Imagine the sound of a dog walking across a tile floor, the "click, click, click" of its claws tapping against the ground. Now, imagine a cat padding across the same floor — the difference is the cat ...

Smaller cats had a few advantages. They need less food. Plus, they’re spry. Massive lions are successful hunters just 20% of the time. But African wildcats bring down a whopping 60% of their prey.

Sometimes, when I’m working on a tricky question, I scale the tree outside my office. It helps me focus. I asked my friend Steve Lampa how cats like me do that. He teaches small animal anatomy in the ...