Brown Rat vs Cat

Rattus norvegicus compared with Felis catus

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while Cat is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Cat
Kingdom same	Animalia (hayvan)	Animalia (hayvan)
Phylum same	Chordata (Kordalılar)	Chordata (Kordalılar)
Class same	Mammalia (memeliler)	Mammalia (memeliler)
Order	Rodentia (kemiriciler)	Carnivora (etçiller)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Rattus	Felis (Small Cats)
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Felis catus

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and Cat share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (memeliler)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Cat

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Cat
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	46 cm
Average Weight	—	4.5 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Rat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (11 countries), Asia (15 countries), Europe (41 countries), North America (16 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (10 countries), and South America (10 countries).

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).

Brown Rat

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 49 countries:

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇸 Bahamas 🇧🇧 Barbados 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇩🇲 Dominica 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea 🇫🇯 Fiji 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇩 Grenada 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇱 Israel 🇯🇲 Jamaica 🇯🇵 Japan 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 🇲🇺 Mauritius 🇫🇲 Micronesia 🇳🇦 Namibia 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇪 Peru 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇺 Russia 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 🇼🇸 Samoa 🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe 🇸🇨 Seychelles 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇹🇴 Tonga 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States 🇻🇺 Vanuatu