Posted on 09/21/2016 5:10:09 AM PDT by SJackson
First large-scale study of ancient feline DNA charts domestication in Near East and Egypt and the global spread of house cats.
Thousands of years before cats came to dominate Internet culture, they swept through ancient Eurasia and Africa carried by early farmers, ancient mariners and even Vikings, finds the first large-scale look at ancient-cat DNA.
The study, presented at a conference on 15 September, sequenced DNA from more than 200 cats that lived between about 15,000 years ago and the eighteenth century ad.
Researchers know little about cat domestication, and there is active debate over whether the house cat (Felis silvestris) is truly a domestic animal — that is, its behaviour and anatomy are clearly distinct from those of wild relatives. “We don’t know the history of ancient cats. We do not know their origin, we don't know how their dispersal occurred,” says Eva-Maria Geigl, an evolutionary geneticist at the Institut Jacques Monod in Paris. She presented the study at the 7th International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology in Oxford, UK, along with colleagues Claudio Ottoni and Thierry Grange.
(Excerpt) Read more at nature.com ...
Cats enjoy doing their job. How many humans can say that?
Hi.
In the fwiw department we have had hunting dogs most of our life. About 15 years ago, with my last English Springer getting old, we accidentally acquired a cat. Approx 9 months old. Short hair domestic. Tiger is his name because he would kill squirrels, rats, rabbits and pigmy rattlers. He is gray, black with wolverine stripes. He has a “Guaoul” marking on his head. Weighs about 20+ pounds. Even the alligators wouldn’t mess with him.
Two years later, again at Christmas we “acquired” another cat. Calico. Her name is Lady. Doesn’t hunt anything, not even geccos.
Lap cat.
5.56mm
An old thread revived, which I didn't ping at the time.
There are lots of coyotes north of Coeur d’Alene. The NextDoor app has at least daily “Lost Dog” or “Lost Cat” pleas. Many of the dogs are found and returned, but I don’t think a single kitty has been returned. Tasty snacks to the coyotes.
That’s a fun story — the kind you used to find in Reader’s Digest all the time. Thanks!
Now I know why my 4 cats bowed down to worship the Viking Kitty photos-this article says they DO exist...
I always assumed Vikings were dog people.
No wonder they can’t win the Supa Bow.
I saw one of those up close when I was a kid. Either it was a juvenile, or it’s a small breed because I expected it to be a lot larger. I never heard a sound come from its lips, but its mouth opened like it was going to say something scary.
Of course, I’ve heard them in the canyons at night...
The undisputed alpha/madrina of my cartel of 4 rescue/shelter cats is a big spayed tan-and charcoal tabby with white vest and paws called Lucia-she is 15 years old, fat at 17 lbs and doesn’t take any s*** off the others-not even my black male, Merlyn who has quite the dominant streak himself-when a mouse finds its way into the kitchen door, all 4 go into action for the chase-and-kill until the mouse is trapped and beaten-then the other 3 sit down and let Lucia finish the execution, which she appears to really enjoy-I am glad Lucia is only a pet housecat...
Beautiful animal-so are the mountain lions we have out here in the woods-we hear them pretty often and see their tracks in the mud after rain, or when it snows-but they rarely show themselves...
The biggest I ever saw was about 2 feet high. It is pretty rare to actually see one, they avoid humans when possible. They are deadly though..
I agree. The moun tain lions are very beautiful cats. It’s all in the face :)
Yeah, that would fit in with the one I saw. Scrappy thing, though. Wouldn’t want to fight with it. I’d be totally unprepared!
I certainly wouldn't.
Squirrels are rats with furry tails and better PR.
Concur. So are chipmunks.......
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