Cat vs Foxtail Smut

Felis catus compared with Urocystis alopecuri

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cat	Foxtail Smut
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Ustilaginomycetes (Ustilaginomycetes)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Urocystidales (Urocystidales)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Urocystidaceae
Genus	Felis (Small Cats)	Urocystis
Species	Felis catus	Urocystis alopecuri

Conservation Status

Cat

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Foxtail Smut

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cat	Foxtail Smut
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	46 cm	—
Average Weight	4.5 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cat

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (9 countries), Asia (7 countries), Europe (11 countries), North America (13 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (11 countries), and South America (6 countries).

Foxtail Smut

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Sweden.

Cat

One of humanity's most successful domesticated companions, domestic cats are small, agile carnivores originating from the Near Eastern wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) domesticated approximately 10,000 years ago. With over 70 recognized breeds, cats retain strong predatory instincts and have colonized virtually every terrestrial environment on Earth. They are the world's most popular pet, with an estimated 600 million kept worldwide.