What is the origin of domestic cats?
People are confused about the origin of domestic cats. Researchers also dispute where and when cats were domesticated. Some of them also say that the felines domesticated themselves. Take a look at the different theories about it.
The first domesticated cats
Around 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 ancestors as African wild cats. However, in 2004, when a 9,500-year-old Neolithic tomb was excavated in Cyprus, the remains of a cat next to a human hint that people cared for cats even before 4,000 years ago.
On the other hand, some studies show that the domestication of cats could have started 12,000 years ago during the heyday of the agricultural industry in the Fertile Crescent (crescent-shaped fertile land surrounding Egypt and Syria) of the Middle East.
It is thought that more agriculture brings more vermin which breeds more cats. This is a sensible theory considering the fact that even today’s feral cats continue to band together to live in places with plenty of food supply, whether it’s a restaurant with plenty of leftovers or a farm where they might hunt vermin.
Greek and Phoenician traders are believed to have brought domestic cats to Europe around 3,000 years ago. The Romans have great respect for cats when it comes to pest control, which is why the Roman legions take them with them whenever they travel to Gaul (present-day France) as well as Britain.
The cats were brought to Britain
When the Romans left Britain around 1,600 years ago, most of their cats were left behind. About 1000 years ago, when the Vikings invaded Britain, they took several domestic cats 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 has spread that cats were suddenly suspected of being involved in witchcraft. That is why a cat massacre took place in Europe and hundreds of thousands of cats were euthanized. Most people hypothesize that this killing of cats has led to the increase in the rat population in Europe, which in turn caused the increased spread of the bubonic plague between 1346 and 1353.
The cats were introduced to the new world
In the 16th century, cats not only regained their popularity, they took another huge leap. During the 17th and 18th centuries, New World explorers and traders left Britain and Spain to introduce domestic cats to the United States.
the current cat
Cats have become very popular and there are currently around 8.5 million domestic cats in the UK. They are considered the most popular pet in the world.
Many households have one dog, but many cat owners show their love by having multi-cat households. Today, there are more than 100 breeds of domestic cats, and people continue to develop new breeds.