Classification

Domain: Eukarya
        Kingdom: Animalia
                Phylum: Chordata
                        Class: Mammalia
                                Order: Carnivora
                                        Family: Felidae
                                                Genus: Felis
                                                          Species: Felis catus

My roommate Karlee's kitty (taken by Karlee)

◊◊◊The cat belongs in the Domain Eukarya because their cells have a nucleus and membrane- bound organelles.◊◊◊

◊◊◊As a member of the kingdom Animalia, locomotion is a distinct characteristic.◊◊◊

◊◊◊They are part of the phylum Chordata for many reasons. Firstly, they have bilateral symmetry which allows for a very distinct head region and segmentation. Also, cats have three germ layers (triploblastic) and a complete digestive tract.◊◊◊

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Members of the class Mammalia feed their young with milk from mammary glands. They also have bodies covered with hair, and maintain a constant body temperature.◊◊◊

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As the name states, members of the order Carnivora are carnivores-meaning that they primarily eat meat. Sometimes cats are seen chewing on grass or catnip, however, it is not food for them.◊◊◊

◊◊◊All cats belong to the family Felidae, which translates to "one of those that are happy."◊◊◊

◊◊◊The genus Felis consists of all smaller cats. Also, this word is derived from the Latin word felix, which means happy and cats definitely show when they're happy- they purr. See adaptations.◊◊◊

◊◊◊Felis catus just means "happy cat." Which makes perfect sense, considering the domestic cat is the most friendly and happy species within the family Felidae.◊◊◊

Clip Art Happy Cat

To see how domestic cats are related to other cats, click here.