What is the origin of domestic cats?
People are confused about the origin of domestic cats. The researchers also discuss where and when the cats were domesticated. Some of them also say that the felines were domesticated. Take a look at the different theories about it.
The first domesticated cats
About 40 centuries ago, the Egyptians were believed to have domesticated cats. This belief is geographically sound as it is based on DNA evidence; Today’s domestic cats have the same ancestry as African wild cats. However, in 2004, when a Neolithic tomb was excavated in Cyprus that is 9,500 years old, the remains of a cat along with a human hint that people cared for cats even before 4000 years.
On the other hand, some studies show that the domestication of cats could have started 12,000 years ago during the boom of the agricultural industry in the Fertile Crescent (fertile crescent-shaped land surrounding Egypt and Syria) in the Middle East.
It is thought that more agriculture will bring in more vermin which will bring in more cats. This is a sensible theory considering the fact that even today’s feral cats continue to band together to go to live in places with a large supply of food, regardless of whether it is a restaurant with plenty of leftovers or a farm where they can hunt vermin. .
Greek and Phoenician traders were believed to have brought domestic cats to Europe around 3,000 years ago. The Romans have great respect for cats when it comes to controlling pests, which is why Roman legions take them with them whenever they travel to Gaul (present-day France) and also to Great Britain.
The cats were brought to Britain
When the Romans left Britain around 1600 years ago, most of their cats were left behind. About 1000 years ago, when the Vikings invaded Britain, they took several house cats that were left behind by the Romans when they returned to Norway.
Witchcraft
Something unfortunate happened to cats around 700 years ago in Britain. During this Middle Ages, news that cats were suddenly suspected of being involved in witchcraft became widespread. That is why a cat massacre took place in Europe and hundreds of thousands of cats were euthanized. Most people hypothesized that this slaughter of cats has led to the increase in the rat population in Europe, which in turn led to the increased spread of the bubonic plague from 1346 to 1353.
Cats were introduced to the new world
In the 16th century, cats not only regained their popularity, but they also took another big leap. During the 17th and 18th centuries, New World explorers and traders left Great Britain and Spain to introduce house cats to the United States.
The current cat
Cats have become very popular and there are currently around 8.5 million house cats in the UK. It is considered to be the most popular pet in the world.
Many households have a dog, but many cat owners show their love by having multi-cat households. Today, there are more than 100 domestic cat breeds, and people continue to develop new breeds.