Learning how to say cat in Chinese is one of the first steps animal lovers take when exploring Mandarin vocabulary. Not only is “cat” a basic yet memorable noun, it also connects to rich cultural references and expressive idioms rooted in everyday Chinese language. This guide will walk you through essential terms, categories, cultural phrases, and common expressions involving cats in Mandarin—perfect whether you're a student, traveler, or curious learner.

I. Common Words for Cat in Chinese
II. Categories of Cat-Related Terms in Chinese
III. Native or Cultural Cat Terms in Chinese
IV. Cat-Related Vocabulary in Chinese
V. Chinese Idioms & Expressions Involving Cats
VI. Conclusion

Cat in Chinese: Vocabulary List of Cat-Related Words and Phrases

I. Common Words for Cat in Chinese

The word “cat” in Chinese is written as 猫 in simplified Chinese. In traditional Chinese, it is written as 貓.

No.	Cat in Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	猫	māo	Cat
2	小猫	xiǎomāo	Kitten
3	母猫	mǔ māo	Female cat
4	公猫	gōng māo	Male cat
5	家猫	jiāmāo	House cat
6	宠物猫	chǒngwù māo	Pet cat
7	野猫	yěmāo	Wild cat
8	流浪猫	liúlàng māo	Stray cat
9	加菲猫	jiāfēi māo	Garfield / Persian cat
10	暹罗猫	xiānluó māo	Siamese cat
11	黑猫	hēi māo	Black cat
12	白猫	bái māo	White cat
13	花猫	huā māo	Tabby cat
14	招财猫	zhāocái māo	Lucky cat (Maneki-neko)
15	猫科动物	māo kē dòngwù	Feline (cat family)
16	猫咪	māomī	Kitty (cute/diminutive form of cat)
17	大猫	dà māo	Big cat (can refer to large felines or large house cats)
18	猫爸爸	māo bàba	Cat dad
19	猫妈妈	māo māma	Cat mom
20	猫崽	māo zǎi	Kitten (colloquial/dialectal in some regions)

The Mandarin word “māo” is a simple, monosyllabic noun that's easy to recognize and pronounce. Note that plural forms in Chinese are typically unmarked, so 猫 can mean either “cat” or “cats” depending on the context.

II. Categories of Cat-Related Terms in Chinese

Chinese has a variety of specific vocabulary that helps you talk not just about cats in general, but also about types of cats, breeds, and physical traits.

1. Domestic Cat in Chinese

The most common terms for cats you keep as pets include:

No.	Cat in Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	家猫	jiāmāo	House cat
2	宠物猫	chǒngwù māo	Pet cat
3	猫咪	māomī	Kitty (cute form)
4	猫窝	māo wō	Cat bed
5	猫粮	māo liáng	Cat food
6	猫砂	māo shā	Cat litter
7	猫架	māo jià	Cat tree / scratching post
8	猫抓板	māo zhuā bǎn	Scratching board
9	猫罐头	māo guàntou	Canned cat food
10	猫玩具	māo wánjù	Cat toy
11	猫绳	māo shéng	Cat leash
12	喵星人	miāo xīngrén	“Meow alien” (online slang for cats)
13	主子	zhǔzi	Master (humorous nickname for spoiled cats)
14	猫医生	māo yīshēng	Cat veterinarian

Domestic cats are frequently referred to this way in both spoken and written Mandarin.

2. Feral & Stray Cat in Chinese

Wild or homeless cats are described with:

No.	Cat in Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	野猫	yěmāo	Wild cat
2	流浪猫	liúlàng māo	Stray cat
3	被遗弃的猫	bèi yíqì de māo	Abandoned cat
4	生猫	shēng māo	Untamed cat
5	捕猫器	bǔ māo qì	Cat trap
6	喂猫点	wèi māo diǎn	Cat feeding station
7	志愿者	zhìyuànzhě	Volunteer (e.g. rescue work)
8	领养	lǐngyǎng	Adopt (a pet)
9	中性手术	zhōngxìng shǒushù	Neuter/spay surgery
10	猫屋	māo wū	Outdoor cat shelter
11	社区猫	shèqū māo	Community cat
12	TNVR项目	TNVR xiàngmù	Trap–Neuter–Vaccinate–Return project
13	投喂	tóuwèi	Feed (esp. strays)

These terms are essential if discussing community issues or animal welfare in a Chinese-speaking context.

