Five Female Wildcats Are the Ancestors of All Today's Domestic and Feral Cats

It seems extraordinary but based upon DNA research five female North African wildcats (felis silvestris lybica) are the ancestors of the entire world's approximate 500,000,000 house cats.  To reiterate; the research tells us is that all of today's domestic cats come from just these 5 female North African wildcats.  

The researchers concluded that five females of this species of wildcat made the transition from being wild to being semi-domesticated within settlements where they were safe from predators and where they had a ready supply of rodents as prey which infested the settlers' homes and granaries.

As all the feral cats in the world today come from domestic cats then we have to say that all of the domestic, stray and feral cats on the planet today are descended from five female cats of the species felis silvestris lybica.

The research was carried out by Carlos Driscoll of the US National Cancer Institute and colleagues including David MacDonald of Oxford University. They spent more than 6 years analysing the DNA of wildcats,  purebred cats and house cats.

They discovered that the DNA of all house cats (including of course purebred cats) fall within the DNA cluster of the Near Eastern wild cat.  This made this subspecies of wildcat the ancestor of the domestic cat.

Source: NY Times June 29th 2007. The photo is of my tabby cat in whom you can see the North African wildcat ancestor!

Feral vs Indoor Cat Lifespan

I have seen a lot of variation in the estimated lifespan of feral cats compared to indoor cats. In general people say that about 3-5 years is the lifespan of a feral cat and 14 years is the average lifespan of a domestic (not specifying whether the cat is a full-time indoor cat or not).

The truth is no one has been analysing cat lifespans. These are estimates or to be more generous "guesstimates" based on a reasonably assessment.

Another point to make is that a full-time indoor cat might not, on average, live longer than an indoor/outdoor cat.

ASPCA says that the average lifespan of an indoor cat is 13-17 years with some living to 20 plus but that is not an average is it? That is a very generous spread based on informed guesswork.

My late lady cat aged about 16 years of age at the time. I had just wiped her coat
which is why it looks a bit wet. She lived four more years.

Petco says that an indoor cat has an average lifespan of 12-20 years (even more of a spread and not an average in my view). They also say that outdoor cats (cats kept outdoors full-time I presume) live for 1-5 years. This is highly simplified. No one keeps a domestic cat full-time outdoors - well, very few people do. I suppose they are referring to feral cats but don't say that. This is neither scientific nor accurate information.

Wikipedia confidently state 12-15 years as an average "life expectancy of a cat". They must mean the domestic cat as opposed to the feral cat.

Wikipedia quote a study as assessing the feral cat lifespan at 4.7 years. The links to the study are broken so I could not read it.

Indoor cats need more play to make them active. People in general don't play enough with their cats. An indoor cat arguably is more likely to become obese and obesity is the cause of many serious illnesses which can be life threatening. Outdoor cats within a secure enclosure will get exercise safely. This is rare however. People aren't bothered to build decent enclosures to be honest.

We know that outdoor cats, meaning stray cats and feral cats, live shorter lives than well cared for domestic cats who live mostly inside the family home. We can probably rely on 14 years as being a reasonable guess at the domestic cat lifespan. I'd favour a bit longer say 15 years. Like people cats are living longer but also like people dementia is more commonplace. Are cats living too long sometimes?

Feral cats will be lucky to live beyond five years on average but many may live to a not dissimilar age as domestic cats if cared for by a feral colony carer i.e. a person who feeds and TNRs the cats as part of a program. Many feral cat carers provide winter housing as well as feeding. There are many factors so averages don't really help. It is about individual cats.

Prey of Domestic Cats (average frequency of mammals, birds, reptiles)

Average frequency of occurrence of mammals, birds and reptiles in the diet of the domestic cat based on gut or scat (feces) analysis in relation to cats in the northern hemisphere, meaning Europe and N.America combined, and on islands with and without seabirds.

Here is a spreadsheet with the data:



This is important information because there is often a lot of discussion about the domestic cat preying on wildlife. These figures are based on a large number of studies.

