Did Mice Domesticate The House Cat [?]

Discover ^ | Tuesday, January 15, 2008 | Jocelyn Rice

[SunkenCiv]

Driscoll gathered genetic material from nearly one thousand domestic and wild cats to trace the house kitty's family tree back to its roots. The depth and diversity of that tree suggest that the process of domestication took place over a widespread area and a long period of time... As humans made the transition from hunting and gathering to farming, they created concentrated, permanent stores of food. Stockpiles of grain attracted hungry mice, which in turn drew hungry feral cats... For a cat raiding a grain store in a primitive village, being tolerant of humans became an evolutionary advantage. Eventually, as villages grew, friendlier cats became more and more segregated from their wilder brethren, with natural selection acting upon the new populations of village kitties to make them increasingly docile.

[bigheadfred]

The cat hates when Rufus wears one. Cat won't talk to him, gets wicked pissed

I have the same problem...

[Lady Jag]

It's okay. Rufus took care of the cat.

[skimask]

"Cats are not domesticated. They're the only animal that can walk out of your home and survive on its own."

Your right about that. I have never met nor heard of a dumb cat too.

[gracie1]

I read somewhere that toxoplasmosis may be implicated in the development of schizophrenia. There was an upswing in cases noted around the turn of the last century, which coincided with an increase in keeping cats indoors (with a corresponding increase in the exposure to cat feces). It explains the crazy lady tendency toward keeping a lot of cats.

[SunkenCiv]

:'D

[Duke Nukum]

Do you ever wonder why they don’t have mouse flavored cat food?

[ValerieTexas]

Funny how newborn kittens don’t look much different from mice.

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, maybe they do. I’ve never tasted either cat food or mouse. :’) Probably all of it is made out of mouse, they just don’t wanna freak out anyone by putting it on the label.

[SunkenCiv]

Perhaps, though cats remain adorable.

[ValerieTexas]

I can't bear to look!

[ValerieTexas]

Did brave cats domesticate the vacuum cleaner?

[ValerieTexas]

I'll bet you are at least this domesticated:

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, cat scientists probably invented it, but because they sleep 16 hours a day, someone else took credit for it.

[Daffynition]

[R. Scott]

...the new populations of village kitties to make them increasingly docile.

"Docile" is not a word to be used when describing my Killer Kat.

[wildbill]

I love that cartoon. I used to have a T-shirt with it and got lots of smiles from it, especially from chicks.

I kept it til it rotted away into tatters.

[SunkenCiv]

:’D

[Hegemony Cricket]

57 posts and not one image of the all-time best cat domesticator?

[colorado tanker]

LOL!

[Renfield]