Cat

Cats are small carnivorous mammals. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is often referred to as the domestic cat to distinguish it from the wild members of the family. A cat can either be a house cat, a farm cat or a feral cat. Domestic cats are valued by humans for companionship and their ability to hunt mice. About 60 cat breeds are recognized by various cat registries.

Cats were first domesticated in the Near East around 7500 BC. It was long thought that cat domestication was initiated in ancient Egypt, as since around 3100 BC respect was given to cats in ancient Egypt. As of 2021 there are an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world.