Plural of cat; small domesticated carnivorous mammals kept as pets or for catching rodents. They are known for their independence, agility, and hunting instincts.
From Old English 'catt', borrowed from Late Latin 'cattus' or 'catta'. The word spread across European languages from a common source, possibly from an Afro-Asiatic language, as cats were first domesticated in ancient Egypt and the Near East.
Cats have one of the most universally recognized animal names across languages - 'cat', 'chat', 'gato', 'katze' - suggesting they spread along with human civilization. Remarkably, cats domesticated themselves rather than being domesticated by humans, choosing to live near human settlements to hunt the rodents attracted to stored grain.
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