lived around 16 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rodrigues-Oliveira |first1=Igor Henrique |last2=Batista da Silva |first2=Iuri |last3=Rocha |first3=Renan Rodrigues |last4=Soares |first4=Rafael Augusto Silva |last5=Menegidio |first5=Fabiano Bezerra |last6=Garcia |first6=Caroline |last7=Pasa |first7=Rubens |last8=Kavalco |first8=Karine Frehner |date=2024-12-07 |title=When paleontology meets genomics: complete mitochondrial genomes of two saber-toothed cats' species (Felidae: Machairodontinae) |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24701394.2024.2439433 |journal=Mitochondrial DNA Part A |volume=35 |issue=3–4 |language=en |pages=102–110 |doi=10.1080/24701394.2024.2439433 |pmid=39644159 |issn=2470-1394|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Large sized felines and pantherines only emerged during the Pliocene epoch,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=de Bonis |first1=L. |last2=Chaimanee |first2=Y. |last3=Grohé |first3=C. |last4=Chavasseau |first4=O. |last5=Mazurier |first5=A. |last6=Suraprasit |first6=K. |last7=Jaeger |first7=J.J. |date=October 2023 |title=A new large pantherine and a sabre-toothed cat (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) from the late Miocene hominoid-bearing Khorat sand pits, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-023-01867-4 |journal=The Science of Nature |language=en |volume=110 |issue=5 |page=42 |doi=10.1007/s00114-023-01867-4 |pmid=37584870 |bibcode=2023SciNa.110...42D |issn=0028-1042}}</ref> including the modern big cat genus ''[[Panthera]].''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hemmer |first=Helmut |date=December 2023 |title=The evolution of the palaeopantherine cats, Palaeopanthera gen. nov. blytheae (Tseng et al., 2014) and Palaeopanthera pamiri (Ozansoy, 1959) comb. nov. (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12549-023-00571-5 |journal=Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments |language=en |volume=103 |issue=4 |pages=827–839 |doi=10.1007/s12549-023-00571-5 |bibcode=2023PdPe..103..827H |issn=1867-1594|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Felids entered South America as part of the [[Great American Interchange]] following the emergence of the [[Isthmus of Panama]] during the Pliocene epoch.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=David Webb |first=S. |date=2006-08-23 |title=THE GREAT AMERICAN BIOTIC INTERCHANGE: PATTERNS AND PROCESSES<sup>1</sup> |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.3417/0026-6493%282006%2993%5B245%3ATGABIP%5D2.0.CO%3B2 |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |language=en |volume=93 |issue=2 |pages=245–257 |doi=10.3417/0026-6493(2006)93[245:TGABIP]2.0.CO;2 |issn=0026-6493|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Machairodontines began to decline during the [[Pleistocene]], perhaps as a result of environmental change and consequential changes in prey abundance, competition with large living cat lineages such as the pantherins as well as possibly [[archaic humans]]. The last species belonging to the genera ''[[Smilodon]]'' and ''[[Homotherium]]'' became extinct along with many other large mammals around 12–10,000 years ago as part of the [[Late Pleistocene extinctions|end-Pleistocene extinction event]], following [[Peopling of the Americas|human arrival to the Americas]] at the end of the Late Pleistocene.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Antón |first=Mauricio |title=Sabertooth |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |year=2013 |pages=217–230 |chapter=Extinctions}}</ref>

==Classification==
Traditionally, five subfamilies had been distinguished within the Felidae based on [[Phenotype|phenotypical]] features: the [[Pantherinae]], the [[Felinae]], the Acinonychinae,<ref name=Pocock_1917 /> and the extinct [[Machairodontinae]] and [[Proailurinae]].<ref name="McKenna & Bell">{{cite book |last1=McKenna |first1=M. C. |last2=Bell |first2=S. K. |title=Classification of Mammals |date=2000 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-11013-6 |page=230 |chapter=Family Felidae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817:372. Cats |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zS7FZkzIw-cC&pg=PA230 |access-date=2020-12-31 |archive-date=2021-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419161520/https://books.google.com/books?id=zS7FZkzIw-cC&pg=PA230 |url-status=live}}</ref> Acinonychinae used to only contain the genus ''[[Acinonyx]]'' but this genus is now within the Felinae subfamily.<ref name=CatSG2017 />

===Phylogeny===
