Few animals have had such a complex relationship with humans as cats. Since our histories crossed, which probably occurred over 9,000 years ago, man's perception of felines has changed significantly.
If in ancient times, they were revered as incarnations of divinities, during the Middle Ages they suffered massive persecutions after being associated with the practice of witchcraft and heretical movements. And many, many years had to pass before they were re-adopted as pets and could fully enjoy the comfort of a peaceful home.
Although the story of the cat goes beyond its relationship with the human being, it is inevitable that we interpret and tell it from our experience and experience with these kittens, also based on the contributions allowed by advances in science and technology. In this article on our site, we will tell you a little more about the history and evolution of the cat
Cat evolution
The domestic cat (Felis catus or Felis silvestris domesticus) is a small mammal belonging to the Felidae family, that is, the The history and evolution of the cat is interconnected with that of the wild cats that currently inhabit our planet, mainly with the wild cat(Felis silvestris). More specifically, it is estimated that all felines share a large common ancestor that was related to Miacis.
Miacis consists of the oldest known group of primitive carnivores that is currently known, from which they probably developed all modern carnivorous mammals, including felines. These first ancestors of the cat would have been similar in size to a genet, with a long tail and an elongated body, and would have lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 60 million years ago.
Some millions of years later, the members of myacids begin to differentiate morphologically, giving rise to different groups of carnivorous mammals. Unfortunately, the fossil history of the felines have not been as well documented as that of the canids, so there is still much more to be discovered or confirmed about the history and the evolution of the cat and the other felines that live or have lived on Earth.
Likewise, it is assumed that the first species related to the felids would have been Proailurus, a small arboreal carnivorous mammal that inhabited Europe about 40 million years ago. During the Oligocene period, the first felids are divided into two large groups: Nimravidae and Felidae. In the latter, proailurus was found, from which the closest extinct species to modern felines would descend: pseudaelurus, which would have appeared for the first time about 20 million years ago and disappeared about 8 million years ago.
Later, during the Miocene, which began about 23 million years ago, pseudaelurus had already diversified significantly and its population would begin to expand to Africa and America. The specific morphological and genetic root of the modern felines would have begun about 10 million years ago, when they separated from Pseudaelurus having adapted to the steppes and savannahs, where they found great availability of food due to the variety of herbivorous animals that lived there. In this same period, felines with long canines arose, which would become extinct around the year 10,000 B. C.
However, small modern felines belonging to the genus Felis, such as wild cats, would take a little longer to inhabit the earth's surface, first appearing about ago 5 million years in the Asian continent, expanding to the other continents would begin in this same period, although they would not reach Oceania or Madagascar.
Furthermore, in 2006 various analyzes of the sex chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA of different species of modern felines, including the domestic cat, were carried out. Added to the many paleontological investigations, their results indicate that the genetic lineage that would give rise to the domestic cat would have separated from the other small felines about 3.4 million years ago, between the forests and deserts of the Mediterranean basin
In the image we can see the recreation of a Pseudaelurus in a mural at the Smithsonian Institution museum in Washington, D. C., United States.
Origin of the domestic cat
The history and evolution of the domestic cat still generates many debates in the scientific community and it is not possible to speak of a consensus among experts on how our adorable kittens originated. Even today, debate continues as to whether the domestic cat should be classified as a separate species or continue to be considered one of the subspecies of the Eurasian wildcat (Felis silvestris), more popularly known as wildcat.
It is worth remembering that currently six subspecies of wild cats are recognized, being:
- Felis silvestris silvestris: better known as the European wildcat, it lives in Europe and the Anatolian Peninsula.
- Felis silvestris lybica: it is popularly called the African wild cat and lives in North Africa and western Asia up to the Aral Sea.
- Felis silvestris cafra: is the wild cat of southern Africa, which lives in the sub-Saharan region of the African continent.
- Felis silvestris ornata: Known as the Asian wild cat, it is found in Central and East Asia, Pakistan and northwestern India.
- Felis silvestris bieti: It is popularly known as the Chinese wildcat or Chinese desert cat, mainly inhabiting northern China.
- Felis silvestris catus: these are domestic cats, which have spread throughout the world, being the feline with the greatest geographical distribution and morphological diversity.
Shared morphological traits and some genetic research suggested that domestic cats would have been descendants of the African wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica). In addition, the more sociable and less aggressive character of African wild cats could have facilitated their coexistence and adaptation to the human lifestyle. And in fact, in 2007, a detailed molecular study has shown that domestic cats are actually related to the African wild cat, from which it would have separated approximately 130,000 years ago (which is relatively little in relation to the evolution of felines).
A large part of the fossil remains found and analyzed seemed to indicate that the domestication of cats would have begun in Ancient Egypt, around from the year 2,000 BC However, some recent discoveries have begun to pose new challenges and controversies regarding the history of the domestic cat. In 2004, the remains of a cat that had been buried with its owner were discovered in Cyprus, probably living between the years 7,500 and 7,000 BC
Added to this, in mid-2017, extensive research supported by the University of Leuven (Belgium) was published, in which the DNA of teeth, nails, skin and hair belonging to various domestic cats and collected from different archaeological sites in Africa, the East and Europe. Their results have revealed that the oldest fossil remains are between 10 and 9 thousand years old and were found in the Near East. His hypothesis is that the African wild cats would have begun to approach the rural villages after a proliferation of mice in the harvested cereals.
