Posted on 02/13/2026 3:32:26 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Initially, archaeologists believed that humans began to live with cats about 9,500 years ago in... parts of the present-day eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. This timeline coincides with the beginning of the Neolithic era, when agriculture started to spread. The grains used in farming attracted rodents, which then enticed the wildcats to come and eat the rodents. Neolithic humans then likely kept the wildcats around to keep the rodents away, paving the way for domestication. Cat remains dating [circa 9500 years ago] have been discovered in present-day Cyprus, indicating that the animals were a part of daily life by then.
Cats then became a staple in Ancient Egypt roughly 3,500 years ago. Unlike the more murky history during the Neolithic Age, Ancient Egyptian culture is full of cat references. Numerous cat remains have been found in tombs, as well as drawings of cats eating near humans. Bastet was a feline goddess...
Earlier studies using cats' mitochondrial DNA indicated that they may have made it to Europe from Turkey via Neolithic farmers about 6,000 years ago and later from Egypt. Genetically speaking, modern house cats are also different from the African wildcat native to both Egypt and Turkey. Still, a lack of archaeological evidence and problems with distinguishing domestic cats from their wild counterparts based on the DNA in their bones have left some major gaps in the house cats' history.
In this new study, a team analyzed the genomes of 70 ancient cats, dating back over the last 11,000 years (from about 9000 BCE to 19th century CE). The genomes were taken from bones found in archaeological sites in Europe and Turkey, along with 17 modern wildcats from parts of North Africa, Italy, and Bulgaria.
(Excerpt) Read more at popsci.com ...
Well I am more of dog person myself but ... I have had two cats so far, both strays, one I found as a teenager, and I just found another stray kitten last year.
But he is being raised with two dogs, and they have taken him in as one of their own.
“So who imported the cat ladies?”
Original latin: Kathmandu (cat men do).
Not a cat person here but we have taken in 4 rescues in the last yr. 2 turned out to be Maine Coons and are getting huge. At 8 months old they are bigger than the chihuahuas we have. Newest kitten sleeps on top of the black chihuahua. He does not like it.
I mew you’d like it.
For a lifelong Rott owner I do still love cats
Cats are worthless. They are parasites on humanity. They are creatures of the night that creep into your life. They are like your girlfriend that left you. Both will come back to torture you.
Unfortunately a few of us insane like them. I do. Cats have slept in my bed since I was a kid and now 78 years of age now.
LOL!
Viking Kitties are great. Daisy’s favorite TV show when she’s awake to watch it.
Dogs and cats get along fine in the same household. Until I moved out of my house, I had two cats and a Keeshond and they got along fine. Had a fenced acre to run around on, some wild crits to chase. Life was good. Loved them like my human kids.
“,,, and of course killing rodents reduced disease.”
You might think so. But it turns out that the fleas that carry the bubonic plague bacterium Yersinia pestis or “The Black Death” strongly prefer rodent hosts to humans. If you kill off the rodents the fleas hold out for a while and then jump to human hosts. And then it’s off to the races.
Rodents are disease spreaders beyond the bubonic plague .
What disease exactly?
I think you can handle looking into problems with rodents for humans, yourself.
"When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction."
"Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat."
"Perfect independence of character is found in not one of God's creatures except the cat. One man in ten millions creates it in himself, and it makes him as conspicuous as the Milky Way; but no cat is born without it."
"Some people scorn a cat and think it not an essential; but the Clemens tribe are not of these."
“Where’s my saucer of milk? And the ash tray? And the litter box — you really don’t want this place to become ‘the officers’ mess’.”
“Where’s my saucer of milk? And the ash tray? And the litter box — you really don’t want this place to become ‘the officers’ mess’.”
—
Right, all quite reasonable requests. And we all know that, since the astronauts did not pet or any of the other things they were asked to do, we were not allowed to go back by our Masters. Which answers the Apollo-deniers question about why no one has been back since.
LOL!
I’m supposed to look into your false claim? Yeah sure. That’s the old internet two step. Make a claim and then tell the other guy to prove it for you.
Burden of proof is on you and you’ve failed.
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