Introduction -- WHAT IS A CAT?: The essence of cats -- Taxonomy of the cat family -- SPECIES ACCOUNTS: Chettah -- Caracal -- Bay cat -- Asiatic golden cat -- Chinese desert cat -- Jungle cat -- Sand cat -- Black-footed cat -- Wildcat (European wildcat, African-Asian wildcat, Domestic cat) -- Jaguarundi -- Ocelot -- Oncilla -- Margay -- Serval -- Lynx (Canada lynx, Eurasian lynx, Iberian lynx, Bobcat) -- Pampas cat -- Geoffroy's cat -- Kodkod -- Andrean mountain cat -- Manul -- Leopard cat -- Flat-headed cat -- Rusty-spotted cat -- Fishing cat -- African golden cat -- Puma -- Clouded leopard --Lion -- Jaguar -- Leopard -- Tiger -- Marbled cat -- Snow leopard -- STUDY AND CONSERVATION: Field research techniques: recent advances -- Relocating cats: history and guidelines for the future -- Conserving Felids in the Twentieth-First Century -- Appendix 1: CITES listings governing trade in wild cats -- Appendix 2: JUCN Red List: conservation status of wild cats -- Appendix 3: Olfactory communication in Felids -- Appendix 4: Vocal communication in Felids -- Apppendix 5: Reproduction in Felids -- Appendix 6: List of scientific and common names mentioned in the text.

From lions to house cats, cheetahs to panthers, and including detailed descriptions and information on each of the 36 species of cats as well as numerous photographs, this is the most comprehensive reference on felids available. Each account of the thirty-six species of cat contains a description of the cat, including human interactions with it, as well as detailed data on distribution, ecology and behavior, status in the wild, and conservation efforts. Many photographs, including more than forty in full color, illustrate these accounts.