Introducing the Question
There is often some confusion about whether cats are rodents or not. While mice, rats, squirrels, and other similar small mammals with large front teeth are clearly rodents, the classification of cats is less obvious to the casual observer. Cats’ sharp claws, stealthy hunting behaviors, and ability to fit into small spaces brings up a natural association with rodents in some people’s minds.
However, cats actually belong to a completely separate order of mammals called Carnivora. Felines like lions, tigers, and domestic cats have evolved very differently from rodents over millions of years. While they may share some superficial rodent-like qualities, cats are about as far away genetically from being rodents as humans are. The confusion stems from not fully understanding the taxonomic classification system and how vastly different orders of mammals like rodents and felines truly are.
Defining Rodents
Rodents are a large group of mammals characterized by their continuously growing incisor teeth. According to Animal Diversity Web, rodents make up the single largest order of mammals, accounting for 43% of all mammal species https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Rodentia/. Some key characteristics of rodents include:
- Continuously growing incisors – The incisors of rodents grow continuously throughout their life. This helps them gnaw and maintain their teeth as they feed on tough materials.
- Herbivores – Most rodents are herbivores, feeding on seeds, nuts, grains, fruits, and other plant materials. Their specialized teeth allow them to gnaw through hard shells.
- Small bodies – Rodents are typically small, ranging from tiny pygmy mice to large capybaras. Their small size helps them move through tunnels and confined spaces.
- Adaptability – Rodents are found in a diverse range of habitats around the world. They can adapt to many ecological niches due to their opportunistic feeding and ability to reproduce rapidly.
- Prolific breeders – Rodents have a high reproductive rate, allowing rapid population growth. Litters can be large, and females can have multiple litters per year.
In summary, rodents are defined by key anatomical features like continuously growing incisors. They also share common ecological traits like small body size, herbivorous diets, rapid reproduction, and adaptability to many habitats.
Cats are Not Rodents Because They Have Different Teeth
One of the biggest differences between cats and rodents is their teeth structure. Rodents like mice, rats, and squirrels have characteristic large, chisel-shaped incisor teeth that grow continuously throughout their lives. Their incisors are used for gnawing and biting. Rodents lack canine teeth.
Cats, on the other hand, do not have continuously growing incisors like rodents. Cats have small incisors used for grooming. More importantly, cats have long, pointed canine teeth used for hunting prey and tearing meat. Their premolar and molar teeth are adapted for biting and shearing [“Dog and Cat Teeth: The Basics,” Mission Ridge Veterinary Clinic]. The teeth structure of cats clearly sets them apart from rodents.
Cats are Not Rodents Because…
One key difference between cats and rodents is their diets. Rodents are herbivores or omnivores that mainly eat plant material, seeds, fruits, vegetables, fungi, and sometimes insects. Mice and rats specifically are opportunistic omnivores that consume plant and animal matter. In contrast, cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they require a meat-based diet due to specific nutritional requirements.
Cats cannot synthesize certain essential amino acids like taurine on their own, so they must obtain it through animal flesh. Their natural prey includes small mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. While cats do hunt and kill rodents, their nutritional needs are not ideally met by only eating plant-based foods. According to Animal Medical Center of Chicago, an ideal diet for a cat would be 5-6 mice per day. However, cats cannot healthily subsist only on rodents.
Commercially produced cat foods do not contain rodents like mice or rats as the main ingredients. Instead, they use animal byproducts and meat meals from poultry, beef, lamb, and fish. While some cat foods advertise “mouse flavor,” they do not actually contain rodents. The unique nutritional requirements and carnivorous nature of cats set them apart from rodents.
The Real Differences
Cats and rodents differ significantly in both their physiology and behavior. Some key differences include:
Size and Appearance: Rodents come in a range of sizes, from large rats to tiny mice. But in general they tend to have elongated snouts, prominent front teeth for gnawing, and long tails. Cats have very different proportioned bodies, with more rounded faces and retractable claws. Their tails are also shorter than a rodent’s tail. Cats are much larger than mice and some species of rats.
Diet: Rodents are herbivores or omnivores, meaning they eat plant materials, seeds, fungi and sometimes insects. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they survive exclusively on meat. Cats hunt and kill rodents for food.
Habitat and Shelter: Wild rodents often live in underground burrows or nests and like enclosed, dark spaces. Cats may rest in enclosed areas but do not burrow. Feral cats will seek shelter in abandoned buildings, sheds or trees.
Social Behavior: Rats and mice are very social animals that live in colonies and families. Cats are more solitary and territorial. Feral cats may form small colonies for safety, but do not cooperatively care for the young.
Predator vs Prey: As hunters, cats view rodents as prey to catch and kill. Rodents exhibit fear responses and evasive tactics when encountering cat scent or sounds. Their behavior confirms their historical predator-prey relationship.
Where the Confusion Comes From
There are some similarities in appearance and behavior between cats and rodents that cause people to confuse the two:
Size – Cats are relatively small mammals, similar in size to many rodents like rats, mice, and squirrels. Their compact size contributes to the misconception.