The following cladogram based on Piras et al. (2013) depicts the phylogeny of basal living and extinct groups.<ref name="PirasMaiorino2013">{{cite journal |last1=Piras |first1=P. |last2=Maiorino |first2=L. |last3=Teresi |first3=L. |last4=Meloro |first4=C. |last5=Lucci |first5=F. |last6=Kotsakis |first6=T. |last7=Raia |first7=P. |title=Bite of the Cats: Relationships between Functional Integration and Mechanical Performance as Revealed by Mandible Geometry |journal=Systematic Biology |volume=62 |issue=6 |date=2013 |pages=878–900 |issn=1063-5157 |doi=10.1093/sysbio/syt053 |pmid=23925509|doi-access=free|hdl=11590/132981 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
{{clade |style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%;
|label1='''Felidae'''
|1={{clade
   |style1=background-color:#eeccFF;
   |label1=†''[[Proailurus]]''
   |1={{clade
      |caption=Proailurinae |captionstyle=text-align:middle;font-weight:bold;color:purple;padding:2px 10px 1px 1px;
      |1=†''Proailurus bourbonnensis''
      |2=†''Proailurus lemanensis''
      |3=†''Proailurus major''
      }}
   |label2=''"Pseudaelurus"''|sublabel2=(grade)
   |2={{clade
      |style1=background-color:#B0CEFF;
      |1={{clade
         |caption=Pseudaelurus lineage |captionstyle=text-align:right;font-weight:bold;color:blue;padding:2px 10px 1px 1px;
         |label1=†''[[Pseudaelurus]]''
         |1={{clade
            |1=†''Pseudaelurus quadridentatus''
            |2=†''Pseudaelurus cuspidatus''
            |3=†''Pseudaelurus guangheesis''
            }}
         |2=†'''[[Machairodontinae]]''' [[File:Smilodon_fatalis.jpg|50px]]
         }}
      |label2=†''[[Hyperailurictis]]''|style2=background-color:#FFB6B6;
      |2={{clade
         |caption=Hyperailurictis lineage |captionstyle=text-align:right;font-weight:bold;color:#882277;padding:2px 10px 1px 1px;
         |1=†''Hyperailurictis intrepidus''
         |2=†''Hyperailurictis marshi''
         |3=†''Hyperailurictis stouti''
         |4=†''Hyperailurictis validus''
         |5=†''Hyperailurictis skinneri''
         }}
      |label3=†''[[Sivaelurus]]''|style3=background-color:#ddddFF;
      |3=†''Sivaelurus chinjiensis''
      |style4=background-color:#CCFF99;
      |4={{clade
         |caption=Styriofelis lineage |captionstyle=text-align:right;font-weight:bold;color:green;padding:2px 10px 1px 1px;
         |label1=†''[[Styriofelis]]''
         |1={{clade
            |1=†''Styriofelis turnauensis''
            |2=†''Styriofelis romieviensis''
            }}
            |label2='''Felinae'''|sublabel2=''sensu lato''
         |2={{clade
            |1='''[[Felinae]]''' [[File:Anatomie_descriptive_et_comparative_du_chat_(1845)_Pl-I_(white_background_%26_colourised).jpg|50px]]
            |2={{clade
               |label1=†''[[Miopanthera]]''
               |1={{clade
                  |1=†''Miopanthera lorteti''
                  |2=†''Miopanthera pamiri''
                  }}
               |2='''[[Pantherinae]]''' [[File:Stamp-russia2014-save-russian-cats-(snow_leopard).png|50px]]
               }} }} }} }} }} }}

The phylogenetic relationships of living felids are shown in the following cladogram:<ref name="Li_al2016">{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=G. |last2=Davis |first2=B. W. |last3=Eizirik |first3=E. |last4=Murphy |first4=W. J. |date=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 |pmc=4691742 |pmid=26518481}}</ref>
{{clade |style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%;background-color:#eeeeFF;border:1px solid darkred;
|thickness=2
|label1='''Felidae'''
|1={{clade |thickness=2
   |caption=Panthera lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#eeccFF;color:#880088;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:2px 10px 1px 1px; 
   |color1=red |style1=background-color:#eeccFF;
   |label1='''[[Pantherinae]]'''
   |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=red
      |label1=''[[Neofelis]]''
      |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=red
         |1=[[Sunda clouded leopard]] (''N. diardi'')
         |2=[[Clouded leopard]] (''N. nebulosa'') [[File:Felis macroscelis - 1700-1880 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(white background).jpg|50px]]
         }}
      |label2=''[[Panthera]]''
      |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=red
         |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=red
            |1=[[Tiger]] (''P. tigris'') [[File:Felis tigris - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(white background).jpg|50px]]
            |2=[[Snow leopard]] (''P. uncia'') [[File:Stamp-russia2014-save-russian-cats-(snow leopard).png|50px]]
            }}
         |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=red
            |1=[[Jaguar]] (''P. onca'') [[File:Felis onca - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam - (white background).jpg|50px]]
            |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=red
               |1=[[Lion]] (''P. leo'') [[File:Felis leo - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(White Background).jpg|50px]]
