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Felidae (/ˈfɛlɪdiː/) is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid (/ˈfiːlɪd/).

The 41 extant Felidae species exhibit the greatest diversity in fur patterns of all terrestrial carnivores. Cats have retractile claws, slender muscular bodies and strong flexible forelimbs. Their teeth and facial muscles allow for a powerful bite. They are all obligate carnivores, and most are solitary predators ambushing or stalking their prey. Wild cats occur in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Some wild cat species are adapted to forest and savanna habitats, some to arid environments, and a few also to wetlands and mountainous terrain. Their activity patterns range from nocturnal and crepuscular to diurnal, depending on their preferred prey species. (Full article...)

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Male cheetah, in South Africa

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat and the fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, with a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks. It reaches 67–94 cm (26–37 in) at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m (3 ft 7 in and 4 ft 11 in). Adults weigh between 21 and 72 kg (46 and 159 lb). The cheetah is capable of running at 93 to 104 km/h (58 to 65 mph); it has evolved specialized adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail.

The cheetah was first described in the late 18th century. Four subspecies are recognised today that are native to Africa and central Iran. An African subspecies was introduced to India in 2022. It is now distributed mainly in small, fragmented populations in northwestern, eastern and southern Africa and central Iran. It lives in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara, and hilly desert terrain. (Full article...)

List articles

List of felids – the family Felidae consists of 41 extant species belonging to 14 genera and divided into 92 subspecies.
List of domestic cat breeds – includes only domestic cat breeds and domestic × wild hybrids
List of individual cats – includes cats that have achieved some degree of popularity either in their own right.
List of fictional felines – includes a limited selection of notable felines from various works, organized by medium.

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WikiProject Cats

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Chausie with nearly perfect head conformation

The Chausie (/ˈtʃaʊsi/) is a domestic breed of cat that was developed by breeding a few individuals from the non-domestic species jungle cat (Felis chaus) to a far greater number of domestic cats (Felis catus). The Chausie was first recognized as a domestic breed by The International Cat Association (TICA) in 1995. Within the domestic breeds, the Chausie is categorized as a non-domestic hybrid source breed. Because Chausies are mostly descended from domestic cats, by about the fourth generation they are fully fertile and completely domestic in temperament. (Full article...)

Did you know... - show different entries

...that the practice of taking cats aboard ships (pictured) dates back to the Ancient Egyptians?
...that Oscar the Cat was featured in the New England Journal of Medicine for his purported ability to predict the impending death of the terminally ill?
...that Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia gave away his cat to one of the soldiers tasked with his execution?
...that the Witches of Belvoir supposedly believed a cat named Rutterkin helped them cast spells?
...that cats learn by trial and error, observation and imitation? Cats' learning abilities are aided by their good memory. Research has found cats to have memory about two hundred times better than dogs. Cats are even thought to have even better memory than monkeys and chimps.
...that, despite the name, Mrs Chippy, the ship's cat on Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition was actually male?