Hi Steemit family!
Today I bring you something related to one of the most educated, refined and neat animals that we can find in some homes, although some people do not like it, domestic cats are attractive to millions of people who raise them and have as pets preferred. Let's see what happens in the history of the cat and its relationship with wild cats, come with me.
Cats are animals that have been living with us for at least 3,000 years when Egyptian civilization worshipped a multitude of gods and worshipped the Pharaoh. During that time, these small felines began to see themselves as an ally of human beings against plagues, such as mice and other types of rodents that ate the corn they had in the barns.
Thus, the farmers did not take long to see a companion, a friend in the hairy one. And, little by little, but without pause, the human-cat relationship began to be established. But what do these animals have that we like so much? What makes the cat the way it is? In this special, you will discover the general characteristics of cats. If at the end you see that we have left some, do not hesitate to comment it.
Origin and history of the domestic cat
The origin of our friend is certain that it is still an unsolved mystery. While the theory that descends from Felis sylvestrix Libyca, better known as African wildcat, is the most accurate, the reality is that there are still experts who doubt. Even so, if we take this theory as valid, then the cat sleeping on our sofa would go back, as we said at the beginning, to the time of Ancient Egypt. In this magnificent place, these animals became so adored and loved that they became the goddess they called Bastet.
Other theories hold that the domestic cat descends from the Felis ornata, which lives between India and Pakistan. Proponents say that the brain volume of this feline species is more similar to that of the domestic one.
Be that as it may, we are dealing with an animal that has had to fight a lot to reach our days. Today, it seems that they have forgotten -fortunately- everything that has had to happen. Perhaps because of the ignorance of those times, perhaps for other reasons, during medieval times they were persecuted to almost extinction throughout the European continent. The reason? It was believed that they were children of the devil, something that in a period as religious as that led you directly to the bonfire, among other fatal destinies. As the feline population decreased, that of the rodents increased, and the plague did not take long to arrive. When that happened, the poor cats were also accused of carrying this terrible disease.
But the years passed, and little by little people trusted them again. It must not have been easy to stop believing in something they believed in for centuries. But the cat managed to get by thanks to the fact that always, even in the worst moments, there was someone who supported and protected them.
The cat as a predatory animal
Thus, he came to our days safe and sound, and with many, many things to offer us. But... is it still a predatory animal? The answer is yes. In fact, it never stopped being a predator. The Felis silvestris catus, was designed by and for hunting small rodents, or birds. Let's know why:
His eyes, which can be brown, green or blue, see beautifully at night: while we would only see the profile of an object, he can distinguish details. However, human beings see much better during the day than felines, because they only see the greenish tones, the blue and the sky-blue.
His sense of hearing is highly developed. He can hear the sound of a mouse no more and no less than 7m away, something that is impossible for us to perceive.
He is an excellent tightrope walker. His body is thin, which allows him to stand in high places. In addition, the tail also helps you to stay balanced.
Thanks to the characteristics of its legs, it can approach its prey even a few meters to hunt it. This is because the cat, when walking, puts the weight of its body on the fingers, and not on the "hand", so it does not make noise.
But... what happens when our friend goes outside and brings us dead animals? Okay, I think it's time to unveil another mystery: the domesticated... it's us. Yes, yes, it may sound strange to you - it seemed so to me when they told me - because, after all, it was we who decided to live with one - or several - of them, and it is our name that appears on the papers of the house. However, although this is so, the human-cat relationship can be seen from the point of view of the person, or from the point of view of the feline. And he thinks your house is really his. For this reason, every day he spends some time leaving his pheromones on furniture, on clothes... and on humans.
So, I'm very sorry to tell you this, but we belong to him. But don't worry, he will never see us as a "material object", but he will always, always do it as someone in his family. And he is not going to let his family go hungry. It's not in his genes. He may be a solitary or independent species, but he has learned that the human being he has at home can be trusted.
Similarities between wild cats and domestic cats
They're hunters
Although domestic cats are sure that they will have their food every day, their hunting instinct is evident by being the one they jump to hunt for prey. Even if it is a simple toy or a fly, we will be able to see how our cat puts itself in a position of vigilance and stealth to pursue it.
It is precisely at these times that we can realize that our cat looks like a tiger or a miniature puma, and when we make sure that there is a relationship between wild cats and domestic cats.
Rest
When we observe the wild cats we can notice that they sleep the same amount of hours as the cats and that, moreover, they are active at night, for that is when the prey is defenseless and also when their predators may approach.
Catnip
We have already told you on some occasions about the effects of catnip, which receives this name for the effects it causes in cats, although it has also been shown to have a great influence on tigers, lions and other wild cats.
This shows that both species, wild cats and domestic cats, share similar genes.
Tigers
It is believed that the wildcat that most closely resembles the cat is the tiger, as they share many more similarities than, for example, with the lion. It does not purr like the tiger, but neither can a cat roar like the king of the jungle.
With the wildcat
The wildcat is a wildcat that we may not think of when we mention this species, but it has the same number of chromosomes as a domesticated cat, which shows that its offspring could well be the cats we have at home as pets.
You see that although cats are completely adapted to a home life, and that they are happy at our side, their natural instincts are not slowed down by it. And if they lived in the natural habitat of felines they could easily survive.
Undoubtedly, it was clear from various investigations that, over time, domestic cats have been acquiring customs and eradicating behaviors that have been transmitted more to other generations until there is a clear difference between wild cats and domestic cats.
Even so, the similarities or similarities of wild cats and domestic cats are more than the differences, which allows us to see that, despite the fact that many reject this theory, domestic cats can undoubtedly come from wild cats.
Thank you for reading 😊
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