Anyone that knows me knows that I love cats, they are my favourite pet and my two Philippines street cats, Peter and Avatar are sleeping quietly near my desk as I am writing this, but cats were not always a part of us humans life’s were they? It is probable that it has been less that 10,000 years since cats started to appear as our companions and became closely associated with man. This of course is drop in the ocean in the evolution of animals on our planet. The question is why were cats so late in becoming domesticated? The simple answer is that at the start they didn’t need us to survive and were doing just fine as they were. Then the human population changed from becoming hunter gatherers and took up a agriculture and with that of course comes a fixed abode. Early agriculture like modern agriculture resulted in large scale storage of grains which in turn attracted rodents such as rats and mice. Naturally the rodents attracted cats who consider them a prime food source. The predictable and gradual result then was that cats started to live close to human settlements and as the years passed they became closer to man and slowly became domesticated.
So what was the origin of these first cats and where did they come from? Of course no one can know for sure but it is highly likely that is was a wild cat called Felis Libyca. It is thought that agriculture as we know it first took place in the Middle East in an area from what is modern day Turkey through to Egypt. And in this area the African Wild Cat Felis Libyca had it’s natural territory. African wild cats are slightly larger that our modern domesticated cats and are yellow in color with muted stripes. These cats have a docile nature and in isolated rural areas they still tend to live and hunt near human dwellings today. In these places local people sometimes still like to catch them and try rear them as pets and I understand that in some cases this can be successfully done. So you can see that a very good case can be made for Felis Libyca being the founding father of modern domestic cats and that would be my view. However when you read and research on the subject you will find that there are at least two other wild cats which may also be involved as the progenitor of our modern domestic cat. These are Felis Silvestris, the European Wildcat and Felis Manul the Steppe Cat.
Evidence for the the early period of domestication of cats is sparse but it includes statues found in Anatolia in Turkey which show women playing with domestic cats from around 6,000 B.C. Of course the other references which spring to mind for most people would be the cats of ancient Egypt.The earliest written records about these cats first appeared by around 4,000 B.C. These records show that they were frequently kept to hunt mice and rats in the grain store houses. from stored grains. And there was a religious significance in that domestic cats were thought to be the embodiment of the goddess Bast (or Bastet). There was a necropolis at her principal temple at Bubastis that contained mummified cats and mimmification of cats was common throughout Egypt at that time. Then came the Romans who spread the domestic cat northward into central Europe and westward to Britain during the expansion of their empire. Cats were quickly adopted and admired as great hunters and pest controllers wherever they made their appearance. Some time later as they continued to move north and east in Europe they were taken up by The Vikings who used cats as both hunters and pets. The Viking goddess of love and war, Freyja, was depicted as being associated with cats, huge mythical winged cats were shown to draw her chariot and it was also a Viking custom to give new brides a kitten in the name of Freyja.
Another reference to cats in history was that of Prophet Mohammed who was often depicted as the kindest of men by his words and actions. His words are that the people should treat their cats as a member of their family, and by this he meant take a good care of them. His favourite cat was called Muezza and the most famous story about Muezza tells how as the call to prayer was given and Prophet Mohammed went to put on one of his robe, he found his cat sleeping on one of the sleeves. Rather than wake the cat, he cut off the sleeve and left the cat sleep. When the Prophet Muhammad gave sermons within his household it is said that he would often hold Muezza in his lap. To this day people often think they can see the arabic word for M in the markings found on the heads of tabby cats. Back in Europe and Britain in The Middle Ages it were a very bad time for cats. Cats were said to be witches familiars and in league with witches and the devil. Because of this superstition, cats were routinely killed during festivals often with great cruelty, but no worse than was dealt out to the suspect witches. Sometimes they were even burned alive or thrown off tall buildings. The cats however had their revenge and paid back the humans with interest. It is thought that the deaths of so many cats at that time allowed the rodent population to rise out of control and this was a contributing factor for the spread of the Black Death which killed so many of the European population.
Eventually witch mania waned in Europe and the cats were left alone and their services as rodent killers and so being a friend of man was recognised again. Round about 1700 it was plain that cats were being regarded as pets as people in France began putting little holes near the bottom of their doors to allow their cats to enter and leave when they liked, the first cat flap. In Asia cats the same story continued continued to be used hunters hunters to control rodents and also much loved pets. Cats were often subjects for drawing and painting in China. In Japan, cats in the form of Maneki Neko, usually portrayed as a statue of a sitting cat with one paw raised and bent, these are considered good fortune. They are often found in businesses to draw in money, being placed in view of the main door.
Read the second part of the series HERE
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