Cat

Thecat(Felis catus), also referred to as thedomestic cat, is a smalldomesticatedcarnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticatedspeciesof the familyFelidae. Advances inarchaeologyandgeneticshave shown that thedomestication of the catoccurred in theNear Eastaround 7500 BC. It is commonly kept as apetandfarm cat, but also ranges freely as aferal catavoiding human contact. It is valued by humans for companionship and its ability to killvermin. Its retractableclawsare adapted to killing small prey species such asmiceandrats. It has a strong, flexible body, quickreflexes, and sharp teeth, and itsnight visionandsense of smellare well developed. It is asocial species, but a solitary hunter and acrepuscularpredator.Cat communicationincludes vocalizations—includingmeowing,purring, trilling,hissing,growling, andgrunting—as well asbody language. It can hear sounds too faint or too high infrequencyfor human ears, such as those made bysmall mammals. It secretes and perceivespheromones.
Female domestic cats can havekittensfromspringto lateautumnintemperate zonesand throughout the year inequatorial regions, withlittersizes often ranging from two to five kittens. Domestic cats are bred and shown at events as registeredpedigreed cats, a hobby known ascat fancy.Animal population controlof cats may be achieved byspayingandneutering, but their proliferation and the abandonment of pets has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, contributing to the extinction ofbird,mammal, andreptilespecies.
As of 2024,the domestic cat was the second most popular pet in the United States, with 73.8 million cats owned and around 42.2 million households owning at least one cat. In the United Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat, with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020.As of 2021,there were an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world.
The origin of the English wordcat,Old Englishcatt, is thought to be theLate Latinwordcattus, which was first used at the beginning of the 6th century.The Late Latin word may be derived from an unidentifiedAfrican language.TheNubianwordkaddîska'wildcat' andNobiinkadīsare possible sources or cognates.
The forms might also have derived from an ancient Germanic word that was absorbed into Latin and then into Greek, Syriac, and Arabic.The word may be derived from Germanic and Northern European languages, and ultimately be borrowed fromUralic,cf.Northern Sámigáđfi, 'femalestoat', andHungarianhölgy, 'lady, female stoat'; fromProto-Uralic*käďwä, 'female (of a furred animal)'.
The Englishpuss, extended aspussyandpussycat, is attested from the 16th century and may have been introduced fromDutchpoesor fromLow Germanpuuskatte, related toSwedishkattepus, orNorwegianpus,pusekatt. Similar forms exist inLithuanianpuižėandIrishpuisínorpuiscín. The etymology of this word is unknown, but it may havearisen from a soundused to attract a cat.
A male cat is called atomortomcat(or agib,ifneutered). A female is called aqueen(or sometimes amolly,ifspayed). A juvenile cat is referred to as akitten. InEarly Modern English, the wordkittenwas interchangeable with the now-obsolete wordcatling.A group of cats can be referred to as aclowder, aglaring,or acolony.
Thescientific nameFelis catuswas proposed byCarl Linnaeusin 1758 for a domestic cat.Felis catus domesticuswas proposed byJohann Christian Polycarp Erxlebenin 1777.Felis daemonproposed byKonstantin Satuninin 1904 was a black cat from theTranscaucasus, later identified as a domestic cat.
In 2003, theInternational Commission on Zoological Nomenclatureruled that the domestic cat is a distinct species, namelyFelis catus.In 2007, the modern domesticated subspeciesF. silvestris catussampled worldwide was considered to have probably descended from theAfrican wildcat(F. lybica), following results ofphylogeneticresearch.In 2017, the IUCN Cat Classification Taskforce followed the recommendation of the ICZN in regarding the domestic cat as a distinct species,Felis catus.
The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae, afamilythat had acommon ancestorabout10 to 15million years ago.Theevolutionary radiationof the Felidae began in Asia during theMiocenearound8.38 to 14.45million years ago.Analysis ofmitochondrial DNAof all Felidae species indicates a radiation at6.46 to 16.76million years ago.ThegenusFelisgenetically divergedfrom other Felidae around6 to 7million years ago.Results ofphylogeneticresearch shows that the wild members of this genus evolved throughsympatricorparapatric speciation, whereas the domestic cat evolved throughartificial selection.The domestic cat and its closest wild ancestor arediploidand both possess 38chromosomesand roughly 20,000 genes.
