Question: Can humans become extinct and the world be filled with cats?

James Verdon answered on 25 Jun 2012:

Hi turtlecalledpat,
Of course humans could become extinct. The vast majority of animals that have ever lived on our planet are now extinct (the dinosaurs being the most famous example, but there are sooo many others). We’re just another type of animal, so we could go extinct too. Who knows what could happen – maybe another meteor strike like that which killed the dinos. Maybe a disease could develop that kills us all (people are pretty worried if bird-flu mutates into more aggressive versions). Maybe we’ll blow ourselves up in a nuclear war. Who knows?

However, if we did become extinct, I doubt the world would be filled with cats. House cats seem to be fairly dependent on us for food, so without us to feed them, they might all die too. Wild big cats could make a bit of a comeback – I think there used to be more wild cats, at least in southern Europe until we hunted them out of existence, so if we were gone, maybe they could come back. However, if there was some global disaster that wiped us all out, I think the best bet for the creature likely to survive and fill the place up would be cockroaches. Those guys are pretty indestructible, and will probably be here long after we’re gone!!