Since there is no evidence of native mammalian fauna on Cyprus, the inhabitants of this Neolithic village most likely brought the cat and other wild mammals to the island from the Middle Eastern mainland.

However, the earliest known indication for the taming of an African wildcat was excavated close by a human Neolithic grave in Shillourokambos, southern Cyprus, dating to about 7500–7200 BC. It was long thought that the domestication of the cat began in ancient Egypt, where cats were venerated from around 3100 BC, See also: Domestication of the cat and Cats in ancient Egypt A cat eating a fish under a chair, a mural in an Egyptian tomb dating to the 15th century BC In 2017, the IUCN Cat Classification Taskforce followed the recommendation of the ICZN in regarding the domestic cat as a distinct species, Felis catus. lybica), following results of phylogenetic research. silvestris catus sampled worldwide was considered to have likely descended from the Near Eastern wildcat ( F. In 2007, the modern domesticated subspecies F. In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ruled that the domestic cat is a distinct species, namely Felis catus. Felis daemon proposed by Konstantin Satunin in 1904 was a black cat from the Transcaucasus, later identified as a domestic cat. Felis catus domesticus was proposed by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. The scientific name Felis catus was proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 for a domestic cat. A group of cats can be referred to as a clowder or a glaring. In Early Modern English, the word kitten was interchangeable with the now-obsolete word catling. A juvenile cat is referred to as a kitten. A female is called a queen (or sometimes a molly, if spayed). Ī male cat is called a tom or tomcat (or a gib, if neutered). The etymology of this word is unknown, but it may have arisen from a sound used to attract a cat. Similar forms exist in Lithuanian puižė and Irish puisín or puiscín. The English puss, extended as pussy and pussycat, is attested from the 16th century and may have been introduced from Dutch poes or from Low German puuskatte, related to Swedish kattepus, or Norwegian pus, pusekatt. Northern Sámi gáđfi, 'female stoat', and Hungarian hölgy, 'lady, female stoat' from Proto-Uralic * käďwä, 'female (of a furred animal)'. The word may be derived from Germanic and Northern European languages, and ultimately be borrowed from Uralic, cf. The forms might also have derived from an ancient Germanic word that was absorbed into Latin and then into Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. The Nubian word kaddîska 'wildcat' and Nobiin kadīs are possible sources or cognates. The Late Latin word may be derived from an unidentified African language. The origin of the English word cat, Old English catt, is thought to be the Late Latin word cattus, which was first used at the beginning of the 6th century. As of 2021, there were an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world. In the United Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat, with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020. Animal population control of cats may be achieved by spaying and neutering, but their proliferation and the abandonment of pets has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, contributing to the extinction of bird, mammal and reptile species.Īs of 2017, the domestic cat was the second most popular pet in the United States, with 95.6 million cats owned and around 42 million households owning at least one cat. Domestic cats are bred and shown at events as registered pedigreed cats, a hobby known as cat fancy. It also secretes and perceives pheromones.įemale domestic cats can have kittens from spring to late autumn in temperate zones and throughout the year in equatorial regions, with litter sizes often ranging from two to five kittens. It can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by small mammals. Cat communication includes vocalizations like meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting as well as cat body language. It is a social species, but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator. It has a strong, flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth, and its night vision and sense of smell are well developed. Its retractable claws are adapted to killing small prey like mice and rats. It is valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin. It is commonly kept as a house pet and farm cat, but also ranges freely as a feral cat avoiding human contact. Recent advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the domestication of the cat occurred in the Near East around 7500 BC.

It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. The cat ( Felis catus), commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal.

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