It was long thought that thedomestication of the catbegan inancient Egypt, where cats were venerated from around 3100 BC.However, the earliest known indication for thetamingof an African wildcat wasexcavatedclose by a humanNeolithicgrave inShillourokambos, southernCyprus, dating to about 7500–7200 BC. Since there is no evidence of native mammalianfaunaon Cyprus, the inhabitants of this Neolithic village most likely brought the cat and other wild mammals to the island from theMiddle Easternmainland.Scientists therefore assume that African wildcats were attracted to early human settlements in theFertile Crescentby rodents, in particular thehouse mouse(Mus musculus), and were tamed by Neolithic farmers. Thismutualrelationship between early farmers and tamed cats lasted thousands of years. Asagricultural practicesspread, so did tame and domesticated cats.Wildcats of Egypt contributed to the maternalgene poolof the domestic cat at a later time.
The earliest known evidence for the occurrence of the domestic cat inGreecedates to around 1200 BC. Greek,Phoenician,CarthaginianandEtruscantraders introduced domestic cats to southern Europe.By the 5th century BC, they were familiar animals around settlements inMagna GraeciaandEtruria.During theRoman Empire, they were introduced toCorsicaandSardiniabefore the beginning of the 1st century AD.By the end of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Egyptian domestic cat lineage had arrived in aBaltic Seaport in northernGermany.
Theleopard cat(Prionailurus bengalensis) wastamedindependently in China around 5500 BC. This line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today.
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 havepre-adaptedthem for domestication as pets. These traits include their small size, social nature, obvious body language, love of play, and high intelligence. Since they practice rigorous grooming habits and have an instinctual drive to bury and hide their urine and feces, they are generally much less messy than other domesticated animals. CaptiveLeoparduscats may also display affectionate behavior toward humans but were not domesticated.House cats often mate with feral cats.Hybridization between domestic and other Felinae speciesis also possible, producing hybrids such as theKellas catinScotland.
Development ofcat breedsstarted in the mid 19th century.An analysis of the domestic catgenomerevealed that the ancestral wildcat genome was significantly altered in the process of domestication, as specificmutationswere selected to develop cat breeds.Most breeds are founded on random-bred domestic cats.Genetic diversityof these breeds varies between regions, and is lowest in purebred populations, which show more than 20 deleteriousgenetic disorders.
The domestic cat has a smallerskulland shorter bones than theEuropean wildcat.It averages about 46 cm (18 in) in head-to-body length and 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) in height, with about 30 cm (12 in) long tails. Males are larger than females.Adult domestic cats typically weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb).
Cats have sevencervical vertebrae(as do mostmammals); 13thoracic vertebrae(humans have 12); sevenlumbar vertebrae(humans have five); threesacral vertebrae(as do most mammals, but humans have five); and a variable number ofcaudal vertebraein the tail (humans have only three to five vestigial caudal vertebrae, fused into an internalcoccyx).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 thepelvis.Unlike human arms, cat forelimbs are attached to the shoulder by free-floatingclaviclebones which allow them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their head.
The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very largeeye socketsand a powerful specialized jaw.Within the jaw, cats have teeth adapted for killing prey and tearing meat. When it overpowers its prey, a cat delivers a lethal neck bite with its two longcanine teeth, inserting them between two of the prey'svertebraeand severing itsspinal cord, causing irreversibleparalysisand death.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.
Thepremolarand firstmolartogether compose thecarnassialpair on each side of the mouth, which efficiently shears meat into small pieces, like a pair of scissors. These are vital in feeding, since cats' smallmolarscannot chew food effectively, and cats are largely incapable of mastication.Cats tend to have better teeth than most humans, with decay generally less likely because of a thicker protective layer ofenamel, 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.
Cats have protractible and retractable claws.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.Cats can voluntarily extend their claws on one or more paws. They may extend their claws in hunting or self-defense, climbing,kneading, or for extra traction on soft surfaces. Cats shed the outside layer of their claw sheaths when scratching rough surfaces.
Most cats have five claws on their front paws and four on their rear paws. Thedewclawisproximalto 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 ("polydactyly").
The cat isdigitigrade. It walks on the toes, with the bones of the feet making up the lower part of the visible leg.Unlike most mammals, it uses a "pacing"gaitand moves both legs on one side of the body before the legs on the other 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.
