It was over 10,000 years ago that cats first befriended the man, in the fertile crescent of the Middle East. The real reason behind this is unknown, but it is considered likely that as man developed agriculture, the granaries become infested by rats. This presented an opportunity to local wild cats.
As nature would have it, those wildcats that learned to live alongside man received more access to thriving rat buffets. And so, natural selection saw to it that the cats deemed themselves domesticated. The findings belie the long-held belief that the ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate the cat.
But if you think that changes anything about your local domestic cat, think again. All domestic cats are descendants or sub-species of F. S. lybica; a wildcat that hails from the Middle East. These cats were known in the fertile crescent over 9,000 years ago (in Europe, they appeared over 2,000 years ago, roughly the same period as in India. Cats turned up latest in Australia and the Americas, at 400-500 years ago respectively).
Dating the beginning of man’s friendship with the cat would seem an impossible task. But as far special relationship could in part be due to the feline’s prowess at hunting rats. But it may also be that they’re cute creatures. The shape of a cat’s face plays into many of our genetic predispositions towards what we find cute – large eyes, a snub face and round features for one.
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