"What is observed locally is not necessarily representative on a wider scale"

"estimates of total predation....are meaningless from an ecological point of view unless put into relation to the entire population of that prey species and its annual production rate"

"Careful studies are still needed before 'condemning' all cats to an indoor life, or even forbidding them as pets."

(quotes from the book referred to as the source for the figures).

Rethink the Domestic Cat?

I believe it is time to take stock and work out if we are actually making progress in our relationship with the domestic cat. Are things getting better for the domestic cat? My feeling is that some things are getting better while somethings are getting worse and somethings are the same but we are not progressing the relationship and a lot needs to be done to improve it.

There is and always will be a body of domestic cats that are ill-treated and become stray. As there are more people in the world and therefore more domestic cats, there are inevitably more stray cats. These are cats that have wandered away from inadequate cat owners who have failed to neuter their cats and failed to microchip them.

If there are more and more domestic cats becoming stray and more cats turned in to shelters to be killed (aka euthanised), is it not time to reassess our relationship with cats?

I have long believed that the whole concept of the domestication of the cat needs to be reassessed from the standpoint of asking the question: "is it a success?"

The smart people in the West have decided not to bring children into the world because the world sucks. It is wrong and getting worse. The unthinking ones are just breeding children and letting their cats breed as well.

We are going backwards aren't we? It seems we need to recapture some of what was good about 50 year ago for the domestic cat when there was more freedom and less traffic. Less cats. Less killing of cats at "shelters". The naturalness of the domestic cat's life in years gone by must be better than being imprisoned inside a someone's home all their life because it is safer.

For cats in the West life is becoming too artificial and in the East it is too brutal, too harsh. The more I know about the lives of domestic cats across the planet the more I see room for improvement and a total rethink.

The problem is we, the humans, have our hands full trying to solve our own problems. The ones we have created. The domestic cat is a victim and we tend to use the domestic cat as a comforter, a source of emotion support, which leads to abuse and which is not respectful of the cat.

I might be painting too black a picture but remember I have studied the cat for a long time and the more you do it the more you see room for improvement at a fundamental level.

Finally, there is one thing that is well documented: the demise of the wild cat species living in the wild. Their days are numbered.

Pets Are Not Animals

I have stolen the title from Craig McFarlane's site. I think he makes an interesting but very refined point. He also refers to an article from one of those Homes and Gardens type magazines. This one is called, 'Fresh Home Magazine".

They had a page which was on the subject of "Decorating Mantras to Live By". That is a big statement for one of these magazines. The author lists five points to live by. One of them is: Every room needs something living, flowers, goldfish, a pet. Fair point. A good point. But, it is the way the point is made that indicates that pets are not animals.

You can see what Craig is getting at. It is something I have mentioned before myself. It is unfashionable mind you; very unfashionable with a large section of society but it is true and therefore worth mentioning again.

When you write about decorating your home and refer to 'a pet' - any pet ('a' pet), as part of the decorating process you are on dangerous ground. This is because you are treating the 'pet' as a item of decoration and not as a living, breathing animal with all that that imparts. It is this mentality that can lead to incorrect expectations regarding caring for a cat and that unfortunately is part of the mentality that can lead to deciding to declaw one's cat because claws tend to spoil the decor.

Sorry to keep going on about declawing but it seems I have to because it still goes on when it should have stopped.

Craig emphasizes the point that pets are not treated as animals because goldfish and 'pets' are separated by the author. It is like separating curtains from sofa coverings.

The reference to 'a pet' is worrying too. Any pet (and 'pet' is a bad word) will do. Just add it into the mix and make your home better. No; this is not the way to adopt a cat.

Adopting a domestic cat is far more profound because a cat is a living animal with feelings. And animals are like us. Jean Cocteau got it right when he said:

"I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul."

In this cat quote Cocteau is referring to cats as part of making the home better, more pleasant and it goes much deeper than decoration. A cat's presence goes to the soul of the home. A domestic cat does add a dimension to the home that inanimate objects cannot.

That is why the cat should not be treated as an inanimate object. Finally, the other points 1,2, 4 and 5 are good points. He or she just has the wrong mentality on pets or (s)he did not express herself as well as she might have.