3. Popular Cat Breeds

While Mandarin doesn’t always have native names for all Western cat breeds, a few are integrated culturally:

No.	Cat in Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	加菲猫	jiāfēi māo	Persian cat (Garfield)
2	暹罗猫	xiānluó māo	Siamese cat
3	英短猫	yīngduǎn māo	British Shorthair
4	美短猫	měiduǎn māo	American Shorthair
5	苏格兰折耳猫	sūgélán zhēěr māo	Scottish Fold
6	缅因猫	miǎn yīn māo	Maine Coon
7	布偶猫	bù’ǒu māo	Ragdoll
8	无毛猫	wúmáo māo	Sphynx (hairless cat)
9	暴力猫	bàolì māo	Bengal
10	波米猫	bōmǐ māo	Bombay
11	僧帽猫	sēngmào māo	Birman cat
12	包子脸猫	bāozi liǎn māo	Flat-faced cat (nickname for Persians)

Sometimes breed names are transliterated or labeled based on appearance traits.

4. Cat in Chinese by Color or Pattern

Descriptive terms include:

No.	Cat in Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	黑猫	hēi māo	Black cat
2	白猫	bái māo	White cat
3	花猫	huā māo	Multicolored cat
4	灰猫	huī māo	Gray cat
5	橘猫	jú māo	Orange tabby
6	奶牛猫	nǎiniú māo	Tuxedo cat
7	虎斑猫	hǔbān māo	Striped/tabby
8	三花猫	sānhuā māo	Calico cat (typically female)
9	玳瑁猫	dàimào māo	Tortoiseshell cat
10	黄色猫	huángsè māo	Yellow/golden-colored cat
11	奶油猫	nǎiyóu māo	Cream-colored cat
12	花斑猫	huābān māo	Spotted cat
13	长毛猫	chángmáo māo	Long-haired cat
14	短毛猫	duǎnmáo māo	Short-haired cat

These are commonly used in conversation when distinguishing one cat from another.

5. Cat in Chinese by Age or Size

Size and age also influence naming:

No.	Cat in Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	小猫	xiǎomāo	Kitten
2	幼猫	yòumǎo	Young cat
3	猫崽	māo zǎi	Kitty (informal)
4	成猫	chéngmāo	Adult cat
5	成年猫	chéngnián māo	Fully grown cat
6	老猫	lǎo māo	Old cat
7	大猫	dà māo	Big cat
8	肥猫	féi māo	Fat cat
9	瘦猫	shòu māo	Thin cat
10	公猫	gōng māo	Male cat
11	母猫	mǔ māo	Female cat
12	重猫	zhòng māo	Heavier cat
13	浅龄猫	qiǎnlíng māo	Young in age (rare use)

You may also hear owners use diminutives or pet names to replace these formal terms.

III. Native or Cultural Cat Terms in Chinese

Cats also appear in traditional beliefs and symbolic objects throughout Chinese history. Understanding these terms helps connect language with culture at a deeper level.

