Feline

Feline (family Felidae), any of 37 cat species that among others include the cheetah, puma, jaguar, leopard, lion, lynx, tiger, and domestic cat. Cats are native to almost every region on Earth, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. They are carnivorous mammals that live in a wide variety of habitats, but they are typically woodland animals.

Most cats are patterned with spots, stripes, or rosettes, but some, such as the puma (Puma concolor), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi), and lion (Panthera leo), are uniform in colour. Black or nearly black coats occur in individuals of several species. Although lynx (genus Lynx) have a stubby tail, most cats have a long tail that makes up about a third of the animal’s total length. The head is characterized by a short nose and round face, usually with short ears. The only cat with a well-developed mane is the male African lion. Cat feet have sharp claws that are retractile except in the cheetah. In most felids the male is larger than the female.

Cats are noted for purring when content and for snarling, howling, or spitting when in conflict with another of their kind. The so-called “big cats” (genus Panthera), especially the lion, often roar, growl, or shriek. Usually, however, cats are silent. Many cats use “clawing trees,” upon which they leave the marks of their claws as they stand and drag their front feet downward with the claws extended. Whether such behaviour is for the purpose of cleaning or sharpening the claws or simply to stretch is debatable, but the behaviour is innate; kittens raised in isolation soon begin to claw objects.

The larger cats are strong, fierce, and extremely dangerous when hungry. Because of their large size, they occasionally attack humans. Although tigers and leopards are most noted as man-eaters, lions and jaguars can also be dangerous. In North America the puma, also known as the cougar or mountain lion, tends to avoid contact with humans, but a few attacks occur annually, especially in areas where development encroaches on areas of high puma density, such as the western United States. Similarly, attacks on livestock often necessitate removal of problem animals.

The fur of some cats is sometimes in great demand, especially fur with contrasting colours and patterns such as spots or stripes. The demand is such that some rare cats are hunted and trapped illegally and are in danger of becoming extinct. In North America none of the cats used by the fur trade is endangered. Strict regulations allow a sustainable take of animals from healthy populations of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), bobcat (Lynx rufus), and puma.

Natural history

The lion, tiger (Panthera tigris), and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) are mainly terrestrial, but they are agile climbers; the leopard (Panthera pardus), jaguar (P. onca), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), and other cats are very much at home in trees. The larger cats range over large areas, often roving alone or with a companion. Occasionally one may become a member of a family group. Only lions are gregarious, with prides consisting of as many as 30 individuals.

Almost all cats feed on small mammals and birds or on large herbivores such as deer and various types of antelope. The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) feeds largely on fishes and clams or snails and thus fits into a slightly different niche than that of most cats. The flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps) is the only species known to feed to any extent on vegetation such as fruit and sweet potatoes. Food caching occurs in larger cats, and some may drag their kill into a tree or place it under a bush after the initial gorging. Cats live on a feast-or-famine routine, gorging themselves when a kill is made and then fasting for several days.

Most hunting is done using vision and hearing. Typically solitary while hunting, a cat steals up to its prey on padded feet. Long, sensitive whiskers on the face aid the cat during the stalking of the prey by brushing against obstacles and enabling the cat to avoid making excessive noise. When close to its prey, the cat overwhelms it in a short, quick rush or leap. Cats can move very fast in a short dash but are not built for sustained speed. The cheetah, which usually hunts during the day, is credited with being the speediest of mammals, capable of speeds of more than 100 km per hour (62 mph). Cats rely on superior speed and reflexes to overtake their dodging prey, which often has greater endurance. If overtaken, the prey is thrown down and dispatched with a deep bite, usually to the neck.

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The gestation period of most smaller cats is approximately two months, and that of the larger cats is closer to four months. One to six kittens make up the usual litter. Female cats may have from four to eight nipples. The breeding season usually is in the late winter or early spring. Some cats (lions, tigers, and leopards) are capable of breeding at any time during the year, and many species are induced ovulators, ovulation being induced by hormones released during copulation. The size of the animal does not seem to determine the litter size, number of litters, or time of the breeding season. In the larger cats, however, the initial breeding age is older; the females may be three or four years of age and males as old as five or six. Smaller cats may breed when less than a year old. Most litters are born in places seldom disturbed, such as in a rocky cavern, under a fallen tree, or in a dense thicket. The serval (Leptailurus serval) uses an old porcupine or aardvark burrow. In most species the male does not aid in the care and raising of the young, and in fact the female may have to guard against his attacks on the kittens.

Form and function

The agility of a cat is evident in its anatomy. The clavicle, or collarbone, is much reduced in size. It does not connect with other bones but is buried in the muscles of the shoulder region. This allows the animal to spring on its prey without danger of breaking the bone. The hind legs are well developed, with powerful muscles that propel the cat in its spring toward or onto prey. In addition to the power of the hind legs, the animal uses strong back muscles to straighten the spinal column and provide extra force in springing and running.

