cat

cat — noun

1. a small, soft-furred animal with four legs, a long tail, and sharp claws. People

1.nounA1
Definition

a small, soft-furred animal with four legs, a long tail, and sharp claws. People commonly keep it inside the house for company or to chase away mice.

Example

Leila's cat likes to sit on the sofa and watch birds through the window.

collocation: possessive + cat

Our neighbour keeps two cats in her small apartment.

countable noun with numbers

Common collocations
  • feed the cat
  • pet the cat
  • cat food
  • cat litter
  • stray cat
  • indoor cat
Synonyms
  • kitten

    a young cat, not an adult

  • feline

    formal or scientific term for a cat

  • moggie

    British informal term for a mixed-breed cat

Antonyms
  • dog

    a different type of pet, often seen as the opposite in personality

Common Mistakes

I have two cats and one dog.
No change
this is correct. But learners sometimes say 'I have a cat and a dog.' and forget to use the plural for multiple cats.

2. any animal from the zoological group that also includes house cats, such as lion

2.nounB1
Definition

any animal from the zoological group that also includes house cats, such as lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs that live in the wild

Example

Lions are the only cats that live and hunt together in large groups.

countable: cats = big cats / wild felids

The zoo has a new area for African cats including cheetahs and leopards.

Common collocations
  • big cats
  • wild cats
  • the cat family
  • African cats
  • large cats
Synonyms
  • big cat

    common term for large wild members of the cat family like lions and tigers

  • felid

    very formal; used in scientific writing

  • wild cat

    general term for any non-domesticated cat species

Idioms

be the cat’s whiskers/pyjamas

idiom

To be the best or most impressive thing or person.

Maya thinks her new phone is the cat's whiskers.

Diego felt like the cat's pyjamas after winning the race.

be raining cats and dogs

idiom

To be raining very heavily.

We stayed inside because it was raining cats and dogs.

Is it raining cats and dogs outside right now?

(has the) cat got your tongue?

idiom

A question asked to someone who is silent when they should speak.

Why won't you answer? Cat got your tongue?

The teacher asked, "Cat got your tongue, Leo?"

curiosity killed the cat

idiom

A warning that asking too many questions can lead to trouble.

Don't pry into his past; curiosity killed the cat.

Remember, curiosity killed the cat, so stop asking.

fight like cat and dog

idiom

To argue or fight frequently and intensely.

My brothers fight like cat and dog over video games.

Sara and her roommate fought like cat and dog all year.

let the cat out of the bag

idiom

To reveal a secret accidentally or carelessly.

Aiden let the cat out of the bag about the party.

Who let the cat out of the bag and told Mom?

like a cat on a hot tin roof

idiom

Very nervous or restless.

Before her interview, Mia was like a cat on a hot tin roof.

He paced around like a cat on a hot tin roof.

like a cat that’s got the cream

idiom

Very pleased with oneself or smug.

After getting the promotion, Tom looked like a cat that's got the cream.

She smiled like a cat that's got the cream after winning.

like herding cats

idiom

Describes a very difficult task, especially organizing people.

Getting all the kids to sit still is like herding cats.

Managing this team is like herding cats every day.

no room to swing a cat

idiom

A very small space with little room to move.

His apartment is tiny; there's no room to swing a cat.

In this crowded bus, there's no room to swing a cat.

put/set the cat among the pigeons

idiom

To say or do something that causes trouble or upset.

His announcement set the cat among the pigeons at the meeting.

She put the cat among the pigeons by revealing the secret.

there’s more than one way to skin a cat

idiom

There are many different ways to achieve a goal.

Don't give up; there's more than one way to skin a cat.

He proved there's more than one way to skin a cat by fixing it differently.

when the cat’s away, the mice will play

idiom

People misbehave or enjoy themselves when the authority figure is absent.

When the boss left, the staff relaxed; when the cat's away, the mice will play.

The kids threw a party because when the cat's away, the mice will play.

Word family

  • kitten
    nounA2
  • catty
    adjectiveC1
  • cat-like
    adjectiveB2
  • feline
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cat is the general everyday word for the domestic animal. Use it in any situation. Kitten refers specifically to a young cat under about one year old — people often say "a six-month-old kitten." Feline is more formal or scientific; a vet might use "feline" in medical contexts ("feline diabetes"), but in conversation people still say "cat." Moggie is a casual British term for a cat of no particular breed — it carries a warm, affectionate tone ("our old moggie sleeps by the fire"). Stick with cat for most situations; kitten for the young; feline in formal writing; moggie only in informal British English.

cat ↗kittenfelinemoggie

Common collocations

Phrases

Etymology

Nubian (or Afro-Asiatic)LatinGermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word cat comes from Old English catt, which is related to similar words in many European languages (German Katze, French chat, Latin cattus). The Latin word cattus may have come from an African language spoken in the region of Nubia (modern Sudan). Cats were domesticated in ancient Egypt and spread to Europe through trade routes. The ancient Romans kept cats for catching mice and brought them throughout their empire, which is how the word eventually entered the Germanic and Slavic languages.