Cat vs

Felis catus compared with Nitzschia flexa

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cat
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Chromista (Chromista)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Bacillariales (Bacillariales)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Bacillariaceae
Genus	Felis (Small Cats)	Nitzschia
Species	Felis catus	Nitzschia flexa

Conservation Status

Cat

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cat
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).

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway 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.

Nitzschia flexa is a pennate diatom (class Bacillariophyceae) with a characteristically curved or bent raphe system that gives the genus its distinctive appearance. It inhabits freshwater to brackish environments and contributes to benthic and planktonic algal communities. As a photosynthetic microalga, it plays a foundational role in aquatic food webs and primary production.