Living Beings
    Source-identified Felis catus; documentary image Framed for display
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    Felis catus-cat on snow.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Von.grzanka · CC BY-SA 3.0

    Field guide · species

    Domestic Cat

    Felis catus

    AnimaliaMammaliaCarnivoraFelidae

    The domestic cat is a domesticated member of Felis, with populations living as companions, free-ranging animals and feral hunters. These settings produce very different ecological effects even though the animals belong to the same species.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomAnimalia
    4. PhylumChordata
    5. ClassMammalia
    6. OrderCarnivora
    7. FamilyFelidae
    8. GenusFelis
    9. SpeciesFelis catus
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Metazoa kingdom
    5. Eumetazoa clade
    6. Bilateria clade
    7. Deuterostomia clade
    8. Chordata phylum
    9. Craniata subphylum
    10. Vertebrata clade
    11. Gnathostomata clade
    12. Teleostomi clade
    13. Euteleostomi clade
    14. Sarcopterygii superclass
    15. Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
    16. Tetrapoda clade
    17. Amniota clade
    18. Mammalia class
    19. Theria clade
    20. Eutheria clade
    21. Boreoeutheria clade
    22. Laurasiatheria superorder
    23. Carnivora order
    24. Feliformia suborder
    25. Felidae family
    26. Felinae subfamily
    27. Felis genus
    28. Felis catus species
    Open in taxonomy explorer ↗

    Physical traits

    Body size, coat pattern and hair length vary extensively through domestication.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Habitat and range

    Most populations are associated with present or former human settlement, although feral animals can enter natural habitats.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Diet and nutrition

    Cats are obligate carnivores. Free-ranging individuals may hunt small mammals, birds and other animals even when people also provide food.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Behavior and activity

    Scent marking, body posture and vocal communication help organize interactions. Social behavior depends strongly on resources and individual history.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Geographic distribution

    Domestic cats have been dispersed widely by people. MDD records this taxon in its domesticated category rather than providing a list of native countries.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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