Cats are generally fond of sitting in high places orperching. A higher place may serve as a concealed site from which to hunt; domestic cats strike prey by pouncing from a perch such as a tree branch. Another possible explanation is that height gives the cat a better observation point, allowing it to survey its territory. A cat falling from heights of up to 3 m (9.8 ft) can right itself and land on its paws.
During a fall from a high place, a cat reflexively twists its body and rights itself to land on its feet using its acute sense of balance and flexibility. This reflex is known as thecat righting reflex.A cat always rights itself in the same way during a fall, if it has enough time to do so, which is the case in falls of 90 cm (3.0 ft) or more.How cats are able to right themselves when falling has been investigated as the "falling cat problem".
The cat family (Felidae) can pass down many colors and patterns to their offspring. The domestic cat genesMC1RandASIPallow color variety in their coats. The felineASIPgene consists of three coding exons.Three novelmicrosatellitemarkers linked toASIPwere isolated from a domestic cat BAC clone containing this gene to performlinkage analysison 89 domestic cats segregated formelanism. The domestic cat family demonstrated a cosegregation between theASIPallele and coat black coloration.
Cats have excellentnight visionand can see at one sixth the light level required for human vision.This is partly the result of cat eyes having atapetum lucidum, which reflects any light that passes through theretinaback into the eye, thereby increasing the eye's sensitivity to dim light.Large pupils are an adaptation to dim light. The domestic cat hasslit pupils, which allow it to focus bright light withoutchromatic aberration.At low light, a cat's pupils expand to cover most of the exposed surface of its eyes.The domestic cat has rather poorcolor visionand only two types ofcone cells, optimized for sensitivity to blue and yellowish green; its ability to distinguish between red and green is limited.A response to middle wavelengths from a system other than therod cellsmight be due to a third type of cone. This appears to be an adaptation to low light levels rather than representing truetrichromaticvision.Cats also have anictitating membrane, allowing them to blink without hindering their vision.
The domestic cat's hearing is most acute in the range of 500 Hz to 32 kHz.It can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies ranging from 55 Hz to 79 kHz, whereas humans can only detect frequencies between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. It can hear a range of 10.5octaves, while humans and dogs can hear ranges of about 9 octaves.Its hearing sensitivity is enhanced by its large movable outer ears, thepinnae, which amplify sounds and help detect the location of a noise. It can detectultrasound, which enables it to detect ultrasonic calls made byrodentprey.Recent research has shown that cats have socio-spatial cognitive abilities to create mental maps of owners' locations based on hearing owners' voices.
Cats have an acute sense of smell, due in part to their well-developedolfactory bulband a large surface ofolfactory mucosa, about 5.8 cm(0.90 in) in area, which is about twice that of humans.Cats and many other animals have aJacobson's organin their mouths that is used in the behavioral process offlehmening. It allows them to sense certain aromas in a way that humans cannot. Cats are sensitive topheromonessuch as3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol,which they use to communicate throughurine sprayingand marking withscent glands.Many cats also respond strongly to plants that containnepetalactone, especiallycatnip, as they can detect that substance at less than one part per billion.About 70–80% of cats are affected by nepetalactone.This response is also produced by other plants, such as silver vine (Actinidia polygama) and the herbvalerian; it may be caused by the smell of these plants mimicking a pheromone and stimulating cats' social or sexual behaviors.
Cats have relatively fewtaste budscompared to humans (470 or so, compared to more than 9,000 on the human tongue).Domestic and wild cats share ataste receptor gene mutationthat keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules, leaving them with no ability to tastesweetness.But they do have taste bud receptors specialized foracids,amino acidssuch as the constituents of protein, and bitter tastes.
Their taste buds possess the receptors needed to detectumami. However, these receptors contain molecular changes that make cats taste umami differently from humans. In humans, they detect the amino acidsglutamic acidandaspartic acid; but in cats, they instead detectinosine monophosphateandhistidine.These molecules are particularly enriched intuna.This, it has been argued, is why cats find tuna sopalatable: as put by researchers into cat taste, "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."One of the researchers in this research has stated, "I think umami is as important for cats as sweet is for humans."
Cats also have a distinct temperature preference for their food, preferring food at a temperature around 38 °C (100 °F) which is similar to that of a fresh kill; some cats reject cold food (which would signal to the cat that the "prey" item is long dead and therefore possibly toxic or decomposing).
