See § Taxonomy Felis is a genus of small and medium-sized cat species native to most of Africa and south of 60° latitude in Europe and Asia to Indochina.

The smallest of the seven Felis species is the black-footed cat with a head and body length from 38 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in).

In 1917, the British zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock revised the genus Felis as comprising only the ones listed in the following table.

[1] Estimated genetic divergence times of the listed species are indicated in million years ago (Mya), based on analysis of autosomal, xDNA, yDNA and mtDNA gene segments.

[26][27] A genetic study of a dozen individuals showed that they are closely related to the African wildcat originating in the Middle East.