Cats
Latest about Domestic Cats
![A house cat and its puny, puny brain.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NfMkfdkg9mPvPDREy8Vse6-320-80.jpg)
Cat brains are shrinking, and it's all humans' fault
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Researchers compared the skulls of domesticated house cats to the skulls of their closest wild ancestor, and found that cat brains are definitely shrinking.
![Close up of the face of a black cat with big green eyes on a black background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UPBqg7M7MyBc3FM45CsFXe-320-80.jpg)
Can cats really see in the dark?
By Joe Phelan last updated
How do cats navigate around rooms in the dark?
![Even when they leave, they still are there.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sCpuEzjntNacXb7f8tzUHn-320-80.jpg)
You can't hide from your cat, so don't even try
By Mindy Weisberger last updated
Cats create "mental maps" using audio cues, scientists have discovered. This enables cats to spatially orient unseen companions, an ability that was previously unknown in felines.
![Cats can remember their buddies' names.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z7wuZCZwWZ7rMrFN4AZmVH-320-80.jpg)
Cats can memorize their friends' names, new study suggests
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Cats may be able to remember the names of cohabitating cats — but it depends where they live, new research suggests.
![A cat blissfully rubs its face on a catnip-covered scratching post.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/v4vigiC2EvFTxntkHXkw9K-320-80.jpg)
Does Catnip Really Make Cats 'High'?
By Mindy Weisberger last updated
Cats that have an extreme response to catnip may look like they're experiencing euphoria.
![Cat flinging a mouse into the air.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wc4CpPviXbFRYr7cwvBSGk-320-80.jpg)
Why do cats 'play' with their prey?
By Joanna Thompson last updated
Here's why cats 'play' with their prey before dealing the death blow.
![Green-eyed cat relaxing on a cream carpet](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KHQb3Ny62YxXnCEon4mm43-320-80.jpg)
Cats: The strange and fascinating history of our feline friends
By Stephanie Pappas last updated
Reference Cats have associated with humans for up to 10,000 years.
![An illustration of Eusmilus, a now-extinct saber-toothed genus of nimravid that stalked prey in Europe during the late Eocene and early Oligocene epochs (about 37 million to 28 million years ago).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fxqak8GibXSpBeopfyAKj4-320-80.jpg)
Did cats really disappear from North America for 7 million years?
By Joe Phelan published
Here's the science behind the so-called "cat gap," a roughly 7 million-long period in North America in which there aren't any known cat fossils.
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