The cat (Felis catus), commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae.It is a social species, but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator.Recent advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the domestication of the cat occurred in the Near East around 7500 BC. It is commonly kept as a house pet and farm cat, but also ranges freely as a feral cat avoiding human contact.It is valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin.