The domestic cat (felis catus) is one of the most recently evolved species within the felid family.
the family felidae has been divided into three genera:
- panthera (roaring cats – lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards, and jaguars)
- acinonyx (the cheetah)
- felis (all other ‘small’ cats)
however, the classification of the cat family is difficult, partly due to the difficulty of distinguishing the species by their phenotype and morphology: they all look remarkably similar and, for example, it is extremely difficult even for experts trained to differentiate the skull of a lion from that of a tiger. more recent genetic research has suggested eight distinct groupings or lineages within the cat family that could therefore form the basis for future reclassification.
common features
all cats have evolved as predatory hunting mammals with particularly keen senses of hearing, sight, and smell. Anatomical features such as the rounded head and skeletal structure suggest that the 37 recognized species within the cat family evolved from a common ancestor, probably living in Asia around 10-12 million years ago. there has been a rapid expansion and diversity of the cat family over the last 10 to 11 million years and 3 million years ago there were a wide variety of cats that inhabited all regions of the earth except the arctic, antarctica and australia . the rise and fall of sea levels over many millennia helped both to create the conditions in which felid species could migrate and occupy other geographic locations (when sea levels were low) and to isolate the development of species (when sea level was high). the widespread migration of ancestral cats was probably facilitated by their natural behavior of dispersing and searching for their own territory, and also by the need to track the prey species they hunted.
Felidae are the most highly developed carnivorous hunters of all mammal species. With the exception of lions, which live in groups, all other wild cats have developed as solitary animals with the ability to hunt and fend for themselves. cats are territorial, they develop their own area in which they hunt and mark their territory mainly through smell. they come together primarily to mate.
again, with the exception of lions (where the males have a distinctive mane), the appearance of male and female cats is very similar, although males tend to be slightly larger. they have five digits on the front feet and four on the hind feet. the digits are protected by pads, which also help reduce sound when hunting. except for the cheetah, all cats have retractable claws.
Cats have evolved a wide range of coat colors; Under natural conditions, these are adaptations that allow the cat to camouflage itself and help it in its hunting lifestyle.
evolution and adaptation of felis catus
The coexistence of cats and humans is evident from the fossil record of early human habitation, although it is assumed to be feral cats. The development of true domestication (or perhaps more accurately the “domestication” of cats) was previously thought to have occurred in Egypt around 3,600 years ago. Cat skulls found in Egyptian cat cemeteries (called mau by the Egyptians) have been identified primarily as belonging to the species felis sylvestris lybica (the African wildcat) (some texts will also classify the African wildcat as felis lybica lybica) and is this wild cat that lives in asia and north africa and is now believed to have been the main ancestor of today’s felis catus. however, more recent evidence shows that feline domestication probably occurred about 10,000 years ago or more in the Middle East, in the region of the Fertile Crescent. The oldest true record of domestication comes from a cat that was found deliberately buried with its owner in a grave in Cyprus, around 9,500 years ago, and domestication is presumed to have started some time earlier, as there were no native cats in Cyprus.
living close to people
The first evidence of human grain stores comes from Israel around 10,000 years ago, and the development of grain stores is known to have caused an accumulation and increase in the house mouse population. it is this increase in the rodent population that is believed to have first attracted feral cats to the proximity of humans and then led to their subsequent domestication. cats that are more tolerant of humans would have been more likely to move closer to human settlements, and this self-selection would have aided in the domestication and domestication process.
Archaeological evidence suggests that cats were commonly found in association with human settlements in the Fertile Crescent (Israel and surrounding countries) 3,700 years ago, and became an “official deity” (in the form of the goddess bastet) in Egypt about 2900 years ago. a large number of cats were bastet sacrificed and mummified at this time, indicating that the Egyptians were actively breeding cats. 2,000 years ago there was increasing evidence that cats were spreading throughout Europe.
modern cats
Genetic analysis has shown that the DNA of modern domestic cats worldwide is almost identical to that of felis sylvestris lybica, clearly demonstrating that it is this species that gave rise to our domestic cats. the DNA of other small cats (including the European wildcat (Felis sylvetris) and the central Asian and southern African wildcats (F s ornata and F s cafra) form distinct and unrelated groups.
felis sylvestris lybica still survives today and is a solitary nocturnal hunter with a similar appearance to domestic tabby cats, albeit with a slightly lighter (more sand-colored) coat. individuals of this species are well dispersed in the savannah with large ranges due to the relatively scarce availability of rodent prey.
The criteria of what defines a different animal species are not entirely rigid. in general, the different species cannot reproduce with each other, and they do not do so under natural conditions. under artificial conditions, it is possible to cross some species of cats, e.g. lions and tigers, although the cubs are often infertile. however, due to its close relationship with the wildcat (felis sylvestris), the domestic cat (felis catus) still retains the ability to interbreed with this species and this occurs under natural conditions and the resulting offspring are fertile. In some regions this has caused significant problems with feral and stray cats interbreeding with the native bobcat, leading to population declines of genetically distinct purebred feral cats (for example in Scotland and Hungary).
the domestic cat was first classified as felis catus in 1758 by carolus linnaeus, and although this nomenclature remains the most widely used, recent studies suggest that the domestic cat should really be considered a subspecies of the wildcat, i.e. felis sylvestris catus – and this term is used by some.
domestication of the cat
felis catus as a species arose through bobcats living in close proximity to humans. however, this should not be considered “domestication” in the same way that dogs and other animals have been domesticated. In general, cats have not undergone major changes during domestication and their form and behavior remain very similar to their wild cat ancestors. they remain perfectly capable of surviving in the wild, and indeed many return to a feral or feral existence.
The two main theories surrounding the domestication of cats are that the original wildcats (felis sylvestris lybica) were deliberately domesticated and selected for their likability, or that rather than being specifically selected for, they were more ‘tolerated’ by humans and gradually withdrew from them. their ‘wild’ relatives through natural selection and adaptation to hunting vermin around human settlements. the latter is probably more likely, at least in the early stages of domestication, as other animals such as ferrets and dogs would actually have been much more effective and efficient if human control of vermin had been the goal. In either setting, various traits of cats, including their small size, social nature, body language, love of play, high intelligence, and perhaps an innate tendency among all small cats toward tameness, may have facilitated their domestication.
For most other domestic animals, a much clearer and more direct benefit to humans is evident, and in general (unlike cats), domestic animals are derived from herd or herd animals. The same cannot be said for cats! Strictly speaking, most cats aren’t really domesticated; this is defined as fully controlled breeding, care, and breeding by humans producing a reproductively isolated population. this can only really apply to pedigreed domestic cats, which make up a very small proportion of the total domestic cat population. Without a doubt, one of the main attractions of cat ownership today is that, although tame, cats remain little altered from their wild relatives and exhibit many characteristics and traits that are mimicked in wild cats. Today’s domestic cats retain a number of characteristics of their desert-dwelling ancestors, including the ability to survive on very low water intake through the production of highly concentrated urine (more so than dogs) and the production of relatively dry stools, which minimizes water loss. . They are also tolerant of extreme heat and do not show signs of discomfort until their skin temperatures exceed 52°C, while humans begin to feel uncomfortable when their skin temperatures exceed 44.5°C. there is also a lack of change in body temperature in the house cat over a 24 hour period (as they tend to be active both day and night).
