🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

Cat skulls vary in robustness and proportion, and this overview surveys how that variation tracks the size of prey a species typically takes. Cats that tackle relatively large prey tend to have more r…

The vertical slit pupil of small cats is a striking feature, and this overview reviews why such pupils evolved. Comparative work links vertical slit pupils to small ambush predators active across a wi…

Navigating and exploiting a home range requires cats to build and use spatial knowledge of their environment. This overview surveys research on how cats learn the layout of their territory, the locati…

The felid spine is notably flexible, and this overview surveys how that flexibility serves functions from grooming and squeezing through gaps to extending stride during a gallop. Dorsoventral flexion…

A stalking cat moves with a deliberate, low, near-silent gait that minimises noise and visibility. This overview examines the biomechanics of this slow, controlled locomotion: careful weight transfer,…

Cats sometimes kill more prey than they consume, a phenomenon called surplus killing that appears when vulnerable prey is abundant and the killing response is repeatedly triggered. This overview surve…

Fur is not only insulation but also a sensory surface, and this overview reviews the tactile roles of body hair beyond the specialised whiskers. Ordinary hairs are associated with nerve endings that d…

A successful jump requires aiming as much as power, and this overview reviews how cats control takeoff angle and trajectory to land accurately. By adjusting the direction and force of push-off, a cat…

Cats require dietary taurine, and this overview reviews this classic example of feline nutritional specialisation. Unlike many mammals, cats cannot make enough taurine themselves and must get it from…

In endangered cats, individual temperament can determine reproductive success and welfare in managed-care programs. This overview surveys research extending the cheetah findings to other species, exam…

Cats hear across an exceptionally wide frequency range, and this overview reviews its extent and predatory value. Feline hearing extends well into ultrasonic frequencies, higher than humans and even m…

Sabertoothed cats are thought to have killed very differently from living felids, and this overview reviews the leading canine-shear hypothesis in that comparative light. Where modern big cats use a p…

Roughly two-thirds of domestic cats display a stereotyped response to catnip, sniffing, licking, rolling, and rubbing, triggered by the compound nepetalactone acting through the olfactory and vomerona…

Claw deployment is powered by the deep digital flexor muscle, whose tendons run down each toe to the claw-bearing bone. This overview reviews the tendon-and-pulley arrangement that protracts the claws…

The cat first digit, carried high on the inner foreleg as the dewclaw, does not touch the ground in walking but plays a role in grasping. This overview reviews its anatomy and function: a mobile, claw…

Cats purr not only when content but sometimes when injured, frightened, or near death, and this overview reviews the puzzle of purring varied contexts. Because purring occurs in both positive and stre…

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…

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…

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…

The classic division between cats that roar and cats that purr was long tied to the hyoid apparatus, and this overview reviews this anatomy and the nuance behind it. The roaring big cats of the genus…

The feline jaw joint is configured to permit a strong hinge-like open-and-close motion while limiting the sideways grinding seen in herbivores and omnivores. This overview reviews how the shape of the…

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 pounce is a hallmark of feline hunting, and this overview reviews it as a specialised short-range jump. After a stealthy approach, a cat launches a controlled leap onto nearby prey, combining a me…

Cat claws are often called retractable, but they are more accurately protrusible: at rest they are held back by elastic ligaments, and muscles actively pull them forward into action. This overview exp…

Compared with dogs and bears, cats have notably short, deep snouts, and this overview explains the biomechanical payoff. Shortening the rostrum moves the canine teeth and carnassials closer to the jaw…

The eerie eyeshine of cats comes from the tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina, and this overview reviews how it boosts vision in dim light. By bouncing light that has passed through…

Cats possess a third eyelid, the nictitating membrane, and this overview reviews its anatomy and function. This translucent fold sweeps across the eye from the inner corner, helping spread tears, clea…

Many cats rock or wiggle their hindquarters just before pouncing, and this overview reviews proposed explanations for this behaviour. Suggestions include priming the leg muscles for an explosive launc…

Cats maintain a stable body temperature across varied conditions, and this overview reviews their thermoregulatory strategies. Cats balance heat production and loss through behaviour, circulation, and…

True tool use is essentially absent in cats, but felids display tool-adjacent behaviours that involve manipulating objects and environments to achieve goals. This overview surveys examples such as usi…