No.	Chinese Term	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	招财猫	zhāocái māo	Lucky cat (beckoning cat used to attract wealth)
2	猫科动物	māo kē dòngwù	Feline animals; cat family (Felidae)
3	山猫	shānmāo	Lynx or mountain cat
4	云豹	yúnbào	Clouded leopard (a native Asian big cat)
5	黑猫	hēi māo	Black cat (often seen as mysterious or superstitious)
6	守宫猫	shǒugōng māo	Palace cat (manually bred cat symbolizing peace in ancient times)
7	金猫	jīn māo	Golden cat (Asian golden cat, recognized in Chinese fauna)
8	猫头鹰	māotóuyīng	Owl (“cat-headed eagle” – named metaphorically for cat-like face)

These terms go beyond household pets and reflect broader ecological and cultural roles of cats in the Chinese-speaking world.

IV. Cat-Related Vocabulary in Chinese

To speak naturally about cats in daily life, you'll need supporting vocabulary related to their care, habits, and behaviors.

No.	Cat in Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	猫粮	māo liáng	Cat food
2	猫砂	māo shā	Cat litter
3	猫叫	māo jiào	Meow (the sound a cat makes)
4	猫窝	māo wō	Cat bed or cat nest
5	抱猫	bào māo	To hold a cat
6	猫抓	māo zhuā	Cat scratch
7	猫玩具	māo wánjù	Cat toy
8	猫爬架	māo pájià	Cat climbing post; cat tree
9	剪指甲	jiǎn zhǐjiǎ	To trim nails (often used when grooming cats)
10	打疫苗	dǎ yìmiáo	To vaccinate (commonly used for pet care)

Each of these terms can be plugged into basic sentence structures or used to describe everyday activities for pet owners, such as shopping for supplies or taking care of a feline.

V. Chinese Idioms & Expressions Involving Cats

Like many languages, cat in Chinese also appear in idioms and fixed expressions, often reflecting personality traits, superstitions, or life principles.

No.	Chinese Idiom	Pinyin	Meaning in English
1	猫哭老鼠	māo kū lǎoshǔ	“A cat crying for a mouse” – Fake sympathy, like crocodile tears
2	宠猫成性	chǒng māo chéng xìng	“Spoiled like a cat” – Overly pampered or spoiled by habit
3	老猫烧须	lǎo māo shāo xū	“Even an old cat burns its whiskers” – Even experts can still make mistakes
4	猫有猫道，鼠有鼠路	māo yǒu māo dào, shǔ yǒu shǔ lù	“Cats have their way; mice have theirs” – Everyone has their own way of doing things
5	抓耳挠腮像猫儿丢了鱼	zhuā ěr náo sāi xiàng māo er diū le yú	“Scratching ears like a cat who lost its fish” – Anxious, agitated, or frustrated
6	猫眼看人低	māoyǎn kàn rén dī	“A cat looks down on people” – Arrogant or disdainful perspective
7	猫腰弯背	māo yāo wān bèi	“Hunched like a cat” – Creeping posture; sneaky or cautious behavior
8	猫鼠同眠	māo shǔ tóng mián	“Cat and mouse sleep together” – Secret collusion between enemies or rivals
9	狡猫有九命	jiǎo māo yǒu jiǔ mìng	“A cunning cat has nine lives” – The clever find ways to escape danger repeatedly
10	人怕出名猫怕壮	rén pà chūmíng, māo pà zhuàng	“People fear fame, cats fear fat” – Fame brings trouble; even cats avoid extremes

These sayings deepen your emotional and cultural fluency, letting you understand how Chinese speakers view character, fortune, and behavior using animal imagery.

VI. Conclusion

As you've seen, the vocabulary for cat in Chinese goes far beyond just saying 猫 (māo). From identifying breeds to describing behavior and using expressive idioms, the language surrounding cats in Mandarin is as colorful and rich as the animals themselves.

Whether you're learning how to say cat in Chinese for casual conversation, storytelling, or practical travel use, this vocabulary gives you the clarity and confidence to communicate in natural and culturally meaningful ways. Keep practicing these terms, explore how they appear in different contexts, and enjoy how much character “māo” brings to Mandarin!

Cat in Chinese Vocabulary: Common Words and Phrases About Cats

I. Common Words for Cat in Chinese