A Brief History of House Cats

Smithsonian ^ | july 26h, 2007 | DancesWithCats

[DancesWithCats]

EIGHT thousand years ago! Boy we've been buds a long time. Or maybe even, TWELVE thousand years !

And there are estimated to be 90 million of the little darlings trotting around in our homes in just the U.S. In England I know they are very popular as well and a study was done in the last couple of years counting how many vermin were killed off by housecats and the end result was astounding. Guess we'd all be swimming in mice and rats and lizards if it weren't for Fluffy. I don't let mine go out and roam though. Too dangerous. In England they seem to not worry, though a friend of mine had lost her cat to a fox! Not a pretty way to go.

[xcamel]

The relationship between cats and man goes back tens of thousands of years.. Man gathers food, food gathers vermin, vermin at food is a cat’s easy catch. It’s not “rocket surgery” here. Same with dogs - man feeds dog, dog protects his “easy” food source. Dog stays warm at fire.

[Publius6961]

BUMP!

[xcamel]

BTW: Up here in the Northeast we have a population explosion of fishers - and it seems domestic house cat is their most favorite food. :-(

Think badger with a really bad attitude.

[Man50D]

Guess we'd all be swimming in mice and rats and lizards if it weren't for Fluffy.

My sister once had a pet named Fluffy only it was a tarantula.

[rickdylan]

I had one of those start to climb a tree I was in while deer-hunting once, never saw me at all. I said “Buddy, you’re either outta here or your’re dead!” and he took off like he had jato bottles attached.

[Duke Nukum]

My cat maintains cats were never domesticated but at some point decided humans were useful, to an extent, and so domesticated us. The one thing they really, really wanted from us was plastic.

[martin_fierro]

[Finny]

Having watched our cat (adopted after she was several years old — we didn’t have her as a kitten) methodically and adeptly apply behavioral techniques to train my husband in her optimum care and feeding, I think your cat is on to something.

[GOP_Raider]

Rush referred to this a while back when he said “cats have staff. Dogs have masters.”

[Caramelgal]

I’ve never adopted any cat; they’ve all made the choice to adopt me.

[Publius6961]

I’ve never adopted any cat; they’ve all made the choice to adopt me.

Well, I managed to do it. Three years ago. After I stuffed him in a crate.

He's still getting even.

[donna]

Does your husband know what happened?

[DancesWithCats]

It’s not “rocket surgery” here. Same with dogs - man feeds dog, dog protects his “easy” food source. Dog stays warm at fire.

As my lil Irish gramma would say ... 'cupboard love. Nothin' but cupboard love.'

[DancesWithCats]

BTW: Up here in the Northeast we have a population explosion of fishers - and it seems domestic house cat is their most favorite food. :-(

I think I'd keep ma' kitty INDOORS at all times up there in the Fisher King territory! (I do anyway ... here in the southwest we have the very lethal and unconscionable street traffic to worry about! and some loose dogs that run the neighborhood. Kitties just don't fare well running loose as well with all that, fishers or no fishers!)

[DancesWithCats]

My sister once had a pet named Fluffy only it was a tarantula.

your sister any relation to Hagrid?

[DancesWithCats]

The one thing they really, really wanted from us was plastic.

My cat has a plastic monkey on her back. It's pathetic.

[DancesWithCats]

Having watched our cat (adopted after she was several years old — we didn’t have her as a kitten) methodically and adeptly apply behavioral techniques to train my husband in her optimum care and feeding, I think your cat is on to something.

I know our cats have US trained! And if we're late with the meal, or getting up in the morning to GET the meal, we hear about it! Or going to bed at night. We have a very pushy, bossy-boots bunch.

[Slings and Arrows]

[meowmeow]

I’m always amazed at how well they can tell time. Even when we switch to/from daylight savings time it only takes them a couple days to readjust. I don’t mind the weekday 4am wakeup call (I get up for work at 4:30am anyway), I just wish I could teach them the concept of SATURDAY!