There are all kinds of cats. Some are house cat species or domestic cat species, which is what most of us have in our homes. There are big cat species, which generally live in the wild and in zoos. Of the kinds of cats, there are few that cat actually be raised domestically.

Different kinds of cats means there are more kinds to know and love. There are 36 known types of species of cats in the wild. Some are endangered cat species, and some are prominent. Of all cat species, the most familiar to most of us are Cheetah, leopard, cougar, jaguar, tiger and lion. There are different varieties of wild cats, and their types depend on a multitude of factors (see below). The term “big cats” generally refers to the large wild cats listed above, while “small cats” can refer to smaller wild cats. House cats are usually called domestic cats.

Cat family species names are often difficult to know as they are Latin. Scientific research into cat species shows that all cats, domestic and wild, are related. When asking yourself “what kind of cat do I have?” remember that it is probably a “mutt” of sorts. In other words, very few people have purebred cats, and if you do, you probably know it already. Purebred pets are very expensive and often come with papers that register them with a purebred organization. There are different kinds of Siamese cats and Persian cats, along with different kinds of other purebred cats.

Most domestic cats are a little bit of every type of domestic cat. If you look closely at your cat’s coat, you can see some of his markings that may be a mixture of markings from his mother or father. Some cats have stripes and others have spots. Still others have special markings like tortoise shell cats or calico cats. There are also all white and all black cats.

These markings and color distinctions are the beginning of telling the different between cat species in the wild. Other ways to tell are size and body shape. You can also tell what type of cat species you are looking at by determining where the cat lives. These are not the type of cats who eat Nature’s Variety cat food; they hunt and kill wild game and are very dangerous. Wild cats should never be approached. Even if you mean them no harm, they do not know that and may attack you.