The Spirituality of the Cat

We know that the current Pope (2012 - Pope Benedict XVI) adores cats. This might be because when he was growing up, his parents kept cats. I feel certain that Pope Benedict XVI's parents were very good cat caretakers. The Pope has a gentle character. He is like an academic. We know that smart people like cats. Educated older women are a typical profile. Einstein kept cats (a male called "Tiger") and so did Hemingway (polydactyl Maine Coon type), Dickens and Churchill (he has a fondness for cats). There is a long list of great men who appreciated the cat companion.

It is sad therefore that the Pope under the Vatican rules is forbidden from keeping his cat (any "pet") in his apartment. He must miss Chico, his black and white short haired cat, very much. However, he couldn't turn down the chance of being the Pope for that reason, could he?

Previous Popes have kept companion animals. Leo XII  kept a dog and a cat for instance. I wonder why this rather harsh Vatican rule exists. Cats are common on the streets of Rome and Italy generally. If you eat at a restaurant in Rome you are likely to see a feral cat wander by asking for a bit of what you are eating (I give them it - what else?). In general they are treated well. Italian law protects against animal cruelty and veterinary-led operations such as tail docking and declawing are outlawed in typical European style.

Cat amongst Rome's ruins - Photo Steve James (Flickr)

I think we can say with some confidence that the domestic cat and clergy make a nice partnership. That is certainly borne out by history and the current Pope is no exception. He has a particular affinity towards cats.

It is why I have called this post "The Spirituality of the Cat". The domestic cat does have a kind of spirituality. Their presence is calming. They have some extraordinary skills. They have a naturalness and honesty that we have comprehensively lost. Perhaps the clergy see the spirituality in the domestic cat and are drawn to it.

Cat Abuse A Theory

Our natural tendency to be respectful towards the domestic cat has been compromised by the fact that the cat is domesticated. It is an interesting theory.

A research scientist, Serpell (published in 1999), examined animal abuse from the perspective of the history of our relationship with animals. At the time when there were no domestic animals of any sort more than 10,000 years ago all humans were hunter-gatherers. People either hunted for food or gathered it where it grew. Then along came domestication of the cat on the back of farming and the domestication of animals for food.

Before the domestication of animals people respected the animal as independent creatures. The hunters met them and killed them on the animal's own territory and on the animal's terms. I think you will find that at one time Native Americans had this sort respect for the animals that they hunted.

Domestication of the cat resulted in the human having control of the cat. The modern domestic cat's life is dictated to by his human companion or "owner". The owner controls the environment under which the cat lives. The cat responds to that.

The human/cat household is a "human-centered world". The equality between human and animal is thrown away. The human has domination over the cat.

If then you combine human domination with a lack of education or poor experiences, which conditions the potential abuser to believe that abuse is acceptable, you can end up with cat abuse.

The underlying problem that creates the conditions under which cat abuse takes place is the fact that the cat is domesticated. That is the theory.

It is interesting to note that abuse of the wildcats, particularly the tiger emanates from fear of the animal turned into its commercialization. The commercialization of fear. This is my opinion.

Sport hunting of wild cats no longer has any connection with the ancient need to hunt for food or survive. It is a further abuse of the cat driven by the need for entertainment. It could be argued that sport hunting also stems from a lack of respect for animals cultivated by their domestication.

Children and Companion Cats

I believe that it is widely recognized that a child's relationship with a companion animal is of great benefit, actual and potential, to the child. The animal will also benefit provided the child interacts in a proper way with the animal. In fact the better the child interacts with a companion cat the better it is for both parties to the relationship as cats respond to circumstances. Create a good environment and you'll receive the rewards. Children also gain from relationships with symbolic animals.

The benefits to a child of interacting with animals is so well established that there are professionals who treat children with "behavior problems" using therapy animals. By the way I think there are a lot of professional misjudgments made regarding so called behavior problems in children. A lot of normal behavior in children is considered problem behavior because it does not fit in with modern adult perceptions as to what is acceptable. That strikes a cord with what I call expectation management in respect of adopting a cat and cat caretaking.

