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Cat Domestication• cats are one of the world’s most

popular pets

• the process of their domestication is not well understood

• the wild ancestor (Felis silvestris) of the domestic cat (Felis catus), looks very similar to your typical house cat

• domesticated cats have undergone few changes since their ancestral split from the wildcat, causing problems in distinguishing this species and its many different subspecies

Felis silvestris Subspecies

European Wildcat - Felis silvestris silvestris (Europe)

African Wildcat - Felis silvestris lybica (North Africa and Southwest Asia)

Southern African Wildcat - Felis silvestris cafra (Sub-Saharan Africa)

Felis silvestris Subspecies

Asiatic Wildcat - Felis silvestris ornata (Central Asia to India)

Chinese Mountain Cat - Felis silvestris bieti (Western China)

Cat Domestication• Near Eastern wildcats are thought to have

been attracted to food sources in early agricultural settlements (rodents attracted to grain – cats attracted to rodents), leading domestication

• Early evidence for close human–cat relationships comes from a wildcat interred near a human on Cyprus (island country in Mediterranean) around 9,500 years ago

• Until recently, the earliest domesticated cats were known to have been in Egypt dating to 4,000 years ago

• New fossil evidence (2013) suggests the first presence of domesticated cats date around 5,500 years ago in the early agricultural village of Quanhucun in Shaanxi, China

Cat Domestication• these domesticated cats were outside the

wild range of Near Eastern wildcats and physically smaller

• samples from human and animal bone collagen at the China site revealed substantial consumption of millet-based foods by humans, rodents, and cats

• ceramic storage containers designed to exclude rodents indicated a threat to stored grain in Yangshao villages

• the archaeological data demonstrate that cats were advantageous for ancient farmers

• data also showed that one cat ate less meat and consumed more millet-based foods than expected, indicating that it scavenged among or was fed by people

Felid specimens from the site of Quanhucun showing key body parts and the presence of an aged animal with worn dentition. (A) Left mandible with worn fourth premolar and first molar; (B) right humerus; (C) left pelvis; (D) proximal left tibia.

Earliest evidence for commensal processes of cat domestication, Hu, Y. et. al., 2013

Cats Throughout History• Egyptians worshipped that cat and

associated them with deities

• Killing a cat was a crime punishable by death and many cats were mummified and buried with their owners

• Cats protected agricultural products from pests and served as companion animals

• When a cat died, the family would shave their eyebrows and mourn until they grew back

Cats Throughout History

• Cats were revered in Rome for their work ethic

• Only animal allowed in the temples; considered God of Liberty

• Kept as mascots for army

• Credited for introducing cat to Britain Ancient Rome mosaic art

Cats Throughout History

• During the Middle Ages in Europe, cats were hunted down and killed; some thought of them as evil spirits

• Due to this “witch hunt” the rat population grew and combined with general unsanitary conditions, the Plague spread

• As more humans got sick and died, the hunting of cats declined and so did the rat population, putting cats back in favor the people

Cats Throughout History

• Cat breeds spread largely due to traveling with their owners or part of the crew (rodent control) on ships

Norwegian Forest Cats and the Vikings

The Wonderful World of Cats - HD Nature Wildlife Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAR3erZ3DrA