Cat vs Clover Dodder

Felis catus compared with Cuscuta epithymum

Key Differences

Cat is Not Evaluated while Clover Dodder is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cat	Clover Dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (planta)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Solanales (Solanales)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Felis (Small Cats)	Cuscuta
Species	Felis catus	Cuscuta epithymum

Conservation Status

Cat

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cat	Clover Dodder
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).

Clover Dodder

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cat

Uno de los compañeros domésticos más exitosos de la humanidad, los gatos domésticos son pequeños carnívoros ágiles originarios del gato montés del Cercano Oriente (Felis silvestris lybica) domesticado hace aproximadamente 10.000 años. Con más de 70 razas reconocidas, los gatos conservan fuertes instintos depredadores y han colonizado prácticamente todos los entornos terrestres de la Tierra. Son la mascota más popular del mundo, con alrededor de 600 millones en cautiverio.

Clover Dodder

Clover dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) is a parasitic flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, a leafless, twining vine that obtains all its water and nutrients from host plants via haustoria — specialized penetrating organs that connect to host vascular tissue. The species is almost entirely dependent on its hosts throughout its life, with only brief photosynthetic activity during germination before establishing parasitic connections. C. epithymum parasitizes a wide range of host species including clover (Trifolium), gorse (Ulex), heathers (Erica, Calluna), thyme (Thymus), and other plants in open heathland, grassland, and scrub habitats. The stems are thread-like, yellowish-pink or reddish, and support clusters of small white to pale pink flowers. Originally widespread across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Americas, the species has declined significantly in many parts of its range due to agricultural intensification, herbicide application, grassland conversion, and loss of semi-natural heathlands. It is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population decline across its European core range. Conservation of C. epithymum requires the maintenance of unimproved, low-nutrient grasslands and heathlands that support its diverse host plant communities. The species is recorded from Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, though populations in some regions represent introductions associated with contaminated legume seed lots.