As cat popularity grows, understanding the history of the house cat is interesting if you’ve never considered it. It’s believed they evolved from wild cats roughly 12,000 years ago when humans moved to an agricultural lifestyle.
Researchers suspect that all domestic cats descended from a subspecies of the Eurasian and African wildcat Felis silvestris, as well as Silvestris lybica, the Middle Eastern wildcat.
Source: History Facts. Link. Today, the Cat Fanciers’ Association recognizes 45 separate breeds, while the International Cat Association recognizes 73.
Scientists believe it was likely the cats, not the humans, who made the move to initiate a mutually beneficial partnership . . . “
Photo credit: Nancy Woodrow