               |2=[[Leopard]] (''P. pardus'') [[File:Felis pardus - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam - (white background).jpg|50px]]
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   |label2='''[[Felinae]]'''
   |2={{clade |thickness=2 
      |caption=Caracal lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#eeFFFF;color:darkcyan;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:1px 10px 1px 1px; 
      |color1=darkcyan |style1=background-color:#eeFFFF;
      |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=darkcyan
         |label1=''[[Leptailurus]]''
         |1=[[Serval]] (''L. serval'') [[File:Felis serval - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(white background).jpg|50px]]
         |label2=''[[Caracal (genus)|Caracal]]''
         |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=darkcyan
            |1=[[African golden cat]] (''C. aurata'')
            |2=[[Caracal]] (''C. caracal'') [[File:Felis caracal - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(White Background).jpg|50px]]
            }}
         }}
      |2={{clade |thickness=2
         |caption=Ocelot lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#ccFFcc;color:darkgreen;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:1px 10px 1px 1px;
         |color1=green |style1=background-color:#ccFFcc;
         |label1=''[[Leopardus]]''
         |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=green
            |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=green
               |1=[[Andean mountain cat]] (''L. jacobita'')
               |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=green
                  |1=[[Ocelot]] (''L. pardalis'') [[File:Felis pardalis - 1834 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(White Background).jpg|50px]]
                  |2=[[Margay]] (''L. wiedii'')
                  }}
               }}
            |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=green
               |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=green
                  |1=[[Pampas cat]] (''L. colocola'')
                  }} 
               |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=green
                  |1=[[Oncilla]] (Northern tiger cat, ''L. tigrina'')
                  |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=green
                     |1=[[Southern tiger cat]] (''L. guttulus'')
                     |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=green
                        |1=[[Geoffroy's cat]] (''L. geoffroyi'')
                        |2=[[Kodkod]] (''L. guigna'')
                        }}
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         |2={{clade |thickness=2
            |1={{clade |thickness=2 
               |caption=Bay cat lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#ddddFF;color:blue;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:1px 10px 2px 1px;
               |color1=blue |style1=background-color:#ddddFF;
               |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=blue
                  |label1=''[[Pardofelis]]''
                  |1=[[Marbled cat]] (''P. marmorata'') [[File:Pardofelis marmorata (white background).png|50px]]
                  |label2=''[[Catopuma]]''
                  |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=blue
                     |1=[[Bay cat]] (''C. badia'')
                     |2=[[Asian golden cat]] (''C. temminckii'')
                     }}
                  }}
               |2={{clade |thickness=2 
                  |captionx=Lynx lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#FFFFaa;color:darkorange;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:1px 10px 1px 1px;
                  |color1=darkorange |style1=background-color:#ffffaa;
                  |label1=''[[Lynx]]''
                  |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=darkorange
                     |caption=Lynx lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#FFFFaa;color:darkorange;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:1px 10px 1px 1px;
                     |1=[[Bobcat]] (''L. rufus'')
                     |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=darkorange
                        |1=[[Canada lynx]] (''L. canadensis'')
                        |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=darkorange
                           |1=[[Eurasian lynx]] (''L. lynx'')
                           |2=[[Iberian lynx]] (''L. pardinus'')
                           }}
                        }}
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            |2={{clade |thickness=2
               |caption=Puma lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#ffdd66;color:#dd4400;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:1px 10px 1px 1px;
