Origins of the Cat

Upon exploration of the caves that ancient man lived in, the bones of the African wild cats were found.  Of course there is no way to know if the cats were hunted, killed and eaten, or if they were raised and tamed from kittens to control pests. 

Grain stores and crops were protected by tabbies with very similar markings of those of the African wild cat in Egypt around 3,000 BC.  The Egyptians regarded these cats as gods because they had become so valuable.  The typical domesticated house cat is a descendant of these Egyptian tabbies.

The Far East had its hand in the domestication of cats too, but a much later date then the Egyptians did.  Some say as early as 2,000 BC others say AD 400.

It is believed that the domesticated shorthaired cat is a relative of the early cats in Egypt.  The domesticated longhaired cat is believed to be a relative of the wild felines in Iran and Afghanistan and the longhaired manul of Central Asia.

In the mid-nineteenth century the first cat shows introduced the concept of breeds.  Breeders developed pedigree cats from the natural domestic types, which had already been around for thousands of years.  Over the years breeders have added new breeds to the list.  Pedigree breeding took place in order to accentuate the best or most unusual features of certain strains of cats.  Today those features are regulated and monitored by national associations in each country.