3,257
edits
Changes
→Rise of Cat Pets
While the transition of wild cats to domesticated cats appears to be relatively clear, particularly as agriculture became prominent around the world. Not surprisingly, we do find cat remains in Europe and other parts of Asia as agriculture became more established. However, it is less clear when humans began to actively let cats into their homes.
The earliest evidence of close contact between humans and cats comes from Cyprus from 7500 BC, where a human was found buried next to a cat. In ancient Egypt, by around 2000 BC, we find the first cat cemetery with mummified cats and tomb paintings showing cats. In fact, something on the order of 80,000 mummified cats have been found in the cemetery, making it still by far the largest known cat cemetery(Figure 1). The goddess Bastet was depicted as a cat and the association of cats with this goddess may have made cats sacred. However, from tomb paintings, it is also clear that the Egyptians had an affinity and care for the cats, suggesting that cats by then were now more intertwined with daily life and people actively took care of cats. Cats may have not been exported from Egypt for centuries, which may indicate why they did not spread until somewhat later in parts of the Mediterranean. However, recent studies have shown it was not just Egypt that kept cats but other societies in the ancient Near East seemed to keep house cats, although they are not frequently discussed.
One hypothesis why cats became invited to homes is that even in the wild cats act docile to humans and sometimes even act playful. This suggests that the natural nature of cats could have led them to being invited to people's homes as their presence in agricultural villages and towns became more established.
Cats were not widely discussed in ancient Greece, suggesting they may have not been a primary pet. One vase shows a cat fighting a dog, while another shows a music player with a cat. However, in ancient Rome, cats are mentioned by Plutarch and Pliny. Mosaic depictions indicate that cats were common household pets (Figure 2). Cats seem to have been kept in the house to help keep away mice and common pestsas well. One text mentions using cats to catch moles in vegetable beds. A Roman tomb has even been found with a cat and its name, suggesting that it was loved by its owner. One Galic-Roman relief shows a little girl holding a kitten, suggesting that cats were kept as pets for children as well as adults. Some breeds, such as the British Shorthair, appear to have been bred by the Romans and then introduced to places such as Britain perhaps as early as the 1st century AD. In effect, the love for cats may have led to the different breeds, as some cats appear to be bred to develop their hair or decorative features. [[File:Egyptian - Statue of a Seated Cat - Walters 54403 - Three Quarter.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 1. Seated cat statue from ancient Egypt.]] [[File:8000027 47c5a3ec7c o.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2. Mosaic from Pompeii showing a playful cat.]]
==Recent Developments==
