Earth's Hidden Felines: Deadliest Hunters Ever Found. #adoptdontshop #adoptacat #adopt

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The cat (Felis catus), commonly known as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the Felidae family. Research in archaeology and genetics indicates that cats were domesticated in the Near East around 7500 BC. Cats are typically kept as pets or farm cats, but many live as feral cats, avoiding human interaction. Humans value cats for companionship and their skill in controlling vermin. Their retractable claws are adapted for hunting small prey such as mice and rats. Cats have strong, flexible bodies, quick reflexes, and sharp teeth. They also possess well-developed night vision and a keen sense of smell. While they are social animals, they primarily hunt alone and are considered crepuscular predators.

Cat intelligence is demonstrated by their ability to adapt, learn through observation, and solve problems. Research has shown that they have strong memories, exhibit neuroplasticity, and display cognitive skills comparable to those of a young child. Cats communicate using a variety of sounds, including meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting, as well as through body language. They can hear sounds that are too faint or too high in frequency for humans, such as those made by small mammals. Cats also secrete and perceive pheromones.

Female domestic cats can have kittens from spring to late autumn in temperate zones and throughout the year in equatorial regions, with litter sizes typically ranging from two to five kittens. Domestic cats are bred and shown at cat fancy events as registered pedigree cats. Population control methods include spaying and neutering, but pet abandonment has led to a surge in the global feral cat population, contributing to the extinction of various bird, mammal, and reptile species.

Domestic cats are found worldwide, although their pet popularity varies by region. Of the estimated 600 million cats globally, approximately 400 million are in Asia, including 58 million pet cats in China. The United States, despite having a smaller human population, leads in cat ownership with about 73.8 million cats. Around 10.9 million domestic cats are kept as pets in the United Kingdom.

Etymology and Naming
The English word "cat" comes from the Old English "catt," which is believed to be derived from the Late Latin word "cattus," first used in the 6th century. This Late Latin term may have origins in an unidentified African language; for instance, the Nubian word "kaddîska" (wildcat) and the Nobiin word "kadīs" are potential sources or cognates.

These forms may also be traced back to an ancient Germanic word that entered Latin and subsequently influenced Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. The term could originate from Germanic and Northern European languages, potentially borrowed from Uralic languages, as seen in the Northern Sámi word "gáđfi" (female stoat) and the Hungarian word "hölgy" (lady, female stoat), deriving from Proto-Uralic "*käďwä" (female of a furred animal).

The term "puss," which includes variations like "pussy" and "pussycat," has been in use since the 16th century and may originate from the Dutch word "poes" or the Low German "punkette," which relates to the Swedish "kattepus" and Norwegian "pus" or "pusekatt." Similar forms also appear in Lithuanian ("puižė") and Irish ("puisín" or "puiscín"). Although its etymology is uncertain, it may be an onomatopoeia imitating a sound made to attract a cat.

If neutered, a male cat is referred to as a "tom" or "tomcat" (or "gib"). A female cat is called a "queen," which may refer only to unspayed cats during their estrous cycle (or sometimes a "molly" if spayed). A young cat is called a "kitten," a term interchangeable with the now-obsolete word "catling" from Early Modern English. A group of cats can be referred to as a "clowder," a "glaring," or a "colony."

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