Cat

Felis catus · The cat is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal that now lives across the globe, kept as a pet or roaming free as a feral cat.

Also called Domestic cat, House cat, Kitty cat.

Cat
Photo: Drajay1976, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cat
Photo: Von.grzanka, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cat
Photo: © Laitche / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderCarnivora
FamilyFelidae
GenusFelis
SpeciesFelis catus

Where it lives

Worldwide with people (domesticated); feral on many islands.

Fun facts

  • Cats can see in light about one sixth as bright as humans need, thanks to a mirror-like layer in the eye that bounces light back through the retina.
  • Cats cannot taste sweetness, because a gene mutation keeps their sweet taste buds from binding to sugary molecules.
  • Cats usually sleep between 12 and 16 hours a day, and some can snooze for as much as 20 hours.
  • Floating collarbones let a cat squeeze its body through any space big enough for its head.

Play it

The Cat was the creature in a regional daily on October 25, 2026. Can you identify tomorrow's from its photos? Every day brings a new creature to place from kingdom to genus, map and name.

Play today's creature or replay a past daily

Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).