{"id":34738,"date":"2023-08-03T01:51:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T01:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=34738"},"modified":"2023-08-06T04:30:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-06T04:30:37","slug":"cats-first-finagled-their-way-into-human-hearts-and-homes-thousands-of-years-ago-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/cats-first-finagled-their-way-into-human-hearts-and-homes-thousands-of-years-ago-heres-how\/","title":{"rendered":"Cats first finagled their way into human hearts and homes thousands of years ago \u2013 here\u2019s\u00a0how"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jonathan Losos<\/a>, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go on safari in southern Africa. One of the greatest thrills was going out at night looking for predators on the prowl: lions, leopards, hyenas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we drove through the darkness, though, our spotlight occasionally lit up a smaller hunter \u2013 a slender, tawny feline, faintly spotted or striped. The glare would catch the small cat for a moment before it darted back into the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"long-legged,<\/a>
An African wildcat doesn\u2019t look so different from a domestic cat. pum_eva\/iStock via Getty Images Plus<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Based on its size and appearance, I initially presumed it was someone\u2019s pet inexplicably out in the bush. But further scrutiny revealed distinctive features: legs slightly longer than those of most domestic cats, and a striking black-tipped tail. Still, if you saw one from your kitchen window, your first thought would be \u201cLook at that beautiful cat in the backyard,\u201d not \u201cHow\u2019d that African wildcat get to New Jersey?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an evolutionary biologist<\/a>, I\u2019ve spent my career studying how species adapt to their environment<\/a>. My research has been reptile-focused, investigating the workings of natural selection<\/a> on lizards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, I\u2019ve always loved and been fascinated by felines, ever since we adopted a shelter cat when I was 5 years old. And the more I\u2019ve thought about those African wildcats, the more I\u2019ve marveled at their evolutionary success. The species\u2019 claim to fame is simple: The African wildcat is the ancestor<\/a> of our beloved household pets. And despite changing very little, their descendants have become among the world\u2019s two most popular companion animals. (Numbers are fuzzy, but the global population of cats<\/a> and dogs<\/a> approaches a billion for each.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, the few evolutionary changes the domestic cat has made have been the right ones to wangle their way into people\u2019s hearts and homes. How did they do it? I explored this question in my book \u201cThe Cat\u2019s Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the African wildcat?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Big cats \u2013 like lions, tigers and pumas \u2013 are the attention-grabbing celebrities of the feline world. But of the 41 species of wild felines<\/a>, the vast majority are about the size of a housecat. Few people have heard of the black-footed cat or the Borneo bay cat, much less the kodkod, oncilla or marbled cat. Clearly, the little-cat side of the feline family needs a better PR agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In theory, any of these species could have been the progenitor of the domestic cat, but recent DNA studies demonstrate unequivocally<\/a> that today\u2019s housecats arose from the African wildcat \u2013 specifically, the North African subspecies, Felis silvestris lybica<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the profusion of little pusses, why was the North African wildcat the one to give rise to our household companions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, it was the right species in the right place at the right time. Civilization began<\/a> in the Fertile Crescent<\/a> about 10,000 years ago, when people first settled into villages and started growing food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This area \u2013 spanning parts of modern-day Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Iran and more \u2013 is home to numerous small cats<\/a>, including the caracal, serval, jungle cat and sand cat. But of these, the African wildcat is the one that to this day enters villages and can be found around humans<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

African wildcats are among the friendliest of feline species; raised gently, they can make affectionate companions<\/a>. In contrast, despite the most tender attention, their close relative the European wildcat grows up to be hellaciously mean<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given these tendencies, it\u2019s easy to envision what likely happened<\/a>. People settled down and started raising crops, storing the excess for lean times. These granaries led to rodent population explosions. Some African wildcats \u2013 those with the least fear of humans \u2013 took advantage of this bounty and started hanging around. People saw the benefit of their presence and treated the cats kindly, perhaps giving them shelter or food. The boldest cats entered huts and perhaps allowed themselves to be petted \u2013 kittens are adorable! \u2013 and, voil\u00e0, the domestic cat was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mummy<\/a>
