Have you ever wondered about the origin of the cats? Like when were they domesticated? Or where do cats come from? Just like the feline’s interesting habits, its evolving story is equally exciting.
You must know that the house cats and the tigers, lions, jaguars are from the same family. While some cats have been domesticated, the wild cats are still afraid of people and love staying in the forest.
If you are even slightly interested in the journey of a cat, give this article a read. We will explore many unknown facts about cute felines.
Cat Origin:
Felis catus or the domestic cats have been domesticated recently. The Felidae family has been divided into 3 main categories. Felis is the smallest cats and most of this genre has evolved over the years.
It is very difficult to classify the Felidae family due to the similarity between their size, color, and other anatomies. The experts believe that the domestic cats have descended from the Felis silvestris lybica or the African wildcat.
History of Cats: From Wildlife To Domestication
To be honest, it was not easy for scientists to solve the puzzle of the cat’s domestication. The difficulty level was higher as the skeleton of the domestic cats and the wild ones are almost the same.
Some evidence suggested that the domestication of cats happened almost 8000 years back. The archeologists found the jawbone of a cat in a city. This was surprising to them as nobody had ever thought humans would bring wild cats into civilization.
After that, another clue came to light in 2004. A cat’s skeleton was found in the same grave as a human. This suggested the domestication of ancient cats happened about 1500 years ago. Most experts believe that these numbers are not accurate. They think house cats have descended from the African cats about 12000 years ago.
So, when were cats domesticated? Nobody surely knows but it has to belong after the dogs were domesticated. Humans were hunters and the dogs were their trusted companions. So, they used to pet them.
But when it comes to cats, these were not so useful to our ancestors. The felines came to business when people started settling down in towns. There were mice eating crops and ruining people’s houses. So, the cats took advantage of the situation and started hunting those mice down.
In the end, people took interest in those cute little fellows and adopted them. There is a saying that cats domesticated themselves. The verse is probably right. So, where do cats come from? Now you can imagine their origin, right? In the upcoming section, I will discuss the habitat, and origin of various breeds.
House cats and wild cats
Now you know that the house cats and the wildcats are from the same family. So it is obvious that they have some similarities. Scientists suggest that the wild and domestic cats share 95% similar DNA. so, your adorable cat can hunt like a professional hunter.
Let’s discuss some more similarities between these two types. Both the wild cats and the house cats are long sleepers. The pet cats have inherited this habit from their ancestors. Again, the domestic cats are carnivorous like the wild ones. Besides meat and protein, house cats can eat some human foods too.
You will be surprised to know that both the domestic cats and the wild cats spend 20 to 30 percent of their time grooming. This is a big match. You will also find a similarity between the house cats and the wild cats in kneading and marking territory.
Yes, the wild cats do kneading, maybe not because of the same reasons but they do. On the other hand, the house cats mark their territory by applying a special type of scent to the things they like.
Where Do Cats Come From?
There are hundreds of breeds available around the world. The origin and the natural habitat of each cat are different. As a cat parent and cat lover, knowing the origin of any cat breed gives me pleasure. That is why here I am sharing the information on some popular cat breeds:
Abyssinian: The Abyssinian cats are short-haired and natural breeds. These cats are mostly found in Asia. This natural breed is available in ruddy and several other colors.
Aphrodite giant: This breed goes around by several names. For example, Cyprus cats, Nicholas cats, Cypriot cats, or Saint Helen cats. From the name, you must have guessed the natural habitat of these cats, Cyprus. These cats are also a natural breed.
Aegean: This is one of the oldest domestic cats you will find. They are native to the Greek Island and pretty rare. Like the Abyssinian and Aphrodite cats, the Aegean cats are also natural.
Arabian Mau: The Arabian Mau cats are native to the Arabian Peninsula. These cats can survive in extreme climates as they originated from the desert cats.
Birman: This is a quite popular cat breed and people of Burma consider this breed as a sacred thing. The Birman is actually a crossbreed of the Siamese and the Persian. Even though these are domestic cats, they prefer staying alone.
Brazilian Shorthair: From the name, you can guess the native area of these cats. This is a natural breed. You may confuse them with an American shorthair, but this breed is more elegant.
American cats: There are about 12 breeds under this category. Balinese, American shorthair, Bombay, Maine coon, Ragdoll, Exotic shorthair are some of the American breeds.
Among the American cats, the Ragdolls are mixed breeds of Persian and Birman. The Bombay cats are the crossbreed of American black shorthair and the Burmese. The Balinese cats are more of a mutation of the Siamese. On the other hand, the Maine Coon and the American shorthair are totally natural.
Where do cats come from? How have the felines evolved? I hope you have got your answer. The cats have domesticated themselves and won billions of hearts over the centuries.
Related: Why Do Cats Bite?
