Chapter 1; the arrival of catus domesticus

The evolution and history of the domestic cat is seen to be long and varied, transgressing

many millennia and enriched by various legendary and magical revelations. It is possible that

the familiarity of the cat to our ancestors, as well as ourselves has, in part, contributed to the

some what minimalist historical facts.

It is well documented that the exact origins of the domestic, and hence the pedigree, cat is

unlikely to be chronicled with any accuracy, but there have been relevant discoveries

throughout worldly archaeological excavations, etc. Also, there are various excellent books,

documentaries, etc., which have demonstrated the evolution with great expertise, as well as

illustrating the unique sociological position held by the cat in many civilizations.

The ancestor of the cat, like the dog, weasel and other small mammals was the viscous weasel

like, Miacis, which over 10 million years developed into two definite groups: Dinictus and

Hyplophoneus, both easily recognizable through dental structure -- one particular animal of

the Hoplophoneus is the Sabre Tooth Tiger, or Smilodon, remains of which in Brazil predate

1.5 million years ago.

Descendants of the Dinictis have other characteristics with lynx-sized beast with contractible

claws, and these are considered to be the ancestors of the domestic cat 0f today, although

much longer in the body, streamlined and shorter in the tail than those seen today. Members of

the Civet group, the cousins of our domestic cats include the snake-killing mongoose, the

palm civet ands the genet cat. In all the Dinictis divided into over ninety subspecies, which are

directly related to the modern cat, and of which over thirty still exist in recognizable forms.

The violent changes in the climate and other phenomena over the next few million years,

which included the various ice ages, earthquakes well off the Richter scale, and turbulent

storms, changed the earth's contours, and allowed only the most adaptable animals,. and other

creatures to survive. Man, often termed as primitive, appeared in a recognizable form, and

some forty variant species of the cat family came through unscathed and highly tuned to

survive the rigours of the world, its climate, etc.

Primitive man was a the 'hunter-gatherer' for many millennia, and this situation only steadily

changed alongside increased civilization, population explosions, climatic variances, and the

gradual reduction in huntable animals, birds, fish, etc. We can be sure, through historical and

scriptural documentation that the domestication of animals coincided with the formation of

human settlements, known today as towns. The best documented and most successful did,

indeed, arise in the Middle East around the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf --- certainly

remains of well-known domesticated beasts are found on excavation, etc., and include dogs,

sheep, goats, cattle, and surprisingly, pigs. The cat was most probably not among the earliest

domesticated species, but, as the mouse has long been seen, many consider that their control

should be linked to the cat's presence as a scavenger and thus mouse deterrent !

Certainly the cat was a well known aspect of early Egyptian civilization and progression, and

like various animals, was associated with specific deity : initially the cat was sacred only to the

goddess, Isis, but later the male cat was depicted as sacred to the sun god Ra, while the female

was linked to the fertility goddess, Bast --- this can be dated to around 4,000 BC.

(A portrayal of Bast as a cat-headed deity is to be seen in the Cairo museum, and can be

accessed via the Internet.)

The cat become better known after migration to Crete (2,900 B.C.), Greece (2,900 B.C.),

Persia and Libya (2,500 B.C.), the Phoenicians took cats to sea with them, India (2,300 B.C.),

China (2,200 B.C.), Italy (1,900 B.C.), Switzerland (1,800 B.C.), Germany (1,000 B.C.) and

Britain (1,600 B.C.) Evidence of slow but steady migration. The initial migration to Britain

may have come via Phoenicians trading for Cornish tin, but they definitely came with the

Roman invasion. The skeleton of cat has been found in ruins of Roman villas in present-day

Surrey and near Hadrian's wall. In 936 A.D. Hywel the Good, Prince of Wales, placed

monetary value upon the cat, as 1 penny for a kitten before it opened its eyes, but once it

could catch mice its value escalated to 2 pence. Laws were enforced by which anyone killing a

cat had to pay its worth in corn. measured by holding the dead animal by the tip of its tail so

the nose touched the ground and pouring the grain until the carcass was completely covered.

Having been revered for centuries, the Middle Ages saw the cat used for sacrificial rites, and

in Germany Christian reacted against a strange orgiastic cult following Freya, goddess of

love, which featured the cat highly, and they were put to death by the thousand. In 1484 Pope

Innocent VIII denounced the cat and numerous animals were persecuted throughout Europe

along with many people, especially women. who protected the animals particularly in

Germany and France, and ceremonies were presided over by Christian priests.

These pagan acts spread to the New World, and more than 2,000 trials for cat sorcery were

held in New England.

In Britain and the Low Countries the black rat became the cat's salvation --- Crusaders

brought the rats in their ships and they invaded sewers multiplying by the thousand, and

carrying the fatal plagues. Dogs were thought unhygienic and the fastidious cat considered

'safe.' Gradually the cat numbers increased as pest for the family home and exotic breeds

from foreign countries became popular, especially in France. The French liked the long haired

breeds and they were placed on silk cushions, groomed and cosseted.

There are various Christian religious figures have been associated with animals, and indeed, a

trip to Assisi will provide one picture of St. Francis with a small 'tabby marked' cat nearby

although most illustrators prefer to depict birds, a crib or1 snails.

The cat, as scientific theory has proven, belongs to the genus, Felis catus, as attributed by

Linnaeus in 1758, and the later name Felis domestica was dedicated by Erlexin in 1771, and

then copied by Fuischer in 1778. However, as Felis Catus was already widely attributed to the

wild cat species in Egypt, and was the first name used it has become the permanent official

term, and the wild European cat was renamed Felis sylbestris in spite of world-wide

controversy which some argue to this day.

According to the Feline Advisory Bureau, 'one murine researcher has suggested that the cat

may have been domesticated in order to combat epidemics of mice --- this may be the case

but it may imply more purposeful behaviour on the part of man than that probably occurred.'

The more domestic cats mated freely with the wild species, so limiting the progress of

domestication. No records exist of planned breeding until the year 999 A.D. when it wad

written that 'on the tenth day if the fifth moon' a female cat delivered a litter of five kittens in

the Imperial Palace of Kyoto in Japan to the Emperor's great delight.

Cats were used to control the mice around silk worm cocoons and it soon became fashionable

to breed them in confinement and walk them on leads. With these restrictions the mice quickly

proliferated and so in 1602 the government decreed that cats be liberated and severe fines were

made for anyone found buying or selling cats, and mice were soon back under control.

Since the mid 1800's there has been an ever increasing fascination, and in 1871 the world's

first official cat show was held in London at the Crystal Palace --- this was quite a small affair,

but from it grew the fancy we know today in much of the modern world and various breeds

were exhibited. It certainly spurred an interest in coat colours, patterns and breed differences.

In effect two principal types were noted, just as today --- one is long, elegant slim and with

long legs, long tail, a pointed face, large ears and oriental eyes, while the other is stockier,

with round head, small ears and round eyes set in the front of the face. The second

type, is, of course, also found with long hair and often called the 'Persian.' With the effects of

selected breeding and importing we have extended to more breeds and variances in

appearance, etc.

NEXT: Chapter 2