Whiskers – Both cats and rodents have prominent whiskers used for sensing their environment. This shared facial feature creates an impression of kinship.
Nocturnal Habits – Cats and rodents can be active at night, prowling and foraging in the dark. This reinforces the notion they occupy a similar niche.
Hunting Mice – Cats are avid hunters of mice and rats, which are rodents. Their keen interest in chasing and killing small rodents further aligns them in people’s minds.[https://www.quora.com/Why-are-cats-so-interested-in-mice]
Pest Control – Cats are used for natural rodent control around homes and businesses. Their skill as mousers connects them with rodents in this predatory relationship.[https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/w7rp5p/do_people_still_use_cats_for_pest_control/]
Cats are Actually Felines
Cats belong to the family Felidae, which is a family of mammals that includes lions, tigers, cougars, and domestic cats. Felidae is part of the larger cat-like carnivore group Feliformia, which also includes hyenas, mongooses, and civets. There are 37 species in the Felidae family that are split into two categories – big cats and small cats. Big cats include lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, and cougars. Small cats include lynxes, ocelots, and of course, domestic cats like tabbies and Siamese. All felids share a common ancestor and have evolved similar physical traits like flexible bodies, retractable claws, sensitive whiskers, and specialized teeth for hunting prey and eating meat.
The feline family evolved around 25 million years ago, branching off from a shared ancestor with viverrids (civets, genets, and linsangs). The earliest cats were small, tree-dwelling animals like the margay. Around 6-7 million years ago, the major lineages of modern cats emerged. The first primitive big cats appeared in Southeast Asia, then spread out into other continents. Cats became more adapted to running and hunting large prey on land. Eventually, they evolved into today’s big cat species like lions, leopards, and tigers. Small cats filled different niches by hunting smaller prey in forests, grasslands, and deserts around the world.
So while cats may look different from each other in size, habitat, coat patterns, etc., they all share the same evolutionary roots in the Felidae family. Their ancestry gives them key traits and behaviors in common that differentiate felines from other mammal groups like canines, rodents, or ungulates (hooved mammals).
Source: https://www.britannica.com/browse/Cats
Fun Facts About Cats
Here are some fun and interesting facts about our feline friends:
Cats sleep for around 16 hours a day on average. They are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk and sleep during the day and night 1.
A group of cats is called a clowder. Another less common term for a group of cats is a glaring
Cats have an average of 24 whiskers, arranged in four horizontal rows on each side. Their whiskers help them detect air currents, determine if they can fit through spaces, and provide information about their surroundings even when it’s too dark to see 2.
A cat’s hearing is much more sensitive than humans and dogs. They can hear frequencies up to 64kHz compared to a human’s hearing range of 20kHz.
Cats have excellent night vision due to having a high proportion of rods vs cones in their eyes. They need 1/6 the amount of light humans need to see.
The oldest cat on record lived to 38 years old. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is between 13-17 years.
Rodents are found almost everywhere in the world and make up the largest order of mammals. Here are some fascinating facts about these prolific creatures:
Fun Facts About Rodents
Rodents have a pair of sharp, continuously growing incisors. These teeth are kept short by the act of gnawing and chewing. Some rodents can chew through concrete and wire.
The capybara is the largest rodent in the world. Found in South America, this semi-aquatic mammal can weigh up to 140 lbs (65 kg). Capybaras are very social and live in groups of 10-20 individuals.
Rodents have excellent senses of smell, taste, touch, and hearing. These adaptations help them find food, navigate in the dark, and avoid predators.
The aggregate weight of all rats on Earth is likely greater than the aggregate weight of all humans. With around 7 billion rats worldwide, their combined mass adds up quickly.
Beavers are second only to humans in their ability to manipulate and change their environment. They construct dams and lodges that alter the landscape and create new aquatic habitats.
Rodents have specialized teeth that never stop growing. The incisors in the front are used for gnawing and biting while the molars in the back are used for grinding food.
Rodents are incredibly prolific breeders. A single pair of rats could theoretically produce up to 15,000 descendants in a year if none died and all females gave birth.
The North American deer mouse often builds up seed caches in various hiding spots. It finds these stashes by using its spatial memory rather than scent or sight.
Squirrels adopt various strategies to find the nuts they buried, including using spatial memory techniques and sniffing out chemical clues left on the nuts.
Kangaroo rats in North American deserts neither drink water nor eat moist vegetation. They get all the water they need metabolically through dry seeds.
Conclusion
In summary, cats are clearly not rodents for several key reasons. Cats belong to the family Felidae, making them felines, while rodents belong to the order Rodentia. Rodents have a wide range of distinguishing features like continuously growing incisors and gnawing behavior that cats do not possess. Cats and rodents also have very different evolutionary histories, with cats evolving from feline ancestors and rodents from early placental mammals. While they may seem similar to the untrained eye, cats and rodents have markedly different anatomies, behaviors, and habitats. So the next time someone tries to claim a cat is just a “furry rodent,” you can confidently explain why this is simply not the case.