Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Genetic Research Suggests Cats ‘Domesticated Themselves’

February 2, 2008

Genetic Research Suggests Cats ‘Domesticated Themselves’

Why Do Cats Hang Around Us? (Hint: They Can’t Open Cans), Washington Post

The findings, drawn from an analysis of nearly 1,000 cats around the world, suggest that the ancestors of today’s tabbies, Persians and Siamese wandered into Near Eastern settlements at the dawn of agriculture. They were looking for food, not friendship.

They found what they were seeking in the form of rodents feeding on stored grain. They stayed for 12 millennia, although not without wandering off now and again to consort with their wild cousins. The story is quite different from that of other domesticated animals: cattle, sheep, goats, horses

by curiouscat Tags: Cats, Life Science, Students
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One Response to “Genetic Research Suggests Cats ‘Domesticated Themselves’”

Simonne Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I would add here that cats not only domesticated themselves, but also they domesticated humans. How could I otherwise explain that every times she meows, I know what she wants (according to the tone) and I act accordingly? And if I think that I’ve got it only since one year ago, I’m a bit scared what she might teach me to do in about 7-8 years