Cats are generally nocturnal in habit. Their large eyes are especially adapted for seeing at night. The retina has a layer of guanine called the tapetum lucidum, which reflects light and causes the eyes to shine at night when illuminated. Cats have good senses of sight and hearing, but their sense of smell is not as developed as that of the canids, a fact suggested by the cat’s short snout.

A predisposition to cleanliness is well established among cats. They groom themselves with their rasping tongue, preening at length after a meal. Feces and urine are covered as a matter of habit. Cats differ in their reaction to water; most species are reluctant to enter it but will swim readily when necessary. Nervous tail wagging is common to all cats, from the lion to the house cat. Kittens learn it from the mother; the behaviour is associated with play, which is a prelude to predation as an adult.

Cats are the most highly specialized of the terrestrial flesh-eating mammals. They are powerfully built, with a large brain and strong teeth. The teeth are adapted to three functions: stabbing (canines), anchoring (canines), and cutting (carnassial molars). Cats have no flat-crowned crushing teeth and thus do not chew or grind their food but instead cut it. All cats are adapted to be strict flesh eaters, an assumption made primarily on the basis of their digestive tract and dentition. In keeping with a carnivorous habit, the cat has a simple gut; the small intestine is only about three times the length of the body. The tongue in all cats has a patch of sharp, backward-directed spines near the tip, which has the appearance and feel of a coarse file; these spines help the cat lap up liquids and groom itself. There are five padded toes on the front foot and four on the rear. The first toe and its pad on the front foot are raised so that only four toes register in a track.

Cats have a reduced number of premolar and molar teeth; the typical dental formula includes only 30 teeth. The incisors are small and chisel-like, the canines long and pointed. The premolars are sharp, and occasionally an upper premolar may be lacking. The lower molar is elongate and sharp, the upper molar rudimentary. Because of the reduction in the number and size of the cheek teeth, a space remains between the canines and premolars in all cats except the cheetah. Felids form the most strictly carnivorous group in the order Carnivora, and the highly developed carnassial teeth reflect this specialized food habit. There is little if any specialization in the teeth for grinding or chewing. The strong masseter muscles, which raise the lower jaw, restrict lateral movement. The jaw primarily moves vertically for holding the prey in a viselike grip and for slicing off pieces of meat with the carnassials. Meat is thus cut off and swallowed in relatively unchewed chunks that are broken down by strong enzymes and acids in the digestive tract.

Evolution and classification

The history of the cat family can be traced through the fossil record to the Late Eocene Epoch (about 37 million years ago). The “cat pattern” seems to have been established very early in the evolution of mammals, for the early cats were already typical cats at a time when the ancestors of most other modern mammalian species were scarcely recognizable. Cats of the subfamily Felinae appeared in western Eurasia about 10 million years ago and have continued almost unchanged into modern times. Genetic studies examining living and fossil pantherines-cats of the subfamily Pantherinae-suggest that the pantherine lineage emerged in central Asia some 16 million years ago and subsequently spread to other continents.

Family Felidae (cats)

37 species in 18 genera belonging to 3 subfamilies, found worldwide except Antarctica but introduced to Australia.

Subfamily Felinae

29 species, found worldwide except Antarctica, but introduced to Australia.

Genus Felis (small cats)

6 Old World species, including the wildcat and domestic cat.

Genus Lynx (lynxes)

4 species, including the bobcat.

Genus Prionailurus (Asian cats)

4 Asian species, including the leopard cat, flat-headed cat, and fishing cat.

Genus Leopardus (spotted cats)

3 primarily Central and South American species: the little spotted cat, margay, and ocelot.

Genus Oncifelis (South American cats)

3 South American species: Geoffroy’s cat, kodkod, and pampas cat.

Genus Catopuma (Asiatic golden cats)

2 Asian species.

Genus Caracal (caracal)

1 African and Southwest Asian species.

Genus Herpailurus (jaguarundi)

1 primarily South American species.

Genus Leptailurus (serval)

1 African species.

Genus Oreailurus (Andean cat)

1 South American species.

Genus Otocolobus (Pallas’s cat)

1 Asian species.

Genus Profelis (African golden cat)

1 African species.

Genus Puma (cougar, mountain lion, or puma)

1 New World species.

Subfamily Pantherinae

7 species of Asia, Africa, and South and Central America.

Genus Panthera (big, or roaring, cats)

4 Asian, African, and South and Central American species: the jaguar, lion, leopard, and tiger.

Genus Neofelis (clouded leopard)

2 Southeast Asian species.

Genus Pardofelis (marbled cat)

1 Southeast Asian species.

Genus Uncia (snow leopard, or ounce)

1 Asian species.

Subfamily Acinonychinae

Genus Acinonyx (cheetah)

1 almost exclusively African species.