house cat

noun

Examples of house cat in a Sentence

the house cat at the Cheshire Cat Bookstore has the dual responsibility of being mascot and mouser
Recent Examples on the Web As long as the streets are considered cats’ natural outdoor home, there will also be further abandonment of house cats by people unwilling or unable to take responsibility for them. Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 Despite living alongside house cats for more than 2,000 years, Scottish wildcats ignored the felines as potential breeding partners for centuries. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023 Gary didn’t immediately go from Alberta house cat to conqueror of mountains. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023 Unlike dogs, house cats are not descended from pack animals, so these cats aren’t generally considered innately social. Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023 The ocelot is a midsize cat — larger than a house cat but smaller than a bobcat, according to the zoo. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2023 Still, the only reason they would have been exposed to those diseases in the first place would have been from house cats. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023 Even a house cat’s white fur emitted a faint gleam. Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 Found nowhere else but the Channel Islands, the island fox is about the size of a house cat. Helen Li, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'house cat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of house cat was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near house cat

Cite this Entry

“House cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/house%20cat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

house cat

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on house cat

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