Egyptian mummified cat. Universal History Archive\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Where exactly domestication occurred \u2013 if it was a single place and not simultaneously throughout the entire region \u2013 is unclear. But tomb paintings and sculptures<\/a> show that by 3,500 years ago, domestic cats lived in Egypt. Genetic analysis<\/a> \u2013 including DNA from Egyptian cat mummies<\/a> \u2013 and archaeological data chart the feline diaspora. They moved northward through Europe (and ultimately to North America), south deeper into Africa and eastward to Asia. Ancient DNA even demonstrates that Vikings played a role in spreading felines<\/a> far and wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What cat traits did domestication emphasize?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Domestic cats possess many colors, patterns and hair textures not seen in wildcats. Some cat breeds<\/a> have distinctive physical features, like munchkins\u2019 short legs<\/a>, Siameses\u2019 elongated faces<\/a> or Persians\u2019 lack of muzzle<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"closeup<\/a>
A fluffy, flat-faced Persian cat has changed a lot in looks from its wildcat ancestor. Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yet many domestics appear basically indistinguishable from wildcats. In fact, only 13 genes have been changed by natural selection<\/a> during the domestication process. By contrast, almost three times as many genes changed<\/a> during the descent of dogs from wolves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are only two ways to indisputably identify a wildcat. You can measure the size of its brain \u2013 housecats<\/a>, like other domestic animals<\/a>, have evolved reductions in the parts of the brain associated with aggression, fear and overall reactivity. Or you can measure the length of its intestines \u2013 longer in domestic cats<\/a> to digest vegetable-based food provided by or scavenged from humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most significant evolutionary changes during cat domestication involve their behavior. The common view that domestic cats are aloof loners couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. When lots of domestic cats live together \u2013 in places where humans provide copious amounts of food \u2013 they form social groups very similar to lion prides<\/a>. Composed of related females, these cats are very friendly \u2013 grooming, playing with and lying on top of each other, nursing each other\u2019s kittens, even serving as midwives during birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To signal friendly intentions, an approaching cat raises its tail straight up<\/a>, a trait shared with lions and no other feline species. As anyone who has lived with a cat knows, they use this \u201cI want to be friends\u201d message toward people as well, indicating that they include us in their social circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"orange<\/a>
Cats use plenty of tools and tricks to get you to hand over what they want. Nail Galiev\/iStock via Getty Images Plus<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Evolution of a master manipulator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Household cats are quite vocal to their human companions, using different meows to communicate different messages<\/a>. Unlike the tail-up display, however, this is not an example of their treating us as part of their clan. Quite the contrary, cats rarely meow to one another<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sound of these meows has evolved during domestication<\/a> to more effectively communicate with us. Listeners rate the wildcat\u2019s call as more urgent and demanding (\u201cMee\u2011O\u2011O\u2011O\u2011O\u2011O\u2011W!\u201d) compared with the domestic cat\u2019s more pleasing (\u201cMEE\u2011ow\u201d). Scientists suggest that these shorter, higher-pitched sounds are more pleasing to our auditory system<\/a>, perhaps because young humans have high-pitched voices, and domestic cats have evolved accordingly to curry human favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cats similarly manipulate people with their purrs<\/a>. When they want something \u2013 picture a cat rubbing against your legs in the kitchen while you open a can of wet food \u2013 they purr extra loudly. And this purr is not the agreeable thrumming of a content cat, but an insistent chainsaw br-rr-oom demanding attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists digitally compared the spectral qualities of the two types of purrs<\/a> and discovered that the major difference is that the insistent purr includes a component very similar to the sound of a human baby crying. People, of course, are innately attuned to this sound<\/a>, and cats have evolved to take advantage of this sensitivity to get our attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, that won\u2019t surprise anyone who\u2019s lived with a cat. Although cats are very trainable<\/a> \u2013 they\u2019re very food motivated \u2013 cats usually train us more than we train them. As the old saw goes, \u201cDogs have owners, cats have staff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonathan Losos<\/a>, William H. Danforth Distinguished University Professor, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jonathan Losos, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go on safari in southern Africa. One of the greatest thrills was going out at night looking for predators on the prowl: lions, leopards, hyenas. As we drove through the darkness, though, our spotlight occasionally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":34739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[118,3410],"tags":[6392,4760,4838,14467,7615,250,13133,3075],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34738"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34738"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34766,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34738\/revisions\/34766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}