To aid with navigation and sensation, cats have dozens of movablewhiskers (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 also trigger protectiveblink reflexesto protect the eyes from damage.
Outdoor cats are active both day and night, although they tend to be slightly more active at night.Domestic cats spend the majority of their time in the vicinity of their homes, but they can range many hundreds of meters from this central point. They establishterritoriesthat vary considerably in size, in one study ranging 7–28 ha (17–69 acres).The timing of cats' activity is quite flexible and varied; but being low-light predators, they are generallycrepuscular, 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.
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. While asleep, cats experience short periods ofrapid eye movement sleepoften accompanied by muscle twitches, which suggests they are dreaming.
A common misconception is that a cat's behavioral and personality traits correspond to its coat color. These traits instead depend on a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors.
The social behavior of the domestic cat ranges from widely dispersed individuals toferal cat coloniesthat gather around a food source, based on groups of co-operating females.Within such groups, one cat is usually dominant over the others.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 byurine spraying, rubbing objects at head height with secretions from facial glands, and bydefecation.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, andgrowling, and, if that does not work, by short and violent, noisy attacks. Although cats do not have a social survival strategy orherd behavior, they always hunt alone.
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.Ethologically, a cat's human keeper functions as a mother surrogate.Adult cats live their lives in a type of extended kittenhood, a form of behavioralneoteny. Their high-pitched sounds may mimic the cries of a hungry human infant, making them particularly difficult for humans to ignore.Some pet cats are poorly socialized. In particular, older cats show aggressiveness toward newly arrived kittens, which includes biting and scratching; this type of behavior is known as feline asocial aggression.
Redirected aggressionis a common form of aggression which can occur in multiple cat households. In redirected aggression, there is usually something that agitates the cat: this could be a sight, sound, or another source of stimuli which causes a heightened level of anxiety or arousal. If the cat cannot attack the stimuli, it may direct anger elsewhere by attacking or directing aggression to the nearest cat, pet, human or other being.
Domestic cats'scent rubbingbehavior toward humans or other cats is thought to be a feline means of social bonding.
Domestic cats use manyvocalizationsfor communication, includingpurring,trilling, hissing, growling/snarling, grunting, and several different forms of meowing.Theirbody 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'ssocial hierarchy, with dominant individuals raising their tails less often than subordinate ones.Feral cats are generally silent.Nose-to-nose touching is also a common greeting and may be followed bysocial grooming, which is solicited by one of the cats raising and tilting its head.
Purringmay have developed as an evolutionary advantage as a signaling mechanism of reassurance between mother cats andnursingkittens, who are thought to use it as a care-soliciting signal.Post-nursing cats also often purr as a sign of contentment: when being petted, becoming relaxed,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.Some cats have been observed to purr continuously when chronically ill or in apparent pain.
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 theglottisis opened and closed, which causes thevocal foldsto separate forcefully. Thelaryngeal musclesin control of the glottis are thought to be driven by aneural oscillatorwhich generates a cycle of contraction and release every 30–40milliseconds(giving a frequency of 33 to 25 Hz).
Domestic cats observed in rescue facilities have 276 morphologically distinctfacial expressionsbased on 26 facial movements; each facial expression corresponds to different social functions that are probably influenced by domestication.Facial expressions have helped researchers detect pain in cats. The felinegrimace scale's five criteria—ear position, orbital tightening, muzzle tension, whisker change, and head position—indicated the presence of acute pain in cats.
Cats are known for spending considerable amounts of time licking their coats to keep them clean.The cat's tongue has backward-facing spines about 0.5 millimeter long, calledlingual papillae, which containkeratinmaking them rigid.The papillae act like a hairbrush, and some cats, particularlylong-haired cats, occasionally regurgitate sausage-shaped 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) longhairballsof fur that have collected in their stomachs from grooming. Hairballs can be prevented with remedies that ease elimination of the hair through thegut, as well as regular grooming of the coat with a comb or stiff brush.
Among domestic cats, males are more likely to fight than females.Among feral cats, the most common reason forcat fightingis competition between two males to mate with a female. In such cases, most fights are won by the heavier male.Another common reason for fighting in domestic cats is the difficulty of establishing territories within a small home.Female cats also fight over territory or to defend their kittens. Neutering will decrease or eliminate this behavior in many cases, suggesting that the behavior is linked tosex hormones.
