Short answers, pulled from the story.
Cattle are large, domesticated bovid ungulates kept widely as livestock, classified as Bos taurus. They are the most widespread species of the genus Bos and prominent members of the subfamily Bovinae.
Cattle were first domesticated from wild aurochs approximately 10,500 years ago. Taurine cattle arose in central Anatolia, the Levant, and Western Iran, while a separate event in the area that is now Pakistan produced the indicine line, the zebu.
There were over 940 million cattle in the world by 2022, and 942.6 million in 2023. In 2023 India had the most with 307.5 million, followed by Brazil with 194.4 million and China with 101.5 million.
Cattle are ruminants with one large stomach divided into four compartments: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. They digest cellulose in symbiosis with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, and they regurgitate and re-chew their food in the process of chewing the cud.
Cattle farming was responsible for about 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2015, according to the FAO. Each cow belches out 100 kilograms of methane a year through enteric fermentation, with additional methane from stored manure.
Cattle are raised for meat known as beef, for dairy products such as butter, cheese, and yogurt, and for leather. They also serve as draft animals pulling carts and farm implements, with cattle hides accounting for about 65% of the world's leather production.
Cattle are considered sacred animals within Hinduism, and veneration of the cow is a symbol of Hindu community identity. Slaughter of cows is forbidden by law in several states of the Indian Union and in Nepal.