A small carnivore that lives with people on its own terms. In this house the cats are family, by law rather than by sentiment.
Old English catt, from Vulgar Latin cattus, a word that spread with the domesticated animal itself across many unrelated language families; its ultimate origin is disputed, and the trail beyond Latin is not settled.
Kept on terms it sets rather than terms given to it — a cat here cannot be summoned, only invited, and the standing it holds does not depend on being useful or affectionate on any particular day.