When cats become aggressive, they try to make themselves appear larger and more threatening by raising their fur, arching their backs, turning sideways, and hissing or spitting.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 and delivering slaps to the face and body with the forepaws, as well as bites. Cats also throw themselves to the ground in a defensive posture to rake their opponent's belly with their hind legs.
Serious damage is rare, as the fights are usually short in duration, with the loser running away with little more than a few scratches to the face and ears. Fights for mating rights are typically more severe, and injuries may include deep puncture wounds and lacerations. Normally, serious injuries from fighting are limited to infections from scratches and bites, although these can occasionally kill cats if untreated. In addition, bites are probably the main route of transmission of thefeline immunodeficiency virus.Sexually active males are usually involved in many fights during their lives and often have decidedly battered faces with obvious scars and cuts to their ears and nose.Cats are willing to threaten animals larger than them to defend their territory, such as dogs andfoxes.
The shape and structure of cats' cheeks is insufficient to allow them to take in liquids using suction. Therefore, when drinking, they lap with the tongue to draw liquid upward into their mouths. 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.
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 termedneophobia) and learn quickly toavoid foods that have tasted unpleasantin the past.It is also a common misconception that cats like milk/cream, as they tend to avoid sweet food and milk. Most adult cats arelactose intolerant; the sugar in milk is not easily digested and may cause soft stools ordiarrhea.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, can threaten their health, depending on the amount and toxicity of the items eaten.
Cats hunt small prey, primarily birds and rodents,and are often used as a form of pest control.Other common small creatures, such as lizards and snakes, may also become prey.Cats use two hunting strategies, either stalking prey actively, orwaiting in ambushuntil an animal comes close enough to be captured.The strategy used depends on the prey species in the area, with cats waiting in ambush outside burrows, but tending to actively stalk birds.Domestic cats are a majorpredator of wildlifein the United States, killing an estimated 1.3 to 4.0 billion birds and 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals annually.
Certain species appear more susceptible than others; in one English village, for example, 30% of house sparrow mortality was linked to the domestic cat.In the recovery of ringed robins (Erithacus rubecula) and dunnocks (Prunella modularis) in Britain, 31% of deaths were a result of cat predation.In parts of North America, the presence of larger carnivores such ascoyotes, which prey on cats and other small predators, reduces the effect of predation by cats and other small predators such asopossumsandraccoonson bird numbers and variety.
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 thedominance hierarchy, in which humans are reacted to as if they are at or near the top.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".This hypothesis is inconsistent with the fact that male cats also bring home prey, despite males having negligible involvement in raising kittens.
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.Cats also engage inplay 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.
Cats also tend to play with toys more when they are hungry.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 becomehabituatedto a toy they have played with before.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 theintestines, a medical emergency which can cause serious illness, even death.
The cat secretes and perceivespheromones.Female cats, calledqueens, arepolyestrouswith severalestruscycles during a year, lasting usually 21 days. They are usually ready to mate between early February and Augustin northern temperate zones and throughout the year in equatorial regions.
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'spenishas a band of about 120–150 backward-pointingpenile spines, which are about 1 mm (0.04 in) long; upon withdrawal of the penis, the spines may provide the female with increased sexual stimulation, which acts toinduce ovulation.
After mating, the female cleans hervulvathoroughly. 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.Because ovulation is not always triggered by a single mating, females may not be impregnated by the first male with which they mate.Furthermore, cats aresuperfecund; 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.
Themorulaforms 124 hours after conception. At 148 hours, earlyblastocystsform. At 10–12 days, implantation occurs.Thegestationof queens lasts between 64 and 67 days, with an average of 65 days.
Based on a study of 2,300 free-ranging queens conducted from May 1998 and October2000, they had one to six kittens perlitter, 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.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.Kittens reachpubertyat the age of 9–10 months.
Cats are ready to go to new homes at about 12 weeks of age, when they are ready to leave their mother.They can be surgicallysterilized(spayed orcastrated) as early as seven weeks to limit unwanted reproduction.This surgery also prevents undesirable sex-related behavior, such as aggression,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 beforepuberty, at about three to six months.In the United States, about 80% of household cats are neutered.
