1The cat, especially the domestic cat (Felis catus) — a small furry mammal with retractable claws, kept worldwide as a pet.
猫が窓辺で丸くなって寝ている。
The cat is curled up asleep by the window.
うちの猫は朝になると顔をなめて起こしてくる。
In the morning our cat licks my face to wake me up.
近所の猫がすっかりなついて、庭に遊びに来る。
The neighborhood cat has grown attached to me and comes to play in the yard.
猫を飼うなら、爪とぎを用意してあげたほうがいい。
If you're going to keep a cat, you should get it a scratching post.
2(dated) The shamisen (a Japanese three-stringed instrument). A colloquial name from the days when its body was covered with cat skin; rarely used today.
昔の芸人は三味線のことを親しみを込めて猫と呼んだ。
Old-time performers affectionately called the shamisen "neko."
3(dated slang) A geisha. An old term for a woman who entertained at banquets; essentially never used in modern Japanese.
花柳界では、芸者を猫と呼ぶ隠語があった。
In the old geisha districts there was a slang word that called a geisha "neko."
4(abbr.) Short for 猫車 (nekoguruma): a one-wheeled handcart / wheelbarrow used to haul soil and materials, common on construction sites and in fields.
現場で猫に砂利を積んで運んだ。
At the site we loaded gravel into the wheelbarrow and hauled it away.
5(abbr.) Short for 猫火鉢 (nekohibachi): a small clay brazier once used to warm bedding or one's feet, similar in purpose to a hot-water bottle; now rarely seen.
昔は寝る前に猫で布団を温めていた家もあった。
In the old days some households warmed the futon with a clay bed-warmer before sleeping.
6(slang, usually written in kana) In a male homosexual relationship, the receptive partner ("bottom"). Its opposite is タチ (tachi). An informal in-group term best avoided in public settings.
彼はタチではなくねこだと話していた。
He said he was a bottom, not a top.
この言葉は仲間内でこそ使うが、あらたまった場では口にしない。
This word gets used among friends, but people don't say it in formal situations.