Felis is a taxonomic genus within Felidae, the cat family in Carnivora. It includes the domestic cat and several small wild species, including the European wildcat and Afro-Asiatic wildcat. Thus Felis is broader than the domestic species Felis catus but narrower than the entire family of cats.[ref]
This hierarchy makes an identification example useful. A specimen identified only as Felis has been assigned to a taxonomic genus, not necessarily identified as a domestic cat. Conversely, a cat does not leave Felis when it begins living independently of people. Taxonomic membership and current living conditions answer different questions.
The distinction also matters when comparing DNA. Regional wildcat lineages can share close ancestry and undergo hybridization without every comparison using the same species boundaries. A study's names should be interpreted with its stated classification and sampling, especially when older accounts placed several lineages within one broad wildcat species.
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