The history of cat domestication

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The domestic true cat is one of the smallest member of the family Felidae — the group that let in lion , tiger , panther and cougars . It is also the only member of that house that has been domesticize .

Cats have lived among humans for thousand of years . They probably startedhanging around human grain storehouse , attracted by mice and other varmint , and eventually spread around the world as sailors brought them aboard ships .

a cute orange cat on a bed

The ancient Egyptians revered cats. Here, we see statuettes and figurines depicting cats and Egyptian deities found in a cache dating to the Egyptian Late Period

Today , cats still help homo control pests , as well as allow companionship . In the past few centuries , humans have breed some CAT to display certain traits , like hairlessness , thereby establishing dozens of cat breed . With their sorcerous mixture of aloofness and goofiness , cats go on to amuse and fascinate us .

Everything you need to know about domestic cats

When were cats domesticated?

cat-o'-nine-tails were domesticated around 10,000 eld ago . Today’sdomestic cats descend fromFelis silvestris lybica , a wildcat subspecies found in Africa and the Middle East . cistron from cats establish in archaeological site in the Middle East , Europe and Africa reveal that about 10,000 eld ago , in modern - daylight Turkey , cats started to link up with homo and split from their barbarian congener .

Despite have relatively pocket-size instinctive reach , F. s. lybicashowed up in easterly Europe by 4400 B.C. , according to ancient cat DNA chance at archaeological sites . This suggests that qat hobble ride aboard ship with monger , who probably apprise that cats keep rats in check . Cats certainly traveled foresighted distances : DNA from Egyptian true cat has been found as far as aViking site in northern Germanydating to between A.D. 700 and 1000 .

The oldest bed burial of a tame CT comes from Cyprus , where a man and a computed tomography wereburied together 9,500 years ago . Cat osseous tissue also have been find forget in 5,300 - twelvemonth - old garbage oppose inChina .

A photograph of ancient Egyptian cat figurines on a shelf

The ancient Egyptians revered cats. Here, we see statuettes and figurines depicting cats and Egyptian deities found in a cache dating to the Egyptian Late Period

Cats take on a star role inancient Egypt . scientist are n’t yet trusted whether the Egyptians tame cat separately from the Middle East blood , or whether the computerized tomography spread from Turkey to Egypt .

Either direction , Egyptians treasure cats ' protectiveness and independence and saw the traits of their gods in cats . Cats were sometimes even mummified lovingly next to their asleep owners , but they were alsosacrificed in large numbersduring spiritual rituals . Bastet , a feline - head goddess , was worshipped as a protector and as a deity ofpregnancyand childbirth .

come to : Why were the ancient Egyptians haunt with cats ?

Green-eyed cat relaxing on a cream carpet

Did cats domesticate themselves?

You might hear that cats " domesticated themselves . " This is becauseancient wildcat well likely select to flow around human agricultural settlements , resulting in a reciprocally beneficial relationship between guy and humans . These settlements provided sizeable food for thought and shelter for quat .

Because the Arabian tea help keep vermin at bay , the people who inhabit these settlements tolerate — and eventually welcomed — cats ' comportment . Whereas humans naturalize dogs through artificial extract by breeding for worthy traits , domestic Arabian tea germinate but through natural pick , as friendlier and more gentle cats expand in closelipped contact with human .

Are cats as domesticated as dogs?

Cats are not as domesticated as firedog are . Whereas guy were tame about 10,000 years ago , genic grounds suggest that hound were domesticate between14,000 and 30,000 eld ago . It’sstill up for debateexactly how and why some wild wolves evolved into friendly house pets , but it is clear that humans have expend much more clock time and effort work the genetic make-up of domestic frump .

In fact , scientist say that even today , cats are"only just " domesticated . Many domesticated cats are actually ferine , meaning they live outside of human captivity and can resist for themselves . ferine cats and star sign cats also regularly interbreed , so house cats keep on many of their " wild " instincts .

the great unwashed also bred domestic dogs for thousands of years based on their skill and personalities , whereashumans started multiply domestic catsonly within the retiring few centuries . This means dogs ' temperaments tend to be more predictable and aligned with human needs than cats ' .

Two young lions (Panthera leo) in the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya.

Even now , advanced - mean solar day computed tomography are categorized in the main by appearing . Although appearance is also a factor in canine education , historically , abilities such as tracking secret plan , herd sheep and hold dimension were more important .