History
Thought to have descended from the African wildcat and used to catch vermin, the domestic cat can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt 4,000 years ago. By helping to reduce disease and protect crops, cats were quickly regarded as sacred creatures by the Egyptians.
After the Egyptian dynasty collapsed, cats became popular elsewhere. In the Far East, cats were originally owned by the rich. As their popularity grew, the domesticated cat made its way to surrounding countries like India and Japan. This is when breeding also began, with breeds such as the Siamese and Burmese first emerging.
It’s believed that Egyptian traders originally introduced cats to Europe, where the Greeks and the Romans used them as pest control. However, during the Middle Ages, cats in Europe became associated with superstition. During the Black Death of 1348, rulers ordered the killing of all cats, because they were suspected of carrying the disease. It wasn’t until the 1600s that their reputation started to recover.
During the 15th and 16th century, cats were welcome cargo on ships to minimize vermin and disease. It’s commonly thought that when Christopher Columbus discovered America, cats from his ship went ashore and flourished. In fact, this is where the American Shorthair is rumoured to have originated.
Nowadays, cats are a key part of modern society – it’s estimated there are close to half a billion around the world. They continue to be an important and special part of our lives. We’re always looking for new ways to show them how much we care. So, actually, when you consider how revered cats were by the Egyptians – not much has actually changed.
Evolution
The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae, a family that had a common ancestor about 10–15 million years ago. The genus Felis diverged from the Felidae around 6–7 million years ago. Results of phylogenetic research confirm that the wild Felis species evolved through sympatric speciation, whereas the domestic cat evolved through artificial selection. The domesticated cat and its closest wild ancestor are diploid like all mammals and both possess 38 chromosomes and roughly 20,000 genes. The leopard cat was tamed independently in China around 5,500 BC. This line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today.
Anatomy
Cats have anatomy similar to the other members of the genus Felis. The cat skull is unusual among mammals in having very large eye sockets and a powerful and specialized jaw. Compared to other felines, domestic cats have narrowly spaced canine teeth: this is an adaptation to their preferred prey of small rodents.
Cats walk very precisely. Unlike most mammals, when cats walk, they move the two legs on one side of the body before the legs on the other side. As a walk speeds up into a trot, a cat's walk will change to be a "diagonal" walk, similar to that of most other mammals: the diagonally opposite hind and forelegs will move at the same time. Most cats have five claws on their front paws and four on their rear paws. On the inside of the front paws, there is something which looks like a sixth "finger".
Behaviour
Cats are active carnivores, meaning that in the wild they hunt live prey. Their main prey is small mammals (like mice). They will also stalk, and sometimes kill and eat, birds. Cats can also fish. They use a flip-up movement of a front paw which, when successful, flips the fish out of water and over the cat's shoulders onto the grass. Dutch research showed this to be an inherited behaviour pattern which developed early and without maternal teaching.
Cats are quiet and well-behaved animals, making them popular pets. Young kittens are playful. They can easily entertain themselves with a variety of store-bought or homemade toys. Cats are fairly independent animals. They can look after themselves and do not need as much attention as dogs do. Cats are also very clean animals. They groom themselves by licking their fur. The cat's tongue can act as a hairbrush and can clean and untangle a cat's fur.
Cats use many different sounds for communication, including meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking and grunting. Body posture is also important. The whole shape of the body changes when a cat is relaxed, or when it is alert. Also, the position of their ears and tail are used for communication, as well as their usual functions.
These ways of communication are very important. They are used between a mother cat and her kittens. They are also used between male and female cats; and between cats and other species, such as dogs. A mother cat protecting her kittens will fight off the largest dog. She gives good warning with a frightening display, hissing furiously, showing her claws, arching her back and making her fur stand on end.
Myths & superstitions
In ancient Egypt, cats were worshipped, and the goddess Bastet was often depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the war-like aspect of a lioness. The Greek historian Herodotus reported that killing a cat was forbidden, and when a household cat died, the entire family mourned and shaved their eyebrows. Families took their dead cats to the sacred city of Bubastis, where they were embalmed and buried in sacred repositories.
Several ancient religions believed cats are exalted souls, companions or guides for humans, that are all-knowing but mute so they cannot influence decisions made by humans. In Japan, the Maneki-neko cat is a symbol of good fortune. In Norse mythology, Freyja, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, is depicted as riding a chariot drawn by cats. In a Jewish legend, the first cat was living in the house of the first man Adam as a pet that got rid of mice.
Many cultures have negative superstitions about cats. An example would be the belief that a black cat "crossing one's path" leads to bad luck, or that cats are witches' familiars used to augment a witch's powers and skills. In mid-16th century France, cats would be burnt alive as a form of entertainment. According to Norman Davies, the assembled people "shrieked with laughter as the animals, howling with pain, were singed, roasted, and finally carbonized".
According to a myth in many cultures, cats have multiple lives. In many countries, they are believed to have nine lives, but in Italy, Germany, Greece, Brazil and some Spanish speaking regions, they are said to have seven lives, while in Turkish and Arabic traditions, the number of lives is six. Lending credence to this myth is the fact that falling cats often land on their feet, using an instinctive righting reflex to twist their bodies around. Nonetheless, cats can still be injured or killed by a high fall.