Examples of the "skills and values" that can be gained by a child through a relationship with a cat companion are:

Learning about mutual respect.
For me, this is very important. One reason for the breakdown in modern society in Britain is the lack of respect some young people have for others: people and animals. A major factor is the breakdown of the family unit. Through good parenting children learn respect. Knowing the benefits that a companion animal has to children, I would argue that good parenting should include providing a child with the opportunity to interact with a companion animal. The domestic cat is the most popular companion animal (just over the dog) in the modern age.

If a dislike of cats is handed down through generations within a family it is the child who is prevented from having the opportunity of the benefit of interacting with a companion animal. Although controversial, I would argue that a dislike of cats is due to an ignorance of cats. Ignorance is at the root of the problem. Education, as usual, is at the root of the solution.

All children should learn to respect animals. That leads to respect of people and to a generally better society for companion animals and people.

Kindness
Companion animals are vulnerable in the human world. We need to be kind to them. Dealing with them responsibly and properly teaches kindness. Kindness is a great quality in a child.

Humane treatment of others
With companion animals the human has choices. We create the environment under which our cat companions live. We can treat animals well or badly. Often we don't have choices about how we are treated. A child interacting with a companion animal can learn how to treat others humanely.  The benefits of humane treatment can be learnt. The impetus for treating companion animals humanely comes from a child's parents and to a lesser extent teachers.

Giving and receiving love and affection
Everyone who has cared for a cat in a responsible and caring manner has received the beautifully simple and uncomplicated love and affection that comes from the human/cat relationship. Children should feel that. It makes them better people.

Caretaking skills
All children need to learn these skills; caring for others. It builds a better person. Caring for a companion cat or dog is a very rewarding and an ideal way to pick up these skills.

Responsibility
Children need to gently take on the burden of responsibility for others and their own actions. When they are adult they will be burdened by it on all fronts. What better way to learn responsibility than looking after a companion cat.

The pain of loss
Companion animals have much shorter lives than ours. It is likely that a child who has cared for a companion cat throughout his or her childhood will have to deal with the pain of the loss of his friend.  It is a very painful experience. It is unfortunately, necessary to learn how to come to terms with it.

On the other side of the coin, a post on children and cats cannot overlook the abuse of cats by children. This is a complicated area of child psychology. I am layperson but common sense dictates that if a child abuses animals it is something he or she has learned from watching others or through suffering abuse himself. This is likely to happen in the family home as that is where interpersonal behavior takes place most often for the child.

Associated pages: How to tell cat abuse -  Kids killing cats.

Definition of Feral Cat

The definition of a feral cat might be a little more complicated than I first thought. It warrants a short discussion. The great Wikipedia (Google thinks it is great) says that a feral cat is a domestic cat that has returned to the wild or is the offspring of that cat. Not a bad definition, but a bit elastic.

Think about the domestic cat that is in the process of becoming wild. At what point is that cat considered wild or stray or in between? How do you accurately assess a cat as being wild or domestic? If you approach a stray domestic cat he or she may react with defensive aggression while a feral cat may even react less defensively. It is hard to assess a cat's character through behavior if you are a stranger to the cat. It's a bit grey, isn't it? And if that cat has offspring whilst she is not yet fully wild are the offspring feral kittens?

A fully domesticated cat allowed outside might give birth outside and the kittens might become feral. But under these circumstances the kittens don't fit neatly into the Wikipedia definition.

Margaret R. Slater in The Welfare of Cats (a really useful book incidentally) says there are a number of terms used to describe feral cats. Apparently in one study on feral and stray cats the researchers differentiated between strays and ferals by saying that stray cats were those taken from "dumps, residential or industrial areas" and feral cats were "remote from those locations". That sounds incorrect to me.

Sometimes people refer to feral cats as barn cats or alley cats. These cats could be anything from outdoor/indoor domestic cats to full blown feral cats.

Strays are sometimes described as cats that are reliant on people for food and shelter while ferals are independent of people.

These definitions describe cats that "have escaped" domestication as Margaret Slater says. I think Margaret Slater has a better handle on how to define the feral cat. She bases her definition on "the status of an individual cat at a particular point in time".

