Felis is agenus of small cats in the familyFelidae. They include the familiardomestic cat and its closest wild relatives. The wild species are found inEurope, southern and centralAsia, andAfrica. The domestic cat, which may have its origin in North Africa, is now worldwide.
Members of the genusFelis are all small felines, rather similar to the domestic cat. The smallest species is thesand cat, which may be less than 40 centimetres (16 in) in length, while the largest is thejungle cat, which can reach 94 centimetres (37 in). They live in many habitats:forests,grassland,swampland anddeserts. They mostly feed on smallrodents, supplementing their diet withbirds and other small animals, depending on their local environment.
Genetic studies indicate that the genusFelis first evolved around eight to ten million years ago, probably in the Mediterranean region.[1]
The genusFelis is currently considered to consist of six living species, although the domestic cat and Chinese mountain cat are sometimes considered subspecies ofF. silvestris.
Small cats are those smaller than thecheetah. These are small cats classified under other genera thanFelis:
