🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

The small cats of the ocelot lineage are unusual within the otherwise karyotypically conservative cat family for having a reduced chromosome number, the result of an ancestral chromosome fusion. This…

The domestic cat harbors more than two hundred inherited disorders, many of which mirror human genetic diseases, making it a valuable biomedical model. This overview surveys how feline genetics has il…

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…

One striking property of the cat's vertical-slit pupil is its enormous range of aperture, contracting to a narrow line in bright light and opening to a wide circle in darkness. This overview surveys h…

This overview surveys how and when true cats first reached North America, ending the long cat gap. The earliest felids evolved in the Old World, and their descendants crossed the Bering land bridge du…

Attacks on humans by tigers, though rare relative to encounters, have a long and consequential history. This overview synthesizes what ecological research suggests about the circumstances that lead a…

Understanding why people poach, and what deters them, is essential to designing effective anti-poaching strategy. This overview surveys research on the economics and behavior of poaching, examining th…

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…

This overview synthesises the contested evidence on translocating conflict big cats, capturing and releasing them elsewhere, as a management response. It reviews studies, prominently from Indian leopa…

Molecular phylogenetics partitions all living cats into eight monophyletic lineages, a framework that now organizes felid taxonomy. This overview names and characterizes them: the Panthera lineage (bi…

Modern cats are divided into eight monophyletic lineages: the Panthera lineage (lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, snow leopards, clouded leopards), the bay cat lineage, the caracal lineage, the ocelot…

The bay cat, Catopuma badia, is endemic to Borneo and among the least known of all cats, with very few observations or specimens. This overview examines its taxonomy, including its placement in the ba…

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…

At the northern edge of the range, fewer than a hundred ocelots persist in two small populations in deep south Texas, making them among the most endangered cats in the United States. This overview com…

Cats span a remarkable size range, from the kilogram-scale rusty-spotted and black-footed cats to tigers weighing hundreds of kilograms, and body size has evolved repeatedly in different directions. T…

The ability to roar distinguishes the genus Panthera and is tied to specialized anatomy of the larynx and a flexible hyoid apparatus, while smaller cats purr instead. This overview surveys the anatomi…

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…

Wildcats on some Mediterranean islands, such as Sardinia, Corsica, and Crete, were long treated as native subspecies, but genetic studies suggest they descend from cats introduced by humans. This over…

The genus Prionailurus includes not only leopard cats but also the fishing cat and flat-headed cat, specialized wetland felids. This overview examines their placement within the leopard cat lineage an…

Charismatic and wetland-dependent, the fishing cat has become a flagship species mobilising protection for the marshes and waterways of cities such as Colombo. This overview synthesises conservation-s…

Consensus veterinary guidelines distil decades of feline welfare science into five environmental needs: a safe place to retreat; multiple and separated key resources; opportunity for play and predator…

The flat-headed cat is among the rarest cats in the camera-trap record, and this overview reviews the resulting challenges. Its restricted range, narrow wetland habitat, nocturnal habits, and apparent…