We all know dogs are man’s best friend. Your dog licks your face, do all kind of tricks and even guard your house. Well, what about cats then? They are certainly not much fond of humans as dogs. Despite that, they were highly regarded by our ancestors. Today we will dive into the life of the ancestors of our feline friends.

Image by ...♡... from Pixabay 

Domesticated or self-domesticated?

One of the lesser-known facts about cats is that they are believed to be self-domesticated. They served their own interests. As we all know the agricultural revolution in 10000 BCE secured humans with a stable food source. And we also domesticated another animal- rats. Turning into a nightmare, the rat plundered the food source. And then our furry friends saw a golden opportunity. After they chased the cats away the humans trusted the cats to be useful and adopted them. And even today they behaved like they owned the place. They evolved from the African wild cats.

When cats were Gods!

In ancient Egypt, cats were associated with Goddess Bastet. They were mummified along with humans. As a sacred animal, killing cats were forbidden. When a house cat died, the entire family mourned by shaving their eyebrows. In Norse mythology, the chariot of Freya was pulled by cats. In Russia and Japan, cats are considered lucky animals. They are allowed to enter the church. There are many cat shrines in Japan.

The Leopard spots:

The black stripes on cats (like Bengal) are similar to leopard spots. Historically cats did not have many of these spots. But breeders cross-bred them with other animals to create those.

Cats in China:

Recent excavations in the early farming village Quanhucan, in central China, show that 5000 years ago Chinese farmers enjoyed the company of cats. Even one cat was carefully buried and the skeleton remained intact.

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