🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

The active ingredients behind the silver vine and catnip response belong to a class of plant compounds called iridoids, with nepetalactol identified as a particularly potent driver of the reaction in…

The response to catnip and related iridoids is not unique to domestic cats; various wild felids also react. This overview surveys reports that some big cats, such as lions and others, show interest in…

With age, the iris of a cat's eye can thin and degenerate, a condition called iris atrophy that may affect how the pupil responds to light. This overview surveys age-related iris atrophy in cats, in w…

The vertical-slit pupil is produced by a specific arrangement of iris muscles that constrict and dilate the aperture into a line rather than a shrinking circle. This overview surveys the anatomy of th…

Deposition of islet amyloid polypeptide (amylin) within pancreatic islets is a characteristic pathologic feature of feline diabetes, paralleling human type 2 diabetes and contributing to progressive b…

Kittens are not born able to leap accurately, and this overview reviews how jumping ability develops through growth and play. As kittens grow, their muscles strengthen, limb proportions change, and ne…

Diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism rests primarily on measuring elevated total thyroxine (T4), supported in equivocal cases by free T4, repeat testing, or dynamic tests such as T3 suppression and thy…

Coming down safely is as important as getting up, and this overview reviews how cats absorb the impact of landing. On touchdown the limbs flex to lengthen the deceleration and spread the force over ti…

Beyond purrs and roars, cats produce a rich variety of calls, and this overview reviews the laryngeal anatomy and mechanics behind them. The larynx, with its vocal folds, muscles, and cartilages, shap…

The dominant model of purring posits a neural oscillator, or central pattern generator, that drives rhythmic contraction of the laryngeal muscles to modulate airflow. This overview surveys the evidenc…

Walking cats on a harness and leash is promoted as a way to give indoor cats safe outdoor stimulation, and this overview surveys what is known about the practice. It examines welfare considerations in…

The lens of the eye changes with age, and older cats commonly develop nuclear sclerosis, a hardening and clouding of the lens that can affect vision. This overview surveys age-related lens changes in…

Although all modern house cats descend from the Near Eastern wildcat, archaeological cats at early Chinese farming villages were later identified as leopard cats, a different genus-level relative. Thi…

Beyond the well-established senses, cats are sometimes credited with additional perceptual abilities whose evidence is limited or debated. This overview surveys lesser-known and disputed feline sensor…

Managing free-roaming cats pits welfare, ethical and conservation considerations against one another, and this overview surveys the debate between lethal control and non-lethal approaches like trap-ne…

Modern guidance frames FIV as a manageable chronic infection rather than a death sentence. Recommendations center on keeping infected cats indoors to prevent spread and reduce exposure to pathogens, n…

The correlation between vertical-slit pupils and ambush predation has become a touchstone example of how anatomy reflects ecology. This overview surveys the broader argument that slit pupils benefit p…

Research has investigated what cats prefer in litter and litter boxes, with direct relevance to preventing house soiling. This overview surveys studies testing preferences for litter substrate, textur…

Litter size in cats varies within and between species, influenced by maternal age and condition, resource availability, and species biology. This overview surveys typical litter sizes from small felid…

Some studies have followed large managed cat colonies over many years to assess whether sustained trap-neuter-return reduces populations, and this overview surveys their findings. It examines long-ter…

Cats handle dietary carbohydrate differently from omnivores, and this overview reviews their specialised glucose metabolism. Adapted to a low-carbohydrate, meat-based diet, cats have reduced activity…

Color and fine daytime detail both depend on cones, and the cat retina simply has few of them relative to rods. This overview surveys estimates of cone abundance and distribution, which show cones con…

Because cats are obligate carnivores adapted to low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets, feeding low-carbohydrate therapeutic foods reduces postprandial glucose load and has been associated with improved…

While cats are celebrated for ultrasonic sensitivity, they also retain good hearing at lower frequencies, giving them an unusually broad overall range. This overview surveys the lower end of the felin…

A defining feature of the FIP biotype of feline coronavirus is its ability to efficiently infect and replicate within monocytes and macrophages, enabling systemic dissemination and the characteristic…

The prominent whiskers on a cat muzzle, the mystacial vibrissae, form a precise tactile array, and this overview reviews their structure and arrangement. Thicker and more deeply rooted than ordinary h…

Cats sense chemicals through two partly distinct systems: the main olfactory system for general smells and the accessory, vomeronasal system for pheromones and social signals. This overview surveys th…

Senior cats frequently have multiple concurrent chronic diseases, such as chronic kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, osteoarthritis, dental disease, and hypertension, whose treatments can interact and s…

Kittens receive passive maternal antibodies through colostrum that protect them early in life but can also interfere with vaccination by neutralizing vaccine antigens before the kitten mounts its own…

Classic developmental research showed that mother cats shape how their kittens come to treat prey, with kittens that observe their mother killing and eating prey more likely to become efficient predat…