The average lifespan of pet cats has risen in recent decades. In the early 1980s, it was about seven years,rising to 9.4 years in 1995and an average of about 13 years as of 2014 and 2023.
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.Having a catneuteredconfers some health benefits, such as a greater life expectancy and a decreased incidence of reproductiveneoplasia.However, neutering decreases metabolismand increases food intake,both of which can cause obesity in neutered cats.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, retardedphyseal closure, and urinary tract disease related.
About 250 heritablegenetic disordershave been identified in cats; many are similar to humaninborn errors of metabolism.The high level of similarity among themetabolismof mammals allows many of these feline diseases to be diagnosed usinggenetic teststhat were originally developed for use in humans, as well as the use of cats asanimal modelsin the study of the human diseases.Diseases affecting domestic cats include acute infections,parasitic infestations, injuries, and chronic diseases such askidney disease,thyroid disease, andarthritis.Vaccinationsare available for many infectious diseases, as are treatments to eliminate parasites such as worms, ticks, and fleas.
The domestic cat is acosmopolitan speciesand occurs across much of the world.It is adaptable and now present on all continents exceptAntarctica, and on 118 of the 131 main groups of islands, even on the remoteKerguelen Islands.Due to its ability to thrive in almost any terrestrial habitat, it is among the world's mostinvasive species.It lives on small islands with no human inhabitants.Feral cats can live in forests, grasslands, tundra, coastal areas, agricultural land, scrublands, urban areas, and wetlands.
The unwantedness that leads to the domestic cat beingtreated as an invasive speciesis twofold. As it is little altered from the wildcat, it can readily interbreed with the wildcat. Thishybridizationposes a danger to the genetic distinctiveness of some wildcat populations, particularly inScotlandandHungary, possibly also theIberian Peninsula, and where protected natural areas are close to human-dominated landscapes, such asKruger National ParkinSouth Africa.However, its introduction to places where no native felines are present also contributes to the decline of native species.
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.The numbers of feral cats are not known, but estimates of the United States feral population range from 25 to 60 million.Feral cats may live alone, but most are found in largecolonies, which occupy a specific territory and are usually associated with a source of food.Famous feral cat colonies are found in Rome around theColosseumandForum Romanum, with cats at some of these sites being fed and given medical attention by volunteers.
Public attitudes toward feral cats vary widely, from seeing them as free-ranging pets to regarding them asvermin.
On islands, birds can contribute as much as 60% of a cat's diet.In nearly all cases, the cat cannot be identified as the sole cause for reducing the numbers of island birds, and in some instances, eradication of cats has caused a "mesopredator release" effect;where the suppression of top carnivores creates an abundance of smaller predators that cause a severe decline in their shared prey. Domestic cats are a contributing factor to the decline of several species, a factor that has ultimately led, in some cases, to extinction.The South Island piopio,Chatham rail,and theNew Zealand merganserare a few from a long list, with the most extreme case being the flightlessLyall's wren, which was driven to extinction only a few years after its discovery.One feral cat in New Zealand killed 102New Zealand lesser short-tailed batsin seven days.In the United States, feral and free-ranging domestic cats kill an estimated 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually.
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.Cats have contributed to the extinction of theNavassa curly-tailed lizardandChioninia coctei.
Cats are commonpetsthroughout the world, and their worldwide population as of 2007 exceeded 500 million.As of 2024,the domestic cat was the second most popular pet in theUnited States, with 73.8 million cats owned and around 42.2 million households owning at least one cat.In theUnited Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat, with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020.As of 2021,there were an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world.
Cats have been used for millennia to control rodents, notablyaround grain storesandaboard ships, and both uses extend to the present day.Cats are also used in the internationalfur tradeand leather industries for making coats, hats, blankets, stuffed toys,shoes, gloves, and musical instruments.About 24 cats are needed to make a cat-fur coat.This use has been outlawed in the United States since 2000 and in the European Union (as well as the United Kingdom) since 2007.
Cat pelts have been used for superstitious purposes as part of the practice ofwitchcraft,and they are still made into blankets inSwitzerlandastraditional medicinesthought to curerheumatism.
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 theCanadian Federation of Humane Societies) and over the Internet.General estimates for the global population of domestic cats range widely from anywhere between 200 million to 600 million.Walter Chandohamade his career photographing cats after his 1949 images ofLoco, 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.
