The cat, along with the dog, has been one of the most popular pets for thousands of years. In a broad sense, it refers to mammals of the feline family. Although, according to some classifications, the domestic cat is considered a separate biological species or subspecies of the forest cat.
The origin of the feline family
There is no exact information about when the cat first appeared. According to one version, the common ancestor of felines lived in Asia 6-7 million years ago, according to another - 10-15 million. One of the first representatives of the family were tigers, jaguars, lions, lynxes, cheetahs. However, their appearance was preceded by millions of years of evolution.
Scientists believe that all carnivorous animals, including the wyver, canine and feline families, originated from a group of predators called myacids. A half-cat animal called the proailurus with long legs and a tail, according to the researchers, appeared 40 million years ago, and 15 million years later a pseudoailurus appeared, which already possessed most of the typical features of the feline family, including the structure of the jaw, canines and paws.
Man taming a wild cat
According to one of the classifications, the domestic cat belongs to the subspecies of small cats, which also includes the steppe cat, jungle cat, sand cat, European forest cat, etc. The steppe cat (other names - steppe / spotted cat) separated from the European wild cat about 173 thousand years ago. This animal that lives in the steppes of Asia, Kazakhstan, Transcaucasia and Africa, at first glance, is easy to confuse with modern pets due to its similar color and size. The first domestic cats appeared as a result of the domestication of this subspecies about 10 thousand years ago in the Middle East, when people began to move to a sedentary lifestyle and form the first agricultural settlements.
It should be noted that the ancestors of modern breeds of domestic cats are different. Thus, the Bengal cat, which lives in Southeast Asia, is considered the progenitor of the Siamese and other oriental breeds.
Probably, people realized that the steppe cat can become a good helper for them in the household, protecting food supplies from rodents. At the same time, she did not claim herself for grain, fruits and vegetables from the stocks of people, because She entirely provided herself with food through hunting. In addition, cats were not a problem due to their quiet demeanor. This is how the cohabitation of humans and cats began.
Gradually, people began to keep domestic cats on all continents, and in some states they were considered sacred animals.
Despite the long period of coexistence with humans, in general, domestic cats retain their independent disposition and, suddenly finding themselves on the street, are able to run wild again. And some feral individuals even give joint offspring with their wild counterparts of different subspecies, if they meet with them on the outskirts of the area and in the forest belt.
