Domestication

Also see: Ancient Egyptian domestication of cats and cats

A 15th-century BC artwork found in an Egyptian tomb depicts a cat consuming fish beneath a
chair.
It was long believed that cats were first domesticated in ancient Egypt, where they were
worshipped from approximately 3100 BC.[31][32] On the other hand, the oldest evidence of
taming an African wildcat was discovered near a Neolithic human burial site at Shillourokambos,
southern Cyprus, and dates to approximately 7500–7200 BC. The residents of this Neolithic
settlement most likely transported the cat and other wild mammals to the island from the Middle
Eastern mainland because there is no indication of native mammalian species on Cyprus.[33]
Thus, it is believed by scientists that rodents, specifically the house mouse (Mus musculus), drew
African wildcats to the early human settlements in the Fertile Crescent, where they were
domesticated by Neolithic farmers. For thousands of years, early farmers and domesticated cats
shared a mutually beneficial partnership. Domesticated and tamed cats spread with agricultural
methods.[30][34] Later on, the domestic cat's maternal gene pool included Egyptian wildcats.
[35]

About 1200 BC is the earliest known date for the domestic cat's existence in Greece. Southern
Europe was first exposed to domestic cats by Greek, Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Etruscan
traders.[36] Before the start of the first millennium, they were brought to Corsica and Sardinia
under the Roman Empire.[37] By the fifth century BC, they were well-known creatures in and
around Etruria and Magna Graecian towns.[38] The Egyptian domestic cat lineage had reached a
port in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea by the end of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth
century.[35]

In China, approximately 5500 BC, the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) was independently
domesticated. There is no sign of this partially domesticated cat lineage in the current domestic
cat populations.[39]

Cats have only little changed in morphology and behavior since they were domesticated, and
they are still able to live in the wild. It's possible that a number of wildcats' innate traits and
habits helped prepare them for domestication as pets. These characteristics include their small
stature, gregarious disposition, expressive body language, enjoyment of play, and high IQ.
Although captive Leopardus cats were not domesticated, they may nevertheless act affectionately
toward people.[40] Feral cats and house cats frequently mate.[41] It is also feasible for domestic
and other Felinae species to hybridize, giving rise to hybrids like the Scottish Kellas cat.[42][43]
Cat breed development began in the middle of the 1800s.[44] Because some mutations were
chosen to create distinct cat breeds, an examination of the domestic cat genome showed that the
original wildcat genome underwent substantial modification during the domestication process.
[45] Random-bred domestic cats are the foundation of most breeds. There is regional variation in
the genetic variety of these breeds, with purebred populations exhibiting over 20 harmful genetic
illnesses having the least amount of genetic diversity.[46]

Features
Article main: Anatomy of cats Size

An illustration showing the typical anatomy of a domestic cat male

Compared to the European wildcat, the domestic cat has shorter bones and a smaller cranium.
[47] Its average dimensions are 23–25 cm (9.1–9.8 in) in height, 46 cm (18 in) in length from
head to body, and 30 cm (12 in) long tails. Men are bigger than women.[48] Typically, adult
domestic cats weigh between 4-5 kg (8.8-11.0 lb).[27]

Bones
Cats share many characteristics with humans, including having seven cervical vertebrae, thirteen
thoracic vertebrae, seven lumbar vertebrae, three sacral vertebrae, and a variable number of
caudal vertebrae in the tail (humans only have three to five vestigial caudal vertebrae, fused into
an internal coccyx).[49]: 11 The flexibility and suppleness of the cat's spine are due to its
additional lumbar and thoracic vertebrae. The shoulder, pelvis, and thirteen ribs are all attached
to the spine.[49]: 16 Cats' forelimbs, in contrast to human arms, are joined to the shoulder by
free-floating clavicle bones, which enable cats to fit their bodies through any opening that will
accommodate their heads.[50]

skull

feline cranium

A cat with its claws and teeth showing

Among mammals, the cat's skull is unique in that it features huge eye sockets and a strong,
specialized jaw.[51]: 35 Cats' jaws are equipped with fangs designed to kill and tear meat. A cat
that has overpowered its victim will use its two long canine teeth to administer a deadly neck
bite. By severing the victim's spinal cord between two of its vertebrae, the cat will kill its victim
and cause irreversible paralysis.[52] Domestic cats have narrower canine tooth spacing in
relation to their jaw size than other felines; this is an adaptation to their favorite prey, tiny
rodents, which have little vertebrae.[52]

The carnassial pair, which consists of the premolar and first molar on each side of the mouth,
effectively chops meat into tiny pieces like a pair of scissors. These are essential for feeding
because cats cannot adequately chew food with their small teeth and are generally not able to
masticate.[51]: 37 Because they have teeth with a thicker layer of enamel, less acidic saliva, less
food particles stuck between teeth, and a diet largely free of sugar, cats typically have better teeth
than most humans. However, they can occasionally have infection and tooth loss.[53]