On any of the surprising number of Web sites dedicated entirely to wisdom about cats, one will find quotations like these: "As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat" (attributed to Ellen Perry Berkeley); "The phrase 'domestic cat' is an oxymoron" (attributed to George F. Will); and "A dog is a man's best friend. A cat is a cat's best friend" (attributed to Robet J. Vogel). Of course, there is such a thing as the domestic cat, and cats and humans have enjoyed a mostly symbiotic relationship for thousands of years. But the quips do illuminate a very real ambivalence in the long relationship between cats and humans, as this history of the house cat shows.
The Mystery of the Ancient House Cat
It has taken a while for scientists to piece together the riddle of just when and where cats first became domesticated. One would think that the archaeological record might answer the question easily, but wild cats and domesticated cats have remarkably similar skeletons, complicating the matter. Some clues first came from the island of Cyprus in 1983, when archaeologists found a cat's jawbone dating back 8,000 years. Since it seemed highly unlikely that humans would have brought wild cats over to the island (a "spitting, scratching, panic-stricken wild feline would have been the last kind of boat companion they would have wanted," writes Desmond Morris in Catworld: A Feline Encyclopedia), the finding suggested that domestication occurred before 8,000 years ago.
In 2004, the unearthing of an even older site at Cyprus, in which a cat had been deliberately buried with a human, made it even more certain that the island's ancient cats were domesticated, and pushed the domestication date back at least another 1,500 years.
Just last month, a study published in the research journal Science secured more pieces in the cat-domestication puzzle based on genetic analyses. All domestic cats, the authors declared, descended from a Middle Eastern wildcat, Felis sylvestris, which literally means "cat of the woods." Cats were first domesticated in the Near East, and some of the study authors speculate that the process began up to 12,000 years ago.
Civilization's Pet
While 12,000 years ago might seem a bold estimate—nearly 3,000 before the date of the Cyprus tomb's cat—it actually is a perfectly logical one, since that is precisely when the first agricultural societies began to flourish in the Middle East's Fertile Crescent.
When humans were predominantly hunters, dogs were of great use, and thus were domesticated long before cats. Cats, on the other hand, only became useful to people when we began to settle down, till the earth and—crucially—store surplus crops. With grain stores came mice, and when the first wild cats wandered into town, the stage was set for what the Science study authors call "one of the more successful 'biological experiments' ever undertaken." The cats were delighted by the abundance of prey in the storehouses; people were delighted by the pest control.
Comments
Arch-villains don't stroke the head of a cat because cats are evil, they stroke the heads of cats because cats are SMARTER THAN DOGS!
Posted by Annalisa on December 23,2007 | 09:25 PM
I like dogs and cats. Still, I think cats are easier to keep. Besides, dogs are too stupid. Training, walks... I'd rather deal with keeping my shelves away from my pet and trying to coax it not to swallow hairballs. P.S. Cats are house-trained.
Posted by stephanie on February 22,2009 | 02:30 AM
I have to make a persuasive speech. I am thinking "the cat is the best pet". If you can give me three reasons that you chose your cat to be your pet, would be a help. If you are against cats, let also give me three reasons that you did not choose them. Thanks, Etsuko
Posted by etsuko nichols on April 14,2009 | 06:47 AM
cats may scratch, but you can trim their claws, dogs chew up anything in sight. Cats can be trained to a litter pan. Dogs have to be taken outside. Dogs bark all the time and scare people. Cats just spend most of their time taking a nap. And when they purr it soothes your nerves. I just love cats!
Posted by tammy on May 14,2009 | 11:19 AM
Oct. 13, 2009
Hi, my name is Erik Johnson. I think cats are also vey smart animals! And they're also very neat and nice animals. Just like dogs, it's been claimed that there's been some cats that have also saved someone's life.
It seems like that cats are also clean animals, and they love you with all of their heart. The animals, dogs and cats are also God's creatures.
Erik C. Johnson
Posted by Erik C. Johnson on October 13,2009 | 05:29 PM
I love cats but I also love dogs. I think dogs are smarter than they act and cats are more whatever, I am smart. Both can make great pets but come with a slew of responsibilities. A lot like children. :)
Posted by Cassandra on November 13,2009 | 06:02 PM
Cats give me that wonderful meowy feeling all over!
Posted by Norm on April 17,2010 | 03:51 AM
I have both cats and dogs. I think their personalities can vary so much that we all have different experiences. I personally prefer my dog's conpany because of her willingness to make me proud. My cat is cool too, it's just different. I also really dislike the smell of cats, it is really nasty and it seems like a lot of people can't tell that their cats smell so terrible. The are good mousers though and are VERY useful for keeping the rodents down.
Posted by brett on May 5,2010 | 10:49 PM
I have a qestion.
Dogs are believed to have been domesticated wolfs. Were cats also domesticted from a wild cat - or did God make our house cat as did cows horses and of course man.
If the cat was domesticated like the wolf into a tamed animal, which cat was it?
I woluld appreciate your thoughts.
Posted by Judy Day on August 20,2010 | 05:28 PM