Cats live in a wide variety of habitats across the world. Domestic cats (Felis catus) primarily live in human-populated areas such as homes and urban environments, but they are also found as feral cats living outdoors in both urban and rural areas. Feral cats often live in colonies near human settlements where food is available. Wild ancestors of domestic cats inhabit diverse natural environments such as forests, savannahs, scrublands, swamps, and even arid deserts. In detail:
- Domestic cats are found worldwide in homes and urban areas where they have food, shelter, and safety provided by humans.
- Feral cats, which are domestic cats living in a wild state and avoiding humans, can be found in many climates and habitats from cities to islands to wilderness.
- Wildcat ancestors live in natural habitats like forests, grasslands, and deserts around the globe.
- Cats are highly adaptable and can thrive in many terrestrial habitats except Antarctica, including remote islands without human inhabitants.
Thus, cats live anywhere from human homes and cities to diverse outdoor habitats such as forests, grasslands, deserts, swamps, and islands depending on whether they are domesticated, feral, or wild species related to them.
