The cat (Felis silvestris catus; commonly referred to by its original name Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines, is a small carnivorous species of crepuscular mammal that is often valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years.

A skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. It is intelligent and can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn on their own to manipulate simple mechanisms, such as doorknobs. Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including meowing, purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. Cats are popular pets and are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This hobby is known as the "Cat Fancy".

Until recently the cat was commonly believed to have been domesticated in ancient Egypt, where it was a cult animal. blank">Study Traces Cat’s Ancestry to Middle East. By Nicholias Wade. Published: June 29, 2007. The New York Times (Science). Retrieved on: January 23 2008 But a study by the _National Cancer Institute published in the journal Science says that all house cats are descended from a group of self-domesticating desert wildcats Felis silvestris lybica circa 8000 BC, in the Near East. All wildcat subspecies can interbreed, but domestic cats are all genetically contained within F. s. lybica.

Çat is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey.