🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

Trap-neuter-return is widely practiced yet scientifically contested, and this overview surveys the evidence and debate over whether TNR effectively reduces free-roaming cat numbers. It examines studie…

Feline hyperthyroidism was first recognized as a clinical entity around 1979-1980 and rapidly became one of the most common endocrine diseases of older cats, a striking apparent emergence that has pro…

Research into the feline gut microbiome explores how the community of intestinal microbes influences digestion, immune function, and health in cats, and how diet, particularly the high-protein, low-ca…

The head-related transfer function describes how the head, ears, and body filter sound before it reaches the eardrum, encoding directional information. This overview surveys work characterizing the ca…

Odor signals from the nose and vomeronasal organ are first processed in the brain by the main and accessory olfactory bulbs. This overview surveys the role of these structures in cats, where the main…

Smell is a major sense for cats, supported by an olfactory epithelium lined with sensory neurons expressing a large family of odorant receptor genes. This overview surveys what is known about the feli…

Cats require preformed arachidonic acid, an essential fatty acid, in their diet because they have limited ability to synthesize it from plant-derived linoleic acid, a conversion that omnivores perform…

Cats are renowned for their ability to right themselves in mid-air and land on their feet, a behavior known as the righting reflex. This overview surveys how cats accomplish this, using vestibular and…

Cats are indifferent to sweetness, and this overview reviews the genetic basis. A defect in a gene encoding part of the sweet taste receptor leaves cats unable to taste sugars, consistent with a carni…

Cats produce a varied set of vocalizations, and this overview surveys the repertoire and how its use differs between conspecific and human-directed communication. It covers categories such as murmurs…

Cats possess a vomeronasal organ, also called the Jacobson's organ, a paired chemosensory structure in the roof of the mouth specialized for detecting pheromones and other chemical signals. This overv…

The flehmen response is a distinctive open-mouthed, lip-curled grimace cats make to draw scent molecules into the vomeronasal organ. This overview surveys the behavior and its function, in which a cat…

Cat purrs are notable for their low fundamental frequency, commonly reported in the range of roughly 20 to 30 hertz with energy extending higher, and this overview surveys measurements and interpretat…

Play is energetically costly and potentially risky, yet pervasive in young cats, prompting debate over its functions. This overview surveys the major hypotheses, including play as practice for predati…

When exposed to catnip or silver vine, cats characteristically rub their faces and bodies against the material and roll in it. This overview surveys the function of this rubbing and rolling, which res…

The Scottish wildcat, the last wild felid native to Britain, is threatened less by direct persecution than by hybridization with domestic and feral cats that has blurred its genetic distinctiveness. T…

The familiar tabby and the wild rosette share developmental roots, and this overview reviews the genetics behind cat coat patterns. Research has identified genes and developmental processes that estab…

Cat coat colours and patterns are a classic teaching example of genetics, and this overview surveys the genes and interactions behind them. It covers the X-linked orange gene that produces the sex-lin…

Most domestic cats are random-bred, but a few dozen recognized breeds have been developed over the past century, providing a resource for genetic study. This overview surveys research using genome-wid…

Cats are crepuscular and nocturnal hunters with eyes adapted for low-light performance, including a reflective tapetum lucidum and a rod-rich retina. This overview surveys the genetic and developmenta…

The orange coloration of cats is governed by an X-linked locus, which is why most calico and tortoiseshell cats are female and display a patchwork of orange and black created by X-chromosome inactivat…

Cats have notably higher dietary protein requirements than many other domestic species because their metabolism is geared toward continuous use of protein for energy and gluconeogenesis, with limited…

Feline infectious peritonitis was first described as a distinct clinical and pathologic entity in the 1960s, before its coronavirus etiology was understood, with early reports characterizing the fibri…

Dental radiography revolutionized feline oral care by revealing disease hidden below the gumline, including the early and subgingival stages of tooth resorption, retained roots, periodontal bone loss,…

The feline killing bite is precisely targeted to the nape, where the canines wedge between cervical vertebrae to sever or crush the spinal cord. This overview surveys research on how cats achieve this…

The release of mature eggs in cats depends on a surge of luteinizing hormone from the pituitary, which in most species is evoked by the sensory stimulus of mating. This overview describes how the magn…

Purring is most associated with contentment, but cats also purr when injured, frightened, giving birth, or near death, prompting research into its varied functions. This overview surveys evidence that…

Adult cats rarely meow at one another but meow frequently at people, leading to the hypothesis that the meow has been shaped by life alongside humans. This overview surveys research comparing the call…

Adult cats rarely meow at one another but meow frequently at people, leading to the hypothesis that the meow is largely a product of life with humans. This overview surveys evidence that domestic cats…

Cats can move their external ears with remarkable freedom thanks to a large number of muscles controlling each pinna. This overview surveys the ear musculature that lets cats rotate, tilt, and swivel…