A feral cat is one that cannot be handled and is not socialized. The cat is therefore not suitable as a cat companion in someone's home at that time. That definition gets over the grey areas mentioned above, it seems to me. Feral cats can sometimes be socialised or tamed with patience. Taming is slightly different to socialisation, I believe.

So feral cats are unsocialized cats. Socialisation is the process that takes place usually in the first 7 weeks of life, during which the kitten interacts with other domestic animals and people so that he or she is confident with them and can get along with them; an essential part of being a domestic cat.

Socialisation depends on the individual cat and I think care has to be exercised in assessing whether a cat is socialised or not; or even well socialised. Stress in cats will mislead an assessment. Cats in shelters are often stressed.

Social Situation - Domestic vs Feral Cats

The feral cat environment is a more natural environment for the cat than the domestic environment. OK, the feral cat environment is harsher and the life shorter but in a strict sense it is more natural.

Feral cats are essentially domestic cats turned wild. Domestic cats have developed the ability to live in groups.

The difference between the more natural outdoor environment and the artificial household environment plays a part in the creation of stress in multi-cat households.

Feral Cat Environment

In the feral cat, farm environment, groups of cats are usually made up of related cats that get on as a group. The group has evolved naturally. The food source dictates the size of the group. Individual cats in the group do their own hunting. These factors result in no or less competition for resources, which in turn restricts the need for a hierarchical system (dominant and submissive cats) and leads to reduced stress.

Domestic Cat Environment

In the domestic environment where there is a multi-cat household the cats in the group are less likely to be related. Normally, the cats' caretaker would have brought them into the group. The introduced cats are sometimes adults too. The existing cats would not regard these new cats are part of the same social group. The cats are living close together and there may be competition for litter resources and food. This is a recipe for stress born out of threats to territory and competition. Hierarchical systems have to develop to help avoid conflict. There is the potential for stress.

Cats Are Not Territorial Animals

The title of this post is a verbatim transcript from an excellent book on The Welfare of Cats edited by Irene Rochlitz. The author who makes this statement in the section of the book on olfactory communication, S.L.Crowell-Davis, does not differentiate between wild, feral or domestic cats although the book is mainly about the domestic cat. I think you will find the statement controversial especially amongst the wild cat experts.

Crowell-Davies goes on to say that urine spraying as a form of olfactory communication is not to mark territory - i.e. to make the statement that the cat 'owns' this plot of land and to stay out. The author says that spraying urine horizontally onto objects in small quantities has multiple meanings that depend on the circumstances at the time and on what is in the urine. The implication is that a cat can control what scent the urine has at any given time.

The purpose of spraying urine is to leave a message ("identifying information") about:

• reproductive status
• which cat was where at any given time. I presume this is designed to ensure that cats don't bump into each other which might result in a fight.
• the emotional state of the cat - e.g. aroused.

The author says that cats sometimes leave feces unburied on the "periphery of the home range" and in "core areas". To me this signifies a form or territorial marking, but apparently not.

We hear of inappropriate elimination of domestic cats. One aspect of reducing the occurrence of inappropriate elimination is to move the litter box to a different area, one that the cat might find more acceptable (a quieter place for example). Research by Sung in 2001 indicated that there was no connection between the location of the litter box and elimination behaviour problems. This is another interesting piece of information that appears to contradict mainstream advice.

Prevalence of FeLV and FIV

Here is some data on the prevalence of two well known diseases in cats that were domestic and feral: FeLV (Feline leukemia virus) and FIV (Feline immunodeficiency virus).  There is a comparison in some rows between domestic and feral cats in the table.

