Is a pharaoh cat the same as a wild cat?

The pharaoh cat is not the same as the wild cat. The pharaoh cat, also known as an Egyptian mau, is a breed of domestic cat. All domestic cats share the Latin name of Felis catus, while the wild cat has the Latin name of Felis silvestris.

It is believed that the domestic cat evolved from the African wild cat some 9,500 years ago. Domestic cats that have escaped from captivity are called feral cats and are sometimes incorrectly referred to as wild cats, but they are genetically different from wild cats. Wild cats are larger than domesticated cats at between 17 and 36 inches in body length, with a tail length of between 9.1 and 15.7 inches.