Throughout history, animals have played a massive part in our lives. In modern times, they continue to be a vital part of our lives, and we consider them family. The most notable are cats and dogs. With dogs being domesticated thousands of years before cats, when did cats become such a big part of our lives? How did they evolve to be domesticated?
Let us travel back more than 12,000 years to learn how housecats evolved to be the companions we know and love today.
Ancestry and DNA
Before we dive into the domestication process, let us quickly start with the house cat's ancestors and DNA to develop a deeper understanding.
In recent DNA studies, our adorable household cats came from the African wildcat. Now there were many species, Felis silvestris (European wildcat), F. s. lybica (Near Eastern wildcat), F. s. ornata (central Asian wildcat), F. s. cafra (southern African wildcat), and F. s. bieti (Chinese desert cat), but it was the African wildcat that was found to be amongst humans. Being the kindest and boldest of cats, you could spot them entering villages and even huts.
Domestication started in the Near East, but where in that region remains unknown. The Near East is a region near the Mediterranean that encompasses West Asia, the Balkans and North Africa. Cats then started to spread throughout each continent, moving further into Europe, southward to Africa, eastward into Asia and ultimately, to North America. Ancient DNA also depicts that Vikings played a pivotal role in the spread of our feline friends.
How Cats Domesticated Themselves Into Our Lives
We domesticated and bred dogs because we needed them to perform specific tasks. Humans and cats never had any reason to cross paths. However, the overlapping of our lives and cats all started in the Neolithic period in the Near East. Our species started to settle down and began farming.
With farming, the rodent population exploded. As we know, cats are opportunists and will take advantage of a bountiful hunt. It almost became a working contract between us and our feline friends. By feeding on the mice and even snakes, it kept the crops free of rodents. In return, we treated them with kindness by offering food and shelter. With their ability to control pests, we had no reason to put them through any selection process.
Domestication Traits
There was no way to tell the difference between a wild and a domesticated cat. Only 13% of genes in cats were changed during the domestication process. Domestic cats have certain markings, patterns, and colours in their fur that are different from wildcats. The most common trait was the tabby coating. Such DNA studies date the tabby markings back to the Ottoman Empire.
However, to truly tell the difference between the two kinds of cats, you would have to compare the size of their brain and their intestines. Domestic cats have a reduction in brain size in parts that trigger fear and aggression. The intestines in domestics are also longer to process vegetable-based foods.
Overall, cats didn't change much with time. This may be debatable but, humans thought they were perfect the way they were. Ancient Egyptians saw cats as fierce hunters and protectors of their homes. Although not worshipped, they were still seen as sacred to deities. Cats have not forgotten this!
Master Manipulator
When cats are together, they rarely meow at each other. However, realizing that we respond to their meows, cats have evolved to use different tones to communicate their message. Domestic cats also have shorter and higher pitch meows, which are more audibly pleasant to us and trigger a response from us.
Another form of communication is the purr. Purrs can be soothing and have healing abilities but they are also used to communicate. If you have a cat, you will notice that if they want something, they will rub on you and start purring. Scientists believe that there is a component of the purr that is very similar to a human baby crying. Cats, earning the name of copycat, have learned to take advantage of this trait to get what they want.
So did they really evolve?
In conclusion, cats did not evolve as much. They evolved just enough that we can kind of tell the difference through their markings and how they have manipulated us with their way of communication. After all, housecats share about 95% of their DNA with tigers. We, as a race, kept them nearly in their true form. They remember their roots and continue to see us as servants, not gods.
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