Cats come members of the family Felidae. It is a virtually all strictly carnivorous of the nine families in the order Carnivora. A 1st feline emerged when you took a Eocene, about 40 million years ago. A virtually all familiar felid is the domestic cat, which first became associated sustaining man between 7000 & 4000 years ago. Its uncivilized relatives however sleep in Africa & american Asia, although habitat destruction has restricted their range.

More easily-known members of the cat personal include big cats such as a lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, and cheetah (which despite its size, appears to be descended from either a little cats), & more untamed cats like a lynx, puma, and bobcat. Tons cats, a little farm cat involved, come superpredators capable of destroying almost any animal little than themselves.

There are 36 known species of cats in the world now. It whole part the transmissible anomaly that prevents the children from either tasting sweetness [http://genetics.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.0010003].

A cats' nearest relatives come thought to exist as a civets, hyenas, and mongooses.

Classification
Subfamily Felinae Genus Felis Wild Cat, Felis silvestris Desert Cat or African Wild Cat, Felis silvestris lybica Domestic Cat, Felis silvestris catus Sand Cat, Felis margarita Jungle Cat, Felis chaus Black-footed Cat, Felis nigripes Chinese Desert Cat, Felis bieti Genus Otocolobus Pallas Cat, Otocolobus manul Genus Catopuma Asiatic Golden Cat, Catopuma temminckii Bay Cat, Catopuma badia Genus Profelis African Golden Cat, Profelis aurata Genus Prionailurus Leopard Cat, Prionailurus bengalensis Fishing Cat, Prionailurus viverrinus Flat-headed Cat, Prionailurus planiceps Rusty-spotted Cat, Prionailurus rubiginosus Genus Lynx Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx Spanish Lynx, Lynx pardinus Canadian Lynx, Lynx canadensis Bobcat, Lynx rufus Genus Caracal Caracal, Caracal caracal Genus Leptailurus Serval, Leptailurus serval Genus Herpailurus Jaguarundi, Herpailurus yaguarondi Genus Oncifelis Pampas Cat, Oncifelis colocolo Geoffroy's Cat, Oncifelis geoffroyi Kodkod, Oncifelis guigna Genus Oreailurus Andean Cat, Oreailurus jacobita Genus Leopardus Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis Margay, Leopardus wiedii Little Spotted Cat, Leopardus tigrinus Genus Puma Puma, Puma concolor Subfamily Pantherinae Genus Pardofelis Marbled Cat, Pardofelis marmorata Genus Neofelis Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa Genus Uncia Snow Leopard, Uncia uncia Genus Panthera Lion, Panthera leo Tiger, Panthera tigris Leopard, Panthera pardus Jaguar, Panthera onca Subfamily Acinonychinae Genus Acinonyx Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus

Fossil cats
A oldest known felid (Aelurogale, Eofelis) emerged in the Eocene. Better known is Proailurus, which lived in the Oligocene and Miocene eras. In a period of the Miocene it gave way to Pseudaelurus. Pseudaelurus is believed to exist as a latest most common ascendant of a 3 above-above-named subfamilies & an additional subfamily, the Machairodontinae. This class action, better referred to as a saber-toothed tiger cats, became out in the early Pleistocene era. It includes a genera Smilodon, Machairodus, Dinofelis and Homotherium.