Cats

This group gathers Carnivorans that belong to the cat family, Felidae, the most strictly carnivorous branch of the order, recognized by a short rounded skull, retractable claws in nearly every species and a hunting style built around stalking and a short, powerful pursuit rather than sustained endurance chasing. It spans the big cats such as the lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard, the mid-sized cats such as the cheetah, cougar, lynx and clouded leopard, and dozens of small wild cats found on every inhabited continent, alongside the domestic cat and its feral populations. Their shared anatomy and hunting style set them apart from the dog family's endurance pursuit predators and from the bear family's largely solitary omnivores.