TLDR: Cats, once wild, were domesticated twice, evolving alongside humans to become today’s globally widespread, varied Felis catus species.
This article is a summary of a You Tube video “How We Domesticated Cats (Twice)” by PBS Eons
Key Takeaways:
- Extensive Cat Population in Cyprus: Cyprus has a remarkably large cat population, outnumbering its human inhabitants with an estimated 1.5 million cats.
- Discovery in Cyprus Suggests Early Human-Cat Relationship: Archaeologists in Cyprus uncovered a burial site dating back 9,500 years, showing early evidence of human-cat companionship.
- Domestication Origins from Wild Cats: Today’s domestic cats, Felis catus, are descendants of a wildcat subspecies, Felis silvestris lybica.
- Cats’ Physical Traits Through Domestication: Domesticated cats are generally smaller than their wild ancestors and exhibit a greater variety in coat colors and patterns.
- Genetic and Behavioral Similarities with Wild Ancestors: Despite domestication, cats maintain significant genetic and behavioral similarities with their wild ancestors.
- Double Domestication Events: Evidence suggests cats were domesticated twice – first in Southwest Asia around 10,000 years ago and later in Egypt around 3,500 years ago.
- Three Pathways to Domestication: Dr. Melinda Zeder’s theory outlines three domestication pathways – prey, directed, and commensal, with cats likely domesticated through the commensal pathway.
- Cats’ Role in Early Human Settlements: Early domesticated cats helped control pests in human settlements, contributing to their domestication.
- Spread of Cats Through Human Expansion: Cats spread globally, especially during the Roman Empire expansion, as humans migrated and traded.
- Modern-day Cat Population and Human Impact: Today, cats are ubiquitous worldwide, with an estimated global population of 600 million, largely due to human intervention.
