clowder
nounUS /ˈklaʊ̯dɚ/ · UK /ˈklaʊ̯də/
Etymology A variation, recorded since 1801, of clutter, itself from clot, from Old English clott (“round mass, lump”), from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz (hence cognate with Dutch kloot (“ball, testicle”), Danish klods (“a block, lump”) and German Klotz (“lump, block”)).
1
A group of cats or other small felines.
- A Brooklyn friend who persists in feeding the host of creatures - including me - who appear at her door will be delighted to know that the most nonchalant recipients of her largesse may be referred to as a clowder of cats.1984 15 April, Nelson Bryant, “Bevies of Terms Befuddle Prides”, in The New York Times
- Real cat fights are rare in established clowders. So instead of risking serious injury, cats resort to menace and threats.2007, Kathryn Soper, Cat Wrangling Made Easy:
2 more examples
- 2010, The Big Bang Theory, episode “The Zazzy Substitution” Leonard: You’re clearly upset about Amy being gone, and you’re trying to replace her with a bunch of cats. Sheldon: Clowder. Leonard: What? Sheldon: A group of cats is a clowder. Or a glaring. It’s the kind of thing you ought to know now that we have one.
- 2011, M.D. Pueppke, Fuzzy the Cat, The One and Only, “Getting on terms with the terms” How ‛bout organizing a party of clowder chowder. You know, big servings of chowder for the cat clowder.