Nearly all domestic cats are not a breed of cat but a species of cat. The purebred cats, those cats which are selectively bred by cat breeders, are various breeds of cat of which there are about 104 maximum. Some … Continue reading →
There is a major difference between ‘breed’ and ‘species’. The domestic cat is a species of cat and in the family of cats is called Felidae. There are about 36 species of cat, all of which are wild except for … Continue reading →
Although there is one species of domestic cat there are between about 44 and 104 breeds of cat depending on your point of view, and hundreds of different kinds of cat coat colour and pattern. In addition, you will see, … Continue reading →
The difference between a wild cat and a feral cat is found in their origin and their history both individually and collectively. Taxonomically they are classified differently by the scientists based on their DNA. Feral cats are classified under domestic … Continue reading →
The answer is no and I’ll explain why. The classification of the species is decided by experts and it is still not fully settled. Early on, up to 200 years ago, scientists got the classifications wrong or a least it … Continue reading →
Yes, the domestic cat is a species. Although I think it is a slightly tricky question because the domestic cat could be a subspecies. This is the science of TAXONOMY which is fairly settled nowadays but scientists are still making … Continue reading →
There is some confusion on the internet as to whether the scientific name for the domestic cat is felis catus or felis silvestris catus. The confusion comes from how scientists have decided to classify the domestic cat within the range … Continue reading →
Which big cat is not in the genus Panthera? The answer depends on how you define ‘big cat’. Historically the big cats are the cats within the genus Panthera. That’s the whole point. These big cats are the classic foursome, … Continue reading →
The cheetah is alone in the genus Acinonyx. A ‘genus’ is a rank in the classification of the species (taxonomy). It is a sort of group of cats with the same fundamental features and in this case it is a … Continue reading →
What does felis catus mean? I’ll try and break this Latin phrase down to its components and provide translations on the way. An alternative to felis catus is felis silvestris catus (the trinomial name). They are both Latin versions of … Continue reading →
