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🐿️ A large tree squirrel 🐿️ A red tree squirrel
cat squirrel

cat squirrel

8.5
A small reddish-brown tree squirrel from Europe and Asia with small fur tufts on its ears
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : ardilla roja
  • The cat squirrel is easily identified by its tufted ears and bushy tail.

Examples

  • Unlike the gray squirrel, the cat squirrel is more solitary and prefers coniferous woods.

  • Across the forest, a cat squirrel darted between the branches, seeking acorns.

  • I saw a cat squirrel in the park yesterday.

  • The cat squirrel is known for its beautiful fur.

  • I spotted a cat squirrel collecting pine cones in the treetops.

  • The cat squirrel can often be seen leaping gracefully from branch to branch.

  • In the autumn, the cat squirrel gathers food to prepare for the winter months.

Synonyms

red squirrel
vscat squirrel
2 3.1

A small animal that lives in trees with reddish fur and a bushy tail

is native only to Europe and parts of Asia and not to North America
Sciurus vulgaris
vscat squirrel
  • Specialized
7.9

A small tree squirrel with reddish-brown fur and a bushy tail found in Europe and Asia

is the common name used in everyday speech rather than the scientific name

Surface Forms

cat squirrel singular
cat squirrels plural

Morphology

cat + squirrel

Both constituents are concrete so a B1 learner who knows 'cat' and 'squirrel' would likely infer that this refers to a kind of squirrel (i.e. a hyponym). However, the specific identification as the Eurasian red squirrel and the use of 'cat' as the modifier is not predictable from the parts nor a common modifier pattern, so the exact sense is not fully derivable.

Etymology

The noun cat squirrel may come from the little tufts of fur on the ears that look like a cat's ears and from its quick, silent jumps between branches of a squirrel. So the name helps people picture the small reddish tree squirrel we know today as the Eurasian red squirrel.