Place	FeLV	FIV
Animal shelter, Birmingham, England - 1997	2% feral cats and 3.6% tame cats	20.4% feral cats and 9.4% tame cats
Vets - Istanbul, Turkey	6% outdoor cats and 5% for indoor cats	22% for both indoor cats and outdoor/feral cats
Texas University, USA	5% of cats trapped	6% of cats trapped
Florida University, USA	7% of cats	7% of cats
North Carolina Uni	4% of cats	4% of cats
Prince Edward Island, Canada	5% of trapped cats	6% of trapped cats

Some added information:

• In Istanbul, FIV was more common in male cats probably because they were not neutered. 
• In the Florida and Carolina and Prince Edward Island studies FIV was more prevalent in male cats.
• An interesting conclusion was that in colonies where TNR is practised the prevalence of FeLV and FIV was found to be low. Conclusion: TNR managed sites are a limited or low threat to the health of other cats.
• The university programs in the USA relate to trapped cats. These were therefore feral or stray cats.

Source: The Welfare of Cats edited by Irene Rochlitz:


This is a very good book. Scientific, yes but sound.

The Effect of Cats on Wildlife

The domestic cat is considered an "introduced species" or "invasive species". It is a carnivorous predator. If left to roam or become feral, it can have a negative effect on local species through (a) competition - competing and succeeding in preying on wildlife that is a common prey (b) predation - preying on other species (c) interbreeding - cross breeding with wild cats diluting the wild cat purebred stock - example: Scottish Wildcat (d) disease  - transmitting disease to other wild species of animal. The cat has been accused of the extinction of native species.

Australia is the place where the feral and domestic cat is most commonly attacked in the media for the above reasons. Australians prefer pets other than cats. However despite the continued debate and publicity "the role of feral cats in the decline and extinction of Australian mammalian species remains unclear".(Burbridge & Manly 2002 as referred to in The Welfare of Cats ISBN 978-1-4020-6143-1).

Human activity causing habitat destruction through "over-exploitation of resources, pollution and introduction of exotic species" is the biggest cause of species extinction. The human is the world's most prolific and destructive invasive species. The destruction of rainforest in places such as Borneo and Indonesia are well documented and have an enormously destructive effect on wildlife including rare wild cats such as the clouded leopard and bay cat. This is one of a multitude of examples. "Cats have not been shown to be the primary cause of the loss of native species on mainland continents" (Mead 1982, Mitchell & Beck 1992 and as referred to in The Welfare of Cats).

In the UK the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says "there is no scientific evidence that predation by cats in gardens is having any impact on bird populations UK-wide" (see RSPB webpage and my comment: Domestic Cats Do Not Decimate Bird Populations and How Feral Cats Affect Wildlife).

Cats are attacked because they are considered an invasive species. They are "targeted for control measures even when there is little evidence to support this" (The Welfare of Cats page 162). An example is blaming cats for the loss of three species of petrel in New Zealand (Little Barrier Island). There was no evidence that the petrels were ever on the island! (ref: Veitch 2001 and Girardet et al 2001). More recently the impact of other species such as ferrets and stoats have been considered in a more balanced appraisal.

There is no doubt in my mind that studies on the impact of cats on wildlife have not been conclusive but have been hijacked by interested parties to promote vested interests. A more balanced approach needs to be taken and more respect afforded to the feral cat.

Bird Lobby Still Conspiring Against Cats

Every now and again the bird lobby produce some study that supports their objectives. They use it to promote their objectives one of which is to get rid of the cat from the outdoors anyway possible. The bird lobby people say cats slaughter birds and exterminate species of birds. They tend to exaggerate and to disseminate misrepresentations to further their cause. (see also: Domestic Cats Do Not Decimate Bird Populations). There is a battle between cat lobbyists and cat lovers. I feel a need to provide some counter arguments in defense of the cat.

A recent example is quoting a study by Shannon E. Grubbs and Paul R. Krausman called "Observations of Coyote–Cat Interactions". The abstract (summary) for this study states that in tracking 8 coyotes (yes just 8) they observed over a period of 790 hours the coyotes interacting with cats on 36 occasions. On 19 of these 36 occasions the cat was killed by the coyote. 790 hours by the way is 33 days. So, on average about one coyote over a period of about one month killed 2 cats.

The scientists say that of the 45 instances that they saw the coyotes feeding they were feeding on cats 42% of the time. That comes from the American Bird Conservancy website in quoting the study. The immediate question is how many other instances of feeding in total were there over the 33 days? And what did the coyote eat on those other occasions?

