Main Difference
The main difference between Cat and Dog is that the Cat is a domesticated species of feline and Dog is a domestic animal.
Cat
The domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus or Felis catus) is a small, typically furry, carnivorous mammal. They are often called house cats when kept as indoor pets or simply cats when there is no need to distinguish them from other felids and felines. They are often valued by humans for companionship and for their ability to hunt vermin. There are more than seventy cat breeds recognized by various cat registries.
Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felids, with a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws and teeth adapted to killing small prey. Cat senses fit a crepuscular and predatory ecological niche. Cats can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small animals. They can see in near darkness. Like most other mammals, cats have poorer color vision and a better sense of smell than humans. Cats, despite being solitary hunters, are a social species, and cat communication includes the use of a variety of vocalizations (mewing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling and grunting) as well as cat pheromones and types of cat-specific body language.
Cats have a high breeding rate. Under controlled breeding, they can be bred and shown as registered pedigree pets, a hobby known as cat fancy. Failure to control the breeding of pet cats by neutering, as well as the abandonment of former household pets, has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, requiring population control. In certain areas outside cats’ native range, this has contributed, along with habitat destruction and other factors, to the extinction of many bird species. Cats have been known to extirpate a bird species within specific regions and may have contributed to the extinction of isolated island populations. Cats are thought to be primarily responsible for the extinction of 33 species of birds since the 1600s, and the presence of feral and free-ranging cats makes some otherwise suitable locations unsuitable for attempted species reintroduction.
Because cats were venerated in ancient Egypt, they were commonly believed to have been domesticated there, but there may have been instances of domestication as early as the Neolithic from around 9,500 years ago (7500 BC). A genetic study in 2007 concluded that all domestic cats are descended from Near Eastern wildcats, having diverged around 8000 BC in the Middle East. A 2016 study found that leopard cats were undergoing domestication independently in China around 5500 BC, though this line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domesticated populations of today. A 2017 study confirmed that domestic cats are descendants of those first domesticated by farmers in the Near East around 9,000 years ago.
As of a 2007 study, cats are the second-most popular pet in the U.S. by number of pets owned, behind freshwater fish. In a 2010 study, they were ranked the third-most popular pet in the UK, after fish and dogs, with around 8 million being owned.
Dog
The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris when considered a subspecies of the gray wolf or Canis familiaris when considered a distinct species) is a member of the genus Canis (canines), which forms part of the wolf-like canids, and is the most widely abundant terrestrial carnivore. The dog and the extant gray wolf are sister taxa as modern wolves are not closely related to the wolves that were first domesticated, which implies that the direct ancestor of the dog is extinct. The dog was the first species to be domesticated and has been selectively bred over millennia for various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes.Their long association with humans has led dogs to be uniquely attuned to human behavior and they are able to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canid species. New research seems to show that dogs have mutations to equivalent genetic regions in humans where changes are known to trigger high sociability and somewhat reduced intelligence. Dogs vary widely in shape, size and colors. Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and military, companionship and, more recently, aiding handicapped individuals and therapeutic roles. This influence on human society has given them the sobriquet “man’s best friend”.
Cat (noun)
An animal of the family Felidae:
“felid”
Cat (noun)
A domesticated subspecies (Felis silvestris catus) of feline animal, commonly kept as a house pet. from 8thc.
“puss|pussy|malkin|kitty|pussy-cat|grimalkin”
Cat (noun)
A person:
Cat (noun)
Any similar animal of the family Felidae, which includes lions, tigers, bobcats, etc.
Cat (noun)
A spiteful or angry woman. from earlier 13thc.
“bitch”
Cat (noun)
An enthusiast or player of jazz.
Cat (noun)
A person (usually male).
“bloke|chap|cove|dude|fellow|fella|guy”
Cat (noun)
A strong tackle used to hoist an anchor to the cathead of a ship.
Cat (noun)
Short form of cat-o’-nine-tails.
Cat (noun)
A sturdy merchant sailing vessel now only in “catboat”.
Cat (noun)
The game of “trap and ball” (also called “cat and dog”).
Cat (noun)
A prostitute. from at least early 15thc.
Cat (noun)
The pointed piece of wood that is struck in the game of tipcat.
Cat (noun)
A vagina, a vulva; the female external genitalia.
Cat (noun)
A double tripod (for holding a plate, etc.) with six feet, of which three rest on the ground, in whatever position it is placed.
Cat (noun)
A catamaran.
Cat (noun)
A program and command in Unix that reads one or more files and directs their content to the standard output.
Cat (noun)
A street name of the drug methcathinone.
Cat (noun)
A catapult.
“a carrier’s bow cats”
Cat (noun)
A catfish.
Cat (noun)
Any of a variety of earth-moving machines. (from their manufacturer Caterpillar Inc.)
Cat (noun)
A caterpillar drive vehicle (a ground vehicle which uses caterpillar tracks), especially tractors, trucks, minibuses, and snow groomers.
Cat (verb)
To hoist (the anchor) by its ring so that it hangs at the cathead.
Cat (verb)
To flog with a cat-o’-nine-tails.
Cat (verb)
To vomit something.
Cat (verb)
To apply the cat command to (one or more files).
Cat (verb)
To dump large amounts of data on (an unprepared target) usually with no intention of browsing it carefully.
Cat (adjective)
Terrible, disastrous.
“The weather was cat, so they returned home early.”
Dog (noun)
A mammal, Canis lupus familiaris, that has been domesticated for thousands of years, of highly variable appearance due to human breeding.
“The dog barked all night long.”
Dog (noun)
A male dog, wolf or fox, as opposed to a bitch (often attributive).
Dog (noun)
A dull, unattractive girl or woman.
“She’s a real dog.”
Dog (noun)
A man (derived from definition 2).
“You lucky dog!”
“He’s a silly dog.”
Dog (noun)
A coward.
“Come back and fight, you dogs!”
Dog (noun)
Someone who is morally reprehensible.
“You dirty dog.”
Dog (noun)
A sexually aggressive man (cf. horny).
Dog (noun)
Any of various mechanical devices for holding, gripping, or fastening something, particularly with a tooth-like projection.
Dog (noun)
A click or pallet adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet-wheel, to restrain the back action; a click or pawl. (See also: ratchet, windlass)
Dog (noun)
A metal support for logs in a fireplace.
“The dogs were too hot to touch.”
Dog (noun)
The eighteenth Lenormand card.
Dog (noun)
A hot dog.
Dog (noun)
Underdog.
Dog (noun)
Foot.
“My dogs are barking!|My feet hurt!”
Dog (noun)
(from “dog and bone”) Phone or mobile phone.
“My dog is dead.|My mobile-phone battery has run out of charge and is no longer able to function.”
Dog (noun)
One of the cones used to divide up a racetrack when training horses.
Dog (verb)
To pursue with the intent to catch.
Dog (verb)
To follow in an annoying or harassing way.
“The woman cursed him so that trouble would dog his every step.”
Dog (verb)
To fasten a hatch securely.
“It is very important to dog down these hatches…”
Dog (verb)
To watch, or participate, in sexual activity in a public place.
“I admit that I like to dog at my local country park.”
Dog (verb)
To intentionally restrict one’s productivity as employee; to work at the slowest rate that goes unpunished.
“A surprise inspection of the night shift found that some workers were dogging it.”