Cat

The cat (Felis catus) is a small . It is the only in the family and often referred to as the domestic cat to distinguish it from wild members of the family. or a ; latter ranges freely and avoids human contact.[5]
Domestic cats are valued by humans for companionship and for their ability to hunt . About 60 are recognized by various . to the other felid species, has a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth and retractable claws adapted to killing small prey. Its and sense of smell are well developed. includes like meowing, purring, , hissing, growling and grunting as well as . It is a solitary hunter, but a . It can hear sounds too faint or too high in for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small mammals. It is a that is most active at dawn and dusk.. Domestic cats are bred and shown as registered , a hobby known as . Failure to control breeding of cats by and , as well as abandonment of pets, resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, contributing to the extinction of entire bird species, and evoking . were venerated since around 3100 BC.
However, the earliest indication for the of an (F. lybica) was found in , where a cat skeleton was excavated close by a human grave dating to around 7500 BC..,

The origin of the English word 'cat', catt, is thought to be the word cattus, which was first used at the beginning of the 6th century. precursor of
The Late Latin word is also thought to be derived from . word kaddîska "wildcat" and kadīs are possible sources or cognates. قَطّ‎ qaṭṭ ~ قِطّ qiṭṭ. It is "equally likely that the forms might derive from an ancient Germanic word, imported into Latin and thence to Greek and to Syriac and Arabic"., cf. gáđfi, "female ", and hölgy, "stoat"; from *käďwä, "female (of a furred animal)"., extended as pussy and pussycat, is attested from the 16th century and may have been introduced from poes or from puuskatte, related to kattepus, or pus, pusekatt. Similar forms exist in Lithuanian puižė and puisín or puiscín. The etymology of this word is unknown, but it may have simply used to attract a cat.

A male cat is called a tom or tomcat if neutered) An female is called a queen,. In , the word kitten was interchangeable with the now-obsolete word catling.

The Felis catus was proposed by in 1758 for a domestic cat.Felis catus domesticus was proposed by in 1777. in 1904 was a black cat from the , later identified as a domestic cat.

In 2003, the ruled that the domestic cat is a distinct species, namely Felis catus.
In 2007, it was considered a of the , F. silvestris catus, following results of research. In 2017, the IUCN Cat Classification Taskforce followed the recommendation of the ICZN in regarding the domestic cat as a distinct species, Felis catus.[38]

The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae, a that had a about 10–15 million years ago.[39]
The Felis from the Felidae around 6–7 million years ago.[40]
Results of research confirm that the wild Felis species evolved through or , whereas the domestic cat evolved through . organisms that possess 38
The (Prionailurus bengalensis) was independently in China around 5500 BC. This line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today.[44]

Domestication

The earliest known indication for a tamed African wildcat was close by a human grave in , southern Cyprus, dating to about 9,200 to 9,500 years before present. As there is no evidence of native mammalian on Cyprus, the inhabitants of this Neolithic village most likely brought the cat and other wild mammals to the island from the mainland. by rodents, in particular the (Mus musculus), and were tamed by Neolithic farmers. This relationship between early farmers and tamed cats lasted thousands of years. As spread, so did tame and domesticated cats. Wildcats of Egypt contributed to the maternal of the domestic cat at a later time.[45]
The earliest known evidence for the occurrence of the domestic cat in dates to around 1200 BC. Greek, , and traders introduced domestic cats to southern Europe.[46]
During the they were introduced to and before the beginning of the 1st millennium.[47]
By the 5th century BC, they were familiar animals around settlements in and .[48]
By the end of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Egyptian domestic cat lineage had arrived in a port in northern . them for domestication as pets. These traits include their small size, social nature, obvious body language, love of play and relatively high intelligence. Captive cats may also display affectionate behavior toward humans, but were not domesticated. producing hybrids such as the in . between domestic and other Felinae species is also possible. started in the mid 19th century.[53]
An analysis of the domestic cat revealed that the ancestral wildcat genome was significantly altered in the process of domestication as specific were selected to develop cat breeds. of these breeds varies between regions, and is lowest in purebred populations, which show more than 20 deleterious .[55]

The domestic cat has a smaller skull and shorter bones than the .[56]
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.[57]
Adult domestic cats typically weigh between 4 and 5 kg (8.8 and 11.0 lb).[41]

Skeleton

Cats have seven (as do most ); 13 (humans have 12); seven (humans have five); three (as do most mammals, but humans have five); and a variable number of in the tail (humans have only vestigial caudal vertebrae, fused into an internal ).. bones which allow them to pass their body through any space into which they can fit their head.[59]

Skull

The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very large and a powerful specialized jaw., inserting them between two of the prey's vertebrae and severing its , causing irreversible and death. The and first together compose the pair 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' small cannot chew food effectively, and cats are largely incapable of mastication.

Ambulation

The cat is . It walks on the toes, with the bones of the feet making up the lower part of the visible leg. and 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 walking to trotting, its gait changes to a "diagonal" gait: the diagonally opposite hind and fore legs move simultaneously.[64]

Claws

Cats have protractable and retractable claws. Cats can voluntarily extend their claws on one or more paws. They may extend their claws in hunting or self-defense, climbing, , or for extra traction on soft surfaces. Cats shed the outside layer of their claw sheaths when scratching rough surfaces. is to the other claws. More proximally is a protrusion which appears to be a sixth "finger". This special feature of the front paws, on the inside of the wrists has no function in normal walking, but is thought to be an antiskidding device used while jumping. Some cat breeds are prone to having extra digits ().

Cats have excellent and can see at only one-sixth the light level required for human vision., which reflects any light that passes through the back into the eye, thereby increasing the eye's sensitivity to dim light., which allow it to focus bright light without . However, the domestic cat has rather poor and only two types of , optimized for sensitivity to blue and yellowish green; its ability to distinguish between red and green is limited. might be due to a third type of cone. However, this appears to be an adaptation to low light levels rather than representing true vision.[74]

Hearing

The domestic cat's hearing is most acute in the range of 500 Hz to 32 kHz., while humans and dogs can hear ranges of about 9 octaves.
Its hearing sensitivity is enhanced by its large movable outer ears, the , which amplify sounds and help detect the location of a noise. It can detect , which enables it to detect ultrasonic calls made by prey.

Smell

Cats have an acute sense of smell, due in part to their well-developed and a large surface of , about 5.8 cm2 (0.90 in2) in area, which is about twice that of humans. in their mouths that is used in the behavioral process of . It allows them to sense certain aromas in a way that humans cannot. Cats are sensitive to such as , and marking with ., especially , as they can detect that substance at less than one part per billion. This response is also produced by other plants, such as silver vine () and the herb ; it may be caused by the smell of these plants mimicking a pheromone and stimulating cats' social or sexual behaviors.[85]

Taste

Cats have relatively few compared to humans (470 or so versus more than 9,000 on the human tongue). that keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules, leaving them with no ability to taste ., like protein, and bitter tastes.

Whiskers