On the basis that this is an accurate representation of the hunting and feeding activities of the coyote the American Bird Conservancy say that cats should be kept in to protect cats and birds. They also argue that TNR is a failure and that is supports the decimation of birds. TNR can work if conducted widely. It really needs a large scale approach.

However, other studies conflict with the one conducted by Shannon E. Grubbs and Paul R. Krausman and used by the American Bird Conservancy.

Studies by Gerht 2006,  Gerht and Riley 2010 and Morey et al. 2007 concluded that the feral and domestic cat made up 1-2% of the coyote diet. In some studies about 8% of coyote scats (feces) contained cat remains. It is probably fair to say that these other studies are more accurate as the sample size in the Grubbs and Krausman study is very small, I would argue.

Also it has to be pointed out that the coyote will eat birds and attack ground nesting birds. What percentage of the coyote's diet is birds? It would be interesting to make a comparison with cats. Also it may be the case that the coyote attacks cats when preferred prey is absent. The absence of some prey may be due to human activity. If that is the case the bird lobbyists' arguments are self-serving and distortions of what is really happening.

The American Bird Conservancy don't mention these things. They give the impression that the cat is the prime prey for the coyote when this is far from the truth. Rabbits and rodents probably top the list of prey items.

There is no doubt that the domestic and feral cat is at risk of being killed by a coyote in the USA. This must be a factor for the cat's caretaker. A secure outdoor enclosure is probably the best compromise.

However, the bird lobby really should try and strike a more balanced approach to promoting its cause. They will not achieve much by exaggerating and misrepresenting information.

See also: Can a cat escape a coyote attack? And How Feral Cats Affect Wildlife.

Which country loves pets the most?

I'll tell you the answer on this page. First, I don't really like the word "pet" but have used it in the title because that is what the general public are more likely to search for rather than "which country loves cats the most?". My research comes from Google's excellent statistics in relation to this website, which is mainly about cats. So, I'll tell you which country, or more accurately, the people of which country are most interested in the domestic cat. As people worldwide like cats and dogs in about equal measure the figures should also apply to dogs and therefore pets generally.

One factor that might bend the figures is language. This site is in English and some countries speak English as their first language. However Google translation is pretty good these days.

If we take a sample size of say 100 people from across the world who come to this website, 67 of them would be from the United States of America. And about 15 of the people would be from the United Kingdom.



One country not featuring on this list but which would feature on other lists is Russia. The Russian people like their cats and have quite a nice cat fancy. A number of cat breeds originate in Russia including the Siberian, Russian Blue and Kurilian Bobtail to name three. They would normally occupy at least 5% of the visitors.

The overwhelming number comes from the USA. Germany, where they speak good English has a low representation. One person out of the 100 visits from Germany. And France are just not on the map. Europe as a whole (excluding the UK) show themselves as not that interested in pets or at least not reading about them.

In relation to the size of the country the UK punches well above its weight. The UK has a population that is about twice that of California, just one of the 50 states on the US and yet occupies second place on this list. On the basis if this analysis the UK has a much greater proportion of its people who are interested in the domestic cat than the USA.

India is interesting. It is country that is becoming increasingly interested in keeping the domestic cat. I think they'll have a cat fancy there one day.

Australia is known to have a interest in the domestic cat but the interest is somewhat schizophrenic as the people of Australia in general hate the feral cat as they think it decimates their native wild species. As feral cats were once domestic cats it is a rather odd relationship.

The same could be said about the United States. There is no doubt that they are the major country of cat and pet lovers in terms of overall numbers. They lead the world by a considerable margin because they are a large country. However, rather like Australia they have a schizophrenic relationship with the domestic cat. They declaw cats. They kill cats by the millions every year because they are homeless. I won't go on. And I am not criticising - just reporting.

Conclusion: The UK, and particularly England is the leading nation of pet lovers. Also the laws of England, Wales and N. Ireland are probably the best in relation to animal welfare (Animal Welfare Act 2006).

Are domestic cats the same species?