Consequently, it could have been the cats themselves that had taken the initiative to approach the human being upon perceiving an abundant supply of foodclose to their communities. In turn, farmers, perceiving that these cats helped fight rodent infestations, may have begun to offer the felines other comforts, such as shelter and warmth. Therefore, these recent findings could end up adding a point in favor of those who defend that cats were the only animals that have conveniently chosen to submit to domestication.
However, these discoveries do not allow us to know whether domesticated cats would have arrived in Egypt thanks to the migratory habits maintained by those farmers of the Middle East. Or if an independent second domestication process really took place in Ancient Egypt, from African wild cats that lived around this great civilization.
In the image we can see an inscription on the sarcophagus of Crown Prince Thutmose, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes, France.
Cat Story
Now that we know better the origin and genetic inheritance of the cat, we still need to talk a little more about the history and evolution of the cat alongside the human being. That is to say, about this link that could have started almost 10 thousand years ago and that is built daily to this day, in every home where a small pussycat with a great temperament lives. As it is impossible to address the entire history of the cat in just a few paragraphs, we will limit ourselves to some key points in the history of the domestic cat in the West, from the Ancient Egyptian to the contemporary era, passing through the Middle and Modern Ages.
Although the first domestic cat does not appear to have emerged in Egypt, the Egyptian civilization was the first to adopt and care for catsAs pets, he was appreciated not only for his skill as a hunter, but also for his noble and independent nature, which at the same time also revealed great sensitivity and affection towards his own. But in addition to the special bond with cats, the Egyptian civilization highlighted a great respect for animals and an interest in incorporating them harmoniously into their lifestyle.
The famous veneration of cats that characterizes the ancient Egyptian civilization is associated with the cult of the goddess Bastet, also known as " the star Sirius", which was interpreted as a symbol of protection, fertility and beauty. As the cat was incorporated into the culture of Ancient Egypt and its qualities were being recognized, the representations of Bastet associated with these small felines began to be more and more common, usually portrayed as a black cat or a woman with the head of a cat. cat. The cult of Bastet had been especially popular in the ancient city of Bubastis, in which many mummified cats have been discovered. This is probably because the cats in this locality were considered incarnations of the very goddess Bastet, so they would have earned the honor of the mummification ritual, which was only available to nobles and pharaohs.
It is said that the Egyptians' bond with cats was so intense that the Persians used it as a "weakness" to conquer the Pelusian region. According to legends, the Persian king Cambyses II has ordered to tie cats to the shieldsof his soldiers and the Egyptians, out of fear or respect, have decided not to fight back, leaving the way clear for the Persian invasion in Lower Egypt. There is also a legend that says that the Greeks must have stolen some pairs of cats to introduce them in their country, since the Egyptians refused to commercialize them for the cultural value and the divine symbology they had for their civilization. And in this way, the cats would have reached the European continent, although the hypothesis lacks solid historical evidence.
But far from following Egyptian traditions, the Greeks have used cats mostly for rodent control and also as a "barter currency" with the Romans, French and Celts. And thanks to the intense trade between these civilizations, cats would have begun to spread throughout the Mediterranean countries. However, there is a kind of rupture in the affective bond between cat and human being, since in these civilizations the kittens were not close to man and the raising the dog as a companion, guard and protection animal.
However, the most complex moment in the cat-man relationship would occur during the Middle Ages in Europe, which extends between the 5th and 15th centuries. Although peasants used to appreciate cats for their skill as hunters and kittens were used to control the proliferation of rodents even within monasteries, their appearance, their nocturnal habits and even the myth of the seven lives have ended up associated with the practice of witchcraft and heretical movements, according to the religious doctrine bound by the Church. Since the entry into force of the Inquisition, there has been a massive persecution of cats (mainly the cats of color black) that used to be sacrificed in popular festivals, as part of the fight against heresy.
With the beginning of the Renaissance, this type of practice begins to lose popularity, and cats rejoin society but mostly as a rodent control agent. However, only after the success of the French Revolution were bonfires and popular cat sacrifices expressly prohibited, which came to be understood as acts of cruelty to animals. With the outbreaks of plague during the Modern Age, cats are becoming more popular in cities and their presence is once again valued in houses, boats, shops and even offices. That's when it begins to be considered that cats absorb negative energies, although black cats were still feared.
Likewise, the resumption of that affective bond between man and cat would only be reborn from the romantic movement that flourished in Europe during the XIX century. Art plays a key role in changing society's perspective regarding these small felines and in abandoning superstitions and prejudices remnants of ancient times. Consequently, the cat is finally re-adopted as a pet and interest in studying and classifying the different types of cats grows.
Already in the 20th century, the selective breeding of cats for the creation of new breeds is gaining strength, taking into account the characteristics and traits most desired by the guardians in each country. To get an idea, in 1900 there were only about 8 registered breeds, but by the beginning of the 21st century this figure had risen to almost 100 cat breeds throughout the world, although not all of them are officially recognized.
