There are over 30 species of the mammal known as the cat - 37 to be exact, of which, the Domestic Cat, or House Cat, is one. With respect to taxonomy, the domestic cat is classified as follows:

Genus: Felis
Species: catus

As are all 37 species of cat, it is a member of the Family Felidae, Order Carnivora.

Cats are believed to have first been domesticated, by most accounts, somewhere between 4,000 and 5000 B.C., by the Egyptians. Recent evidence, however, indicates that a close relationship with humans may date back much farther than that! A grave found in Cypress, estimated to be about 9,500 years old, shows that a cat was buried only inches from a human.