Domestic cat

James E. Diffendorfer

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USGS · 70195007

Domestic cat

James E. Diffendorfer

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Abstract

The familiar domestic cat is not native to southern California and is considered an invasive spe-cies by biologists and conservation organizations. When owners abandon their cats, wild or feral populations may arise, as they have in San Diego County. Cats’ pelage color, tail length, and hair thickness vary widely, given human fascination with breeding diverse phenotypes, but all have a typical felid body with upright ears, forward-looking eyes adapted for nocturnal foraging, protractible claws, and a sinuous, flexible body. Cats allowed outdoors and feral cats kill and eat a wide variety of vertebrates such as small mammals, birds, and reptiles

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James E. Diffendorfer. 2017. Domestic cat. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70195007

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