Population control of cats may be achieved by spaying and neutering, but their proliferation and the abandonment of pets has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, contributing to the extinction of entire bird, mammal, and reptile species. Domestic cats are bred and shown at events as registered pedigreed cats, a hobby known as cat fancy. įemale domestic cats can have kittens from spring to late autumn, with litter sizes often ranging from two to five kittens. It also secretes and perceives pheromones.

It can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small mammals. Although the cat is a social species, it is a solitary hunter. Cat communication includes vocalizations like meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting as well as cat-specific body language.

Its night vision and sense of smell are well developed. The cat is similar in anatomy to the other felid species: it has a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth, and retractable claws adapted to killing small prey.

About 60 cat breeds are recognized by various cat registries. Domestic cats are valued by humans for companionship and their ability to kill rodents. Cats are commonly kept as house pets but can also be farm cats or feral cats the feral cat ranges freely and avoids human contact. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of the family. The cat ( Felis catus) is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal.

Dj scratching sound effects free