Cat

Any animal belonging to the natural family Felidae and in particular to the various species of the genera Felis Panthera and Lynx The domestic cat is Felis domestica The European wild cat Felis catus is much larger than the domestic cat In the United States the name wild cat is commonly applied to the bay lynx Lynx rufus The larger felines such as the lion tiger leopard and cougar are often referred to as cats and sometimes as big cats See Wild cat and Tiger cat