Cat vs Common Dodder

Felis catus compared with Cuscuta gronovii

Key Differences

Cat is Not Evaluated while Common Dodder is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cat	Common Dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)
Order	Carnivora (ネコ目)	Solanales (ナス目)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Felis (Small Cats)	Cuscuta
Species	Felis catus	Cuscuta gronovii

Conservation Status

Cat

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Common Dodder

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cat	Common 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).

Common Dodder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (11 countries) and North America (United States).

Cat

人類が最も成功した家畜の一つであるイエネコは、約1万年前に近東のヤマネコ（Felis silvestris lybica）から家畜化された小型で敏捷な肉食動物だ。70を超える公認品種が存在し、ネコは強い捕食本能を維持したまま地球上のほぼすべての陸地環境に分布している。世界で最も人気のあるペットで、世界中で約6億匹が飼育されていると推定される。

<em>Cuscuta gronovii</em>, the common dodder, is a parasitic annual vine in the family Convolvulaceae. This species is distributed across eleven European countries as well as the United States, where it typically inhabits diverse terrestrial environments including wetland margins, roadsides, thickets, and disturbed vegetation. Unlike most plants, <em>Cuscuta gronovii</em> lacks chlorophyll and is entirely dependent on host plants for water and nutrients, which it extracts through specialized structures called haustoria. The common dodder typically has slender, twining orange or yellowish stems and produces small, clustered white or pale pink flowers in late summer. It often parasitizes a broad range of host species, including many herbaceous and shrubby plants. Once attached to a host, it typically sheds its connection to the soil and relies entirely on the host for sustenance. The species is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting its wide distribution and ability to colonize disturbed habitats. Its parasitic life history makes it ecologically notable among flowering plants.