The answer is YES. In fact, all domestic cats including feral, stray, household and purebred cats are all a subspecies of the wildcat: Felis silvestris. The domestic cat is Felis silvestris catus. There must some dispute as to whether the domestic is, in fact, a subspecies of the wildcat as it was domesticated 9,500 years ago. Perhaps the domestic cat should be a separate species of cat rather than a subspecies of the wildcat? One day it might be as the classification of the species is for ever evolving as is the domestic cat. However at 2011, the domestic cat is a cat's whiskers away in terms of behaviour from the African wild cat its wild ancestor.

Taxonomy of Domestic Cats

The domestic cat is classified as Felis silvestris catus by the authors of Wild Cats of the World, Mel and Fiona Sunquist. You might see different version of its taxonomic classification because taxonomy of the wildcats has been a bit fraught with argument and difficulty. In fact the current position is that there are five subspecies of wildcat and the domestic cat is not one of them. The five are the African wildcat, Southern African wildcat, European wildcat, Asiatic wildcat and Chinese desert cat. The domestic cat is a domesticated African wildcat (also called a Near Eastern wildcat). But it happened 9,500 years ago it is thought. The behavior and appearance of the domestic cat is now different to the wildcat although there are great similarities.

The full classification is:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Felis
Species: Felis silvestris
Subspecies: Felis silvestris catus

How domesticated are cats?

ANSWER: Very domesticated but without socialization during the first seven weeks of life the domestic cat will walk away from the 9,000 years of domestication of the cat and behave in a way that is similar to the Northeastern wildcat (African wildcat) of today. However, the domestic cat cannot be as effective a hunter and survivor as the wildcat. There is too much distance between domestication and today (9,000 years approximately).

The point, though, is that the domestic cat is not far from a wildcat. They are well domesticated if properly socialized but it is skin deep. This is why we as cat caretakers we should respect the cat for what he or she is and not try and mold them into something that we want them to be. Declawing is an example of trying to modify the cat.

You can see the classic wildcat behavior in domestic cats in spraying (marking territory with urine sprayed horizontally) and defending territory when they go outside through a cat flap (door).

Outstanding tabby cats can look like an Egyptian Mau

Egyptian Mau kittens. Photo: Helmi Flick published here with her express permission.

Some feral and domestic cats look like Egytian Maus. The Egyptian Mau is a purebred cat. It has a spotted tabby coat. It is a refined looking cat because it is purebred (selectively bred). However, it Egypt they are all over the streets. There are feral Egyptian Maus in Egypt and in the region. This refined purebred cat in the USA has ancestors that are feral cats and before that the African wildcat.

You will see some stunning random bred cats both feral and domestic that are similar to the Egyptian Mau because they have a similar long term history - they both come from the Africa wildcat some 5-9,000 years ago.

Apollo

For this reason it is not uncommon for people to question whether their random bred cat is an Egyptian Mau or an Egyptian Mau mix. It is almost certain that the cat is neither. It is just that they came from the same stock thousands of years ago.

The picture right is of a nice looking random bred cat with a tabby pattern. The human keeper asks, "Is Apollo an Egyptian Mau?...Hi, This is my cat, Apollo. Could he be part Mau? Thank you!"

The probable answer is that Apollo is neither an Egyptian Mau nor an Egyptian Mau mix but a really nice looking cat. One extra tell tale sign is that Apollo seems to have a mackerel tabby coat (striped) and the Mau's coat is spotted. Thanks for asking though.

Wild Cat Breeds

There are no "wild cat breeds". There are wild cat species. The word "breed" cannot be used in relation to wild cat species. The word "breed" is used to describe the various domestic cat breeds. These are purebred cats with pedigrees (documented history of purebred parents).

All domestic cat breeds (over 100) and random bred cats are one species of cat: Felis silvestris catus. There are 36 species of wild cat. A species of animal is a scientific classification of that animal (called taxonomy) based on genetic analysis, form and function etc.

There is one usage of "breed" in relation to the domestic cat that is allowed: "wild cat hybrid breeds". That is not a very elegant use of the English language but it is correct. There are a number of domestic cat breeds that are wild cat hybrids. You can see a list on this page.