Wild cats

Common name for all members of a meat-eating (see Carnivore) family of mammals, superbly adapted for their typically predatory life.

All members of the family Felidae, including the domestic cat and at least 34 other species of cats, are closely similar in physical characteristics with lithe and agile soft-furred bodies, acute vision and hearing, and claws and teeth that are highly adapted for grasping and tearing. Cats are regarded by many biologists as the most highly developed carnivores.

Cats inhabit all continents except Antarctica and Australia. The tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard are the so-called big cats. The cat family also includes the clouded leopard and the cheetah. Twelve cats occur in the western hemisphere: Geoffrey’s cat, jaguar, jaguarundi, Kodkod, little spotted cat, lynx and the bobcat, margay, mountain cat, ocelot, pampas cat, and the puma (also known as the cougar or mountain lion).

As a family, cats have characteristically short faces and small, broad skulls. The ears, which range in shape from round to pointed, are erect and turn readily to pick up sound or signal intention. Their strong jaws do almost no grinding: Food is cut and chopped with a tooth formation of three pairs of incisors, one pair of canines, two or three pairs of premolars, and one pair of molars in the upper and lower jaws. The molar is modified to a formidable shearing tooth, or carnassial. The tongue is covered with sharp, backward-slanted projections, or papillae, which help clean the flesh from the bones of animal prey. The paws are well padded; the forefeet have five toes and the hindfeet have four. All cats are digitigrade—they walk on their toes with the back part of the foot raised. The claws are long, sharp, and, with the exception of the cheetah, completely retractile—they can be drawn in so the paw can be used without scratching or ripping. Cats have certain characteristic traits, such as sharpening the claws and washing the face with the front paws.

Most cats hunt in dim light, but they may also hunt in the dark and in the daylight. They either stalk their prey or lie in wait and spring upon their unsuspecting quarry. Cats generally hunt alone or in family parties, relying mostly on their sight and hearing. Their sense of smell is also keen. In the light, the pupils of the eyes contract to vertical slits; in the dark the pupils become rounded and greatly expand to enable cats to see better.

The male cat is usually longer and heavier than the female, but otherwise has about the same coloring and build. Most cats are monogamous. Offspring usually number one to six. See individual articles on most of the cats named. See also Cat, Domestic.

Scientific classification: Cats make up the family Felidae, of the order Carnivora. The tiger is classified as Panthera (formerly Leo) tigris, the lion as Panthera leo, the jaguar as Panthera onca, and the leopard as Panthera pardus. The clouded leopard is classified as Neofelis nebulosa, and the cheetah as Acinonyx jubatus. The Canada lynx is classified as Lynx canadensis (formerly Felis lynx), and the bobcat as Lynx rufus. Geoffrey’s cat is classified as Felis geoffroy, the jaguarundi as Felis yagouaroundi, and the Kodkod as Felis guigna. The little spotted cat is classified as Felis tigrina, the margay as Felis wiedii, and the mountain cat as Felis jacobita. The ocelot is classified as Felis pardalis, the pampas cat as Felis colocolo, and the puma as Felis concolor. The domestic cat is classified as Felis catus.