All About Cats

Cat, (Felis catus), often known as house cat or domestic cat, is the smallest member of the Felidae family in the order Carnivora. Domestic cats, like all felids, have supple low-slung bodies, finely shaped heads, long tails that aid in balance, and specialized fangs and claws that lend themselves admirably to an active hunting lifestyle. Cats, like their wild relatives, are primarily carnivorous, extraordinarily agile and powerful, and well synchronized in their movements.

It's worth noting that the dog's predecessors were sociable creatures who lived in groups under the leadership of a pack leader, and the dog readily transferred its allegiance from pack leader to human master. The cat, on the other hand, has not been as amenable to servitude. As a result, the house cat can revert to complete self-sufficiency more rapidly and successfully than the majority of domesticated dogs.

Cats' origins and history

The "cat pattern," developed relatively early in the evolution of modern mammals, was a success: early cats were already recognizable in shape at a time when the ancestors of the majority of other modern mammalian kinds were hardly distinguishable. They first appeared during the early Pliocene Epoch (5.3 to 3.6 million years ago) and have remained relatively unchanged till present times.

Domestication

Although the domesticated cat's origins are obscure, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) investigations indicate that there have been two distinct lineages of Felis catus. One lineage (F. silvestris silvestris) originated in Asia Minor and diffused northward and westward into Europe. The other lineage originated in Egypt between 6,400 and 1,000 years ago and expanded throughout the Mediterranean (perhaps via human introduction) following trade routes. During their various dispersals, cats from both lineages continued to breed with the African wildcat (F. silvestris lybica).

The first known link between cats and people stretches all the way back to the Middle East's agricultural roots, some 9,500 years ago. In southern Cyprus, a cat skeleton was unearthed alongside a human skeleton from that era. While some authors say that this finding indicates that cats underwent some degree of domestication in that place, others contend that cats may have domesticated themselves by preferring to dwell in human-altered landscapes. In agricultural contexts, cats similar in size to current domestic cats grazed on small grain-eating animals such as mice and millet, according to fossil evidence discovered in China. Although research indicates that these cats were actually leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), which were displaced by modern domestic cats (Felis catus) before 3000 BCE, this discovery indicates that humans permitted cats to hunt mice and other rodents that threatened grain stores and possibly fed or allowed the cats to consume leftover food.

Although Egypt's 5th and 6th dynasties (c. 2465–c. 2150 BCE) declared the cat a sacred animal, it was not necessarily tamed at the time. The ancient Egyptians most likely paired with the cat because they recognized the cat's significance in protecting granaries from vermin. Their adoration and reverence for this predator resulted in the establishment of religious cat cults and temples dedicated to cat worship. However, there are no authentic accounts of domestication prior to 1500 BCE.

Cats have been a part of different cultures for a long period of time. Crete's 1600 BCE wall tiles feature hunting cats. Art and literature reveal that the cat was present in Greece as early as the fifth century BCE, and that cat-themed tiles emerged in China as early as 500 BCE. Cats were first mentioned in Sanskrit manuscripts in India around 100 BCE, although the Arabs and Japanese did not encounter the cat until around 600 CE. Cats first appeared in Britain around 936 CE, when Howel Dda, prince of south-central Wales, issued rules to preserve them.

Even though all cats have a similar appearance, tracing the ancestry of individual breeds is challenging. Due to the presence of tabby-like markings on ancient Egyptian cat artwork and mummies, modern tabbies may be descended from Egypt's sacred cats. Additionally, the Abyssinian resembles Egyptian cat images and statues. The Persian, whose coloring is frequently identical to that of mixed breeds (but the hair length and body conformation are distinctive), was undoubtedly crossed with other breeds at various points in history. As with the hairless Sphynx cat and curly-coated Devon Rex, the tailless Manx cat is a mutation. Persian and Siamese cats may have a separate ancestry from other domestic breeds, deriving from the domestication of an Asian wild cat. Indeed, little is known about the Siamese kinds' ancestors, and there is no existing Asian cat species that may have acted as an ancestor.

Connections to human culture

Cats have traditionally been associated with religion and witchcraft. The term "cat" appears in the Bible only in the spurious Letter of Jeremiah. The cat was a major figure in Egypt's, Norse countries', and several regions of Asia's religions. The Egyptians had a goddess with a cat's head named Bast (or Bastet). Thousands of cat mummies have been unearthed in Egypt, as well as mouse mummies, which were apparently used as food for the cats. Often, the cat has been associated with sorcery and witchcraft, and there are countless superstitions surrounding cats. Cats have probably been mistreated more severely than any other animal throughout history. Black cats, in particular, have long been viewed as possessing occult abilities and serving as witches' familiars.

The cat appears frequently in nursery rhymes, short stories, and proverbs. Dick Whittington and his cat, an English legend, is a particular favorite. Théophile Gautier and Charles Baudelaire both paid tribute to it, while in the twentieth century, Rudyard Kipling, Colette, and T.S. Eliot also wrote about cats, while British composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber developed the popular theatrical musical Cats.