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Many different species of mammal can be classified as cats (felids) in the United States. These include domestic cat (both house cats and feral), of the species Felis catus; medium-sized wild cats from the genus Lynx; and big cats from the genera Puma and Panthera. Domestic cats vastly outnumber wild cats in the United States.
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Prehistoric cats
At least 67 species of saber-toothed cat existed in North America between 42 million and 11 thousand years ago before going extinct. Their disappearance can be attributed to both the changing climate at the end of the Ice Age and the appearance of humans in the Americas.
Some prehistoric animals referred to as "saber-toothed cats" were in fact marsupials and not cats at all, but called such because of their resemblance to true felines with large canine teeth.
Big cats
Two main species of big cat currently inhabit the United States. One is the jaguar (Panthera onca) is related to many species of big cat found on other continents and can be found in the southwestern US and as far south as northern Argentina. The other one is cougar (Puma concolor), also known as the puma or mountain lion, is more closely related to the domesticated cat than the Lion and can be found all over South America, Mexico, the western half of the US and southwestern Canada.
Wild cats
Three mammal species in the United States are referred to as "wild cats"—the ocelot, the Canadian lynx, and the bobcat. However, they do not belong to Felis, the genus of the wildcat proper and the domestic cat. The ocelot is in the genus Leopardus while the other two are in the genus Lynx.
Domestic cats
The domestic cat, Felis catus or F. silvestris catus, is a popular pet, with an estimated 93.5 million cats kept as pets, and about one third of all households in the United States keeping at least one. Eighty-seven percent of owned cats are spayed or neutered
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not require a certificate of health for cats brought into the United States, but cats are subject to inspection at ports of entry and may be denied entry. Cats must be quarantined regardless of place of origin when brought into Hawaii and Guam.
Organizations
Various organizations using the term Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and in United States all organizations using the name SPCA are independent; there is no umbrella organization. Some of the more notable organizations include:
The National Cat Groomers Institute of America is an organization devoted to training and certifying people in the grooming of cats. Headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, it was founded in 2007 by Danelle German, the organization's current president.
Cats Indoors! is a public education campaign by American Bird Conservancy and supported by the National Audubon Society and other conservation organizations to encourage control of cats in order to protect birds from predation by cats. The objective of the Conservancy's campaign is that all domestic cats should be kept safely indoors.