The history of the origin and domestication of cats

Cats are known and loved for their independence and spirit of freedom. When they decide to communicate with us, we also try to show back all the best feelings that we have. We would like to speak their language so we can ask how they are feeling or find out why they do what they do. However, until a great scientific discovery is made or we learn telepathy, we will not be able to talk to them during our or their lifetime. So how can we find out what our pets are thinking?

The most terrible relative of the Cat has already disappeared from the face of the earth - it was a saber-toothed tiger. Saber-toothed tigers appeared about 30 million years ago. Saber-toothed cats were poor runners. They attacked the prey from an ambush. Their fangs, up to 15-20 cm long, are designed to bite through the thick skin of rhinoceroses.

In ancient times, people tried to tame lions and cheetahs, but nothing came of this venture. They are too large and dangerous to keep in the house. But the experience with cats was a success. The ancestor of all modern domestic cats are wild dun cats that live in Africa.

The first to domesticate cats were the ancient Egyptians, and they did this in order to fight rodents that were destroying crops. The ancient Egyptians idolized the cat. Even the fertility goddess Bast (Bastet) was depicted as a woman with the head of a cat.

The cheetah is an excellent runner. When catching up with prey, it can reach speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. The cheetah's hunting method is unique. Unlike other cats, which prefer to stalk prey for a long time and attack suddenly, cheetahs simply catch up with their prey. However, the predator only lasts for a couple of minutes: if during this time it is not possible to overtake and catch the evasive gazelle, the cheetah stops the fleeting chase and lies down in the shade of the bushes to catch its breath.

An interesting thing: in order to achieve general respect, a young man of the Matabele tribe must take a thorny acacia branch and tease the cheetah with it. The cheetah, naturally, is offended and rushes