Cats

Pictured is my cat, Toby!

Cats add eloquence to society. Did you know that just 60 years ago, few cats lived entirely indoors at all? In fact, for more than 10,000 years, cats have lived outdoor lives, sharing the environment with birds and wildlife. Understanding cats’ place in history and human evolution reveals how very recently domestic cats came indoors and how millions of this species—feral cats—continue to live healthy lives outdoors today, as all domestic cats are biologically adapted to do. 

Cats began their unique relationship with humans 10,000 to 12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, the geographic region where some of the earliest developments in human civilization occurred (encompassing modern day parts of West Asia). One such development was agriculture. As people abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and settled permanently to farm the land, stored grain attracted rodents. Taking advantage of this new, abundant food source, Middle Eastern wildcats, or felix silvestris lybica, preyed on the rodents and decided to stick around these early towns, scavenging the garbage that all human societies inevitably produce—just as feral cats do today. 

Over thousands of years, a new species of cat eventually evolved that naturally made its home around people: felis catus. Today, pet, stray, and feral cats belong to this species that we call the domestic cat. Cats formed a mutually beneficial relationship with people, and some scientists argue that cats domesticated themselves. Especially prized as mousers on ships, cats traveled with people around the globe:  A burial site in Cyprus provides the first archaeological evidence of humans and cats living side-by-side, as far back as 9500 BC. Cats must have been brought to the island intentionally by humans. In ancient Egypt, cats were worshipped, mummified, and—artwork suggests—kept on leashes as part of the cult of the goddess Bastet. In 31 BC, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire. Cats were introduced into Roman life, becoming truly widespread in Europe around the 4th century AD. A cat skeleton from this period shows the shortened skull of domestic cats today. From Europe, cats boarded ships to the Americas, reportedly tagging along with Christopher Columbus, with the settlers at Jamestown, and aboard the Mayflower. In Europe, Sir Isaac Newton is rumored to have invented the cat door in the late 17th or early 18th century. Cats continued their service as mousers throughout history, even serving as official employees of the United States Postal Service as late as 19th and early 20th century America. Towards the end of the 19th century, more Americans began to keep cats for their company as well as their utility. The first cat show was held at Madison Square Garden in 1895. By the end of World War I, cats were commonly accepted as house pets in the U.S. 

Throughout all this time, cats were allowed to come and go freely from human households—even President Calvin Coolidge’s cat had free rein to wander to and from the White House during the 1920s. As Sam Stall, author of 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization and The Cat Owner’s Manual, writes, “Back in Coolidge’s day no one thought of confining cats indoors—not even one belonging to the president of the United States.”

Keeping cats indoors all the time was not possible—nor was it even a goal—until several important 20th century innovations: refrigeration, kitty litter, and the prevalence of spaying and neutering. 

Even though these changes to our modern lifestyle make keeping cats inside possible, biologically, cats are the same as they were thousands of years ago. Their role in our society has evolved and broadened over the last hundred years, but their basic behaviors and needs haven’t changed. Cats truly are a regal part of society. 

Source: http://www.alleycat.org/CatHistory


Meet My Cats

Toby, my cat, is intelligent and unique. He is a large fourteen pound orange Tabby. He loves all kinds of food, but his favorite foods are mushy food, coconut oil, and whipped cream. He will play as long as there is no jumping involved and he loves snuggling with me. He is definitely a people-cat and can't stand when things are being done behind closed doors. He will actually open closed doors with his claws, even when no one is on the other side. He will go around the house meowing until he finds someone to snuggle with. He is very lovable and likes to learn in school by helping hold down the current paper I am working on. Toby often acts like a dog. He nuzzles under my hand, wanting to be involved in whatever I am doing. Toby the cat is a one-of-a-kind, smart cat.

He likes to do things like this all the time. No wonder he's so smart, though. Look at how much he studies.

He's so smart he can dance in his sleep.

Just chillin.

Yes, Toby, this picture does actually make you look fat.

My sunny boy ❤

❤

This is not my cat, but rather the family cat, Tasha! She is a Somali.

Well, hello there.

Peek-a-boo.

I see you.