Pet humanizationis a form ofanthropomorphismin which cats are kept for companionship and treated more like human family members than traditional pets.This trend ofpet cultureinvolves providing cats with a higher level of care, attention and often even luxury, similar to the way humans are treated.
Acat showis 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.It is often required that a cat must be healthy and vaccinated to participate in a cat show.Bothpedigreedand non-purebredcompanion ("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.
Cats can beinfectedor infested withviruses,bacteria,fungus,protozoans,arthropodsor worms that can transmit diseases to humans.In some cases, the cat exhibits nosymptomsof the disease.The same disease can then become evident in a human.The likelihood that a person will become diseased depends on the age andimmune statusof the person. Humans who have cats living in their home or in close association are more likely to become infected. Others might also acquire infections from catfecesandparasitesexiting the cat's body.Some of the infections of most concern includesalmonella,cat-scratch disease, andtoxoplasmosis.
Inancient Egypt, cats wererevered, and the goddessBastetoften depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the war-like aspect of a lioness. The Greek historianHerodotusreported 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 ofBubastis, 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.
Ancient Greeks and Romans keptweaselsas pets, which were seen as the ideal rodent-killers. The earliest unmistakable evidence of the Greeks having domestic cats comes from two coins fromMagna Graeciadating to the mid-fifth century BC showing Iokastos and Phalanthos, the legendary founders ofRhegionandTarasrespectively, playing with their pet cats. The usual ancient Greek word for 'cat' wasailouros, meaning 'thing with the waving tail'. Cats are rarely mentioned inancient Greek literature.Aristotleremarked in hisHistory of Animalsthat "female cats are naturallylecherous". The Greeks latersyncretizedtheir own goddessArtemiswith the Egyptian goddess Bastet, adopting Bastet's associations with cats and ascribing them to Artemis. InOvid'sMetamorphoses, when the deities flee to Egypt and take animal forms, the goddessDianaturns into a cat.
Cats eventually displacedweaselsas the pest control of choice because they were more pleasant to have around the house and were more enthusiastic hunters of mice. During theMiddle Ages, many of Artemis's associations with cats were grafted onto theVirgin Mary. Cats are often shown in icons ofAnnunciationand of theHoly Familyand, according toItalian folklore, on the same night that Mary gave birth toJesus, a cat inBethlehemgave birth to a kitten.Domestic cats were spread throughout much of the rest of the world during theAge of Discovery, asships' catswere carried onsailing shipsto control shipboard rodents and as good-luck charms.
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, themaneki nekocat is a symbol of good fortune.InNorse mythology,Freyja, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, is depicted as riding a chariot drawn by cats.InJewish legend, the first cat was living in the house of the first manAdamas a pet that got rid ofmice. 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 norfoxesare represented in the water, while every other animal has an incarnation species in the water.Although no species are sacred in Islam,cats are revered by Muslims. Some Western writers have statedMuhammadhad a favorite cat,Muezza.He is reported to have loved cats so much, "he would do without his cloak rather than disturb one that was sleeping on it".The story has no origin in early Muslim writers, and seems to confuse a story of a laterSufisaint,Ahmed ar-Rifa'i, centuries after Muhammad.One of the companions of Muhammad was known asAbu Hurayrah("father of the kitten"), in reference to his documented affection to cats.
Many cultures have negativesuperstitionsabout cats. An example would be the belief that encountering ablack cat("crossing one's path")leads to bad luck, or that cats are witches'familiar spiritsused to augment a witch's powers and skills. The killing of cats in medievalYpres,Belgium, is commemorated in the innocuous present-dayKattenstoet(cat parade).In mid-16th century France,cats would allegedly be burnt aliveas a form of entertainment, particularly during midsummer festivals. According toNorman Davies, the assembled people "shrieked with laughter as the animals, howling with pain, were singed, roasted, and finallycarbonized".The remaining ashes were sometimes taken back home by the people for good luck.
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,while in Arabic traditions, the number of lives is six.An early mention of the myth can be found inJohn Heywood'sThe Proverbs of John Heywood(1546):
The myth is attributed to the natural suppleness and swiftness cats exhibit to escape life-threatening situations.Also lending credence to this myth is the fact that falling cats often land on their feet, using an instinctiverighting reflexto twist their bodies around. Nonetheless, cats can still be injured or killed by a high fall.