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Domesticated cats have been
gaining in popularity in the United States. It is projected that
by the year 2010 there will be far more cats than dogs. Noted
for their independence, cats can also be loving and loyal to
their owners. They adjust well to indoor living, take great care
in grooming themselves, and are easily trained to use a cat box.
Cats, when they’re not asleep, are observers. They stare
into corners and spend hours sitting in windowsills. They don’t
bark, they don’t whine; they purr. Occasionally, they scold.
Cats are also predatory, and
some are very good mousers. In a flourishing society of condominiums
and high-rise apartment buildings, many landlords ban dogs and
accept cats. One building manager puts it like this: “As
long as the cat doesn’t wander through the halls and annoy
others, I don’t see any problem.”
Cats, more than any other mammal,
exhibit similar attributes and actions, no matter if they are
wild or tame. Lions, tigers, leopards, wild cats, panthers, and
house cats look similar and act very much alike--they are all
predatory, nocturnal, fastidious, and defensive, but the domesticated
cat is much smaller than its wild relatives. How did the wild
cat first become domesticated, and where did it happen?
Origin of Cats
Looking back to the Late Eocene
epoch (43.6 to 36.6 million years ago), it has been discovered
that the “cat pattern” was already well established
in the evolution of modern mammals. The earliest cats were easily
recognizable as the ancestors of present-day felines. Other mammals
had not yet evolved into a recognizable form. Typical cats (subfamily
Felinae) appeared about 10 million years ago and have changed
very little since that time.
The Anatomy of the Cat
Why is it that cats are able
to curl up on the narrowest ledges, squeeze under the smallest
spaces, or disappear at will when they sense an intrusion. The
anatomy of the cat gives it great elasticity. It has a flexible
spine and uses its tail and inner ear to maintain balance. Because
of its inner-ear balance, it almost always lands on its feet
when it falls and can jump from and to great heights without
injury. For this reason, the cat is said to have nine lives.
The Historical Background of
Cats
The history of the cat lends
itself to drama, controversy, heroism, and mysticism on a somewhat
uneven road from its domestication around 1500 B.C. to the present.
From the moment the dog became domesticated, humans accepted
it as a loyal and loving servant of man. The cat, however, has
not been so blessed. It has been an icon of worship in ancient
Egypt, a rat-catching hero during the plague years in Europe,
and labeled a familiar for witches in Puritan America.
While dogs have been trained
to assist humans as hunters, guides, companions, and enforcers,
cats have no obvious purpose other than their presence in one’s
life. They’re simply not very trainable. Yet, the art of
relaxation has been mastered by the cat, and this attribute is
assimilated by its human owners. Nursing homes often have a resident
cat who is there only to be petted by the residents.
The Cat in Literature and Art
The cat is not as independent
as it appears. It wants to be loved and cared for, and the contradictory
interaction between humans and cats has been the subject of many
children’s books, novels, poems, and plays over the years.
From fairy tales to Wanda Gäg’s classic "Millions
of Cats" (1929) to the long-running broadway show “Cats,”
based on T. S. Elliot’s "Old Possum’s Book of
Practical Cats" (1939), to "The Marble Cake Cat"
(1977) by Marjorie and Carl Allen; from Lewis Carroll’s
Cheshire Cat in "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland"
(1865) to B. Kliban’s contemporary cartoon cats, the cat
has long been a fascinating subject for both children and adults.
Breeds of Cats
Many people believe that the
Siamese cat originated in Ancient Egypt, but it actually is from
the Far East and thought to be a domestication of the Asian wild
cat. The 30 to 40 recognized distinctive breeds of cats can be
grouped into two general categories: the long-haired Persian
and the domestic shorthair. Most cats, however, unless they are
show cats, are mixed breed.
Cats Around the World
In America, cats as pets have
long been popular. In most families where there are cats as pets,
there is only one, possibly two cats. They’re not pack animals
and don’t adjust well to living on their own outside the
home. Stray cats tend to be loners. In other countries, cats
are not as pampered as they are in American homes, and are sometimes
a source of food.
Marjorie Allen is a free-lance
writer/editor, who has had several award-winning books published.
She has taught writing and offers initial editing free. Check
her website http://marjorienallen.com. Marjorie and her husband
spend winters on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico and summers in
the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
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