List of small cats

This list provides all the genera that make up the Felinae—a subfamily of the cat family, Felidae. All species in each genus are included. Informally referred to as the small cats, they are distinguished from the big cats (subfamily Pantherinae) by their ossified hyoid bones, which prevent them from roaring like their larger relatives. The cheetah and the puma, though close in size to the big cats, are grouped with the small cats because they cannot roar. The term small cats may also refer more narrowly to the members of the genus Felis.