It is a social species, but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator. It has a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth, and its night vision and sense of smell are well developed. Because of its retractable claws it is adapted to killing small prey like mice and rats. It is valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin. It is commonly kept as a house pet and farm cat, but also ranges freely as a feral cat avoiding human contact. Recent advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the domestication of the cat occurred in the Near East around 7500 BC.
The cat ( Felis catus), commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae.