               |color1=#dd4400 |style1=background-color:#ffdd66;
               |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#dd4400
                  |label1=''[[Acinonyx]]''
                  |1=[[Cheetah]] (''A. jubatus'') [[File:Cynailurus guttata - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam - (white background).jpg|50px]]
                  |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#dd4400
                     |label1=''[[Herpailurus]]''
                     |1=[[Jaguarundi]] (''H. yagouaroundi'') [[File:Puma yagouaroundi 1.jpg|50px]]
                     |label2=''[[Puma (genus)|Puma]]''
                     |2=[[Cougar]] (''P. concolor'') [[File:Felis concolor - 1818-1842 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(white background).jpg|50px]]
                     }}
                  }}
               |2={{clade |thickness=2
                  |caption=Leopard cat lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#ffdddd;color:#aa3322;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:1px 10px 2px 1px;
                  |color1=#aa3322 |style1=background-color:#FFdddd;
                  |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#aa3322
                     |label1=''[[Otocolobus]]''
                     |1=[[Pallas's cat]] (''O. manul'') [[File:Felis manul - 1834 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(white background).jpg|50px]]
                     |label2=''[[Prionailurus]]''
                     |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#aa3322
                        |1=[[Rusty-spotted cat]] (''P. rubiginosus'')
                        |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#aa3322
                           |1=[[Flat-headed cat]] (''P. planiceps'')
                           |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#aa3322
                              |1=[[Fishing cat]] (''P. viverrinus'')
                              |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#aa3322
                                 |1=[[Leopard cat]] (''P. bengalensis'')
                                 |2=[[Sunda leopard cat]] (''P. javanensis'')
                                 }}
                              }}
                           }}
                        }}
                     }}
                  |color2=#882277 |style2=background-color:#ffbbdd;
                  |label2=''[[Felis]]''
                  |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#882277
                     |caption=Domestic cat lineage |captionstyle=background-color:#ffbbdd;color:#882277;text-align:right;font-weight:bold;padding:1px 10px 10px 1px;
                     |1=[[Jungle cat]] (''F. chaus'') [[File:Felis chaus - 1700-1880 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam -(White Background).jpg|50px]]
                     |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#882277
                        |1=[[Black-footed cat]] (''F. nigripes'')
                        |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#882277
                           |1=[[Sand cat]] (''F. margarita'')
                           |label2=[[wildcat]]s
                           |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#882277
                              |1={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#882277
                                 |1=[[Chinese mountain cat]] (''F. bieti'')
                                 |2=[[African wildcat]] (''F. lybica'')
                                 }}
                              |2={{clade |thickness=2 |color=#882277
                                 |1=[[Cat|Domestic cat]] (''F. catus'')
                                 |2=[[European wildcat]] (''F. silvestris'')
                                 }}
                              }}
                           }}
                        }}
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}

==See also==
* [[Cat gap]]
* [[Felid hybrid]]
* [[List of felids]]
* [[List of largest cats]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{cite web |last=Keller |first=E. |date=2015 |title=Secrets of the World's 38 Species of Wild Cats |publisher=National Geographic Society |url=https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2015/12/24/secrets-of-the-worlds-38-species-of-wild-cats/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113210732/https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2015/12/24/secrets-of-the-worlds-38-species-of-wild-cats/ |archive-date=2018-11-13}}

{{Carnivora|Fe.}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q25265}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Felids|*]]
[[Category:Mammal families]]
[[Category:Extant Chattian first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim]]