Felis
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The story of the origins of the domestic cat gets retold on a daily basis somewhere in the world.
Whether the Egyptians or Persians were the first to invite wild cats into their homes and businesses remains a point of contention. Not debated is the fact that the first domesticated cats came from the felis genus.
From the Persians and Egyptians, to the Romans and subsequently the Europeans, the early felis gradually charmed and worked their way into many houses of the Western World.
Today's wild Felis species are small to medium sized cats, with short brown hair on a body that can also have either solid, striped or spotted patterns. Felis tails also usually have a pattern on them.
In short, from afar, their appearance could easily be mistaken for one of their many domesticated relatives.
The introduction of genetic analysis in the field of biology has given rise to across the board taxonomic upheavals. The case of the genus Felis in the Felidae family is no exception.
Currently the IUCN lists four European, African and Asian species in the genus.
- Jungle Cat (Felis chaus): Status: Least Concern
- Sand Cat (Felis margarita): Status: Near Threatened
- Black-footed Cat (Felis nigripes): Status: Vulnerable
- Wild Cat (Felis silvestris): Status: Least Concern
- Chinese Desert Cat (Felis silvestris ssp. bieti): Status: Vulnerable
© 2010 Patricia A. Michaels.