The unfolding of our sweet felines

Evolution is the process by which species develop, being slowly formed over millennia by pressures such as natural selection and genetic drift. Here’s how our felines tiptoed into our lives….

The Felidae family...

The Felidae family, to which all cats belong, has done well, branching out in all geographical directions with thirty-seven variations on a highly effective blueprint of a top predator, ranging from Sand Cats to Tigers. These all trace back to one common ancestor who lived on our planet between 20 and 30 million years ago: Proailurus. This animal was remarkably like a large domestic cat and probably spent a lot of time hunting in trees for small animals. From this humble beginning the cat’s family tree started to branch out. A legacy of huge and frightening Sabre-toothed Cats, some of whom thought nothing of snacking on a Rhino, spread across the world and dominated it for millions of years. However, these fearsome beasts were outlived by less assuming cousins and all living cat species today owe their heritage to the Cougar-like Pseudaelurus.

Sometimes in the history of an animal’s evolution a change occurs because it develops a symbiotic relationship with another species. That is to say, two unrelated animals find a way to get along and have a mutually beneficial relationship. The youngest species of cat arose in this way and is the cat we all know, love and cuddle on a cold night.

The first domestic cat…

Felis Silvestris Catus or the Domestic Cat developed around 5000 years ago when there was a social shift among the people of North Africa who for the first time ceased a nomadic existence in order to settle on fertile land and farm food. Excess grain was stored for leaner times and this attracted the destructive attention of mice. The sand brown African Wild Cat, Felis Silvestris Lybica, was and still is, present in the area hunting small prey in the steppes, savannas and bush-land. Unlike many small cat species, African Wild Cat kittens can develop a certain level of tameness if raised with people from a young enough age.

Cats in religion…

Cats became increasingly important in religion in Egypt, with the cult of cat goddess Bast elevating their status to sacred and worshipped VIPs. During this time it became common practise to keep cats confined for the first time, and they were bred and pampered in temples.

The sailors…

The Phoenicians were great sea traders sailing all around Europe in boats propelled by muscle-armed galley slaves. One of their great strengths was realising that cats were as vital to successful seafaring as cooperative oarsmen. Between 1200 and 800 BC these ships took cats all around the Mediterranean and beyond and by 500 BC, cats were well established in Southern Europe and traders were taking them on journeys to and from China and Japan where they were invaluable in protecting silkworm cocoons from rats.

Touched by luxury…

It was in Rome that the cat had its first taste of luxury as a pampered pet while the mongoose was sent out to work catching vermin. As the Roman Empire came to prominence cats hitched a ride again to even more countries, including England, where feline footprints on clay tiles date back to 4 AD, and India, where sea-faring Romans had many trade links, especially in the West coast. Then as time passed travel and exploration took ship’s cats across the Atlantic to America and down under to New Zealand and Australia with the first colonists.

Not only had Felis S Catus become a new, distinct sub-species but a highly successful one thanks to its ability to live alongside humans. Our cats had to adapt and change themselves in order to fully exploit this relationship, and several key differences set the domestic cat apart from his wild cousins.

(Anthony Nichols has been showing cats for about 20 years, starting with non-pedigrees, and breeding for about ten years. He has bred Devon Rex and Singapuras, but mainly focuses on breeding LaPerms in a range of colours, particularly the reds, creams, torties, chocolates and colourpoints.) (To be continued…Read our next issue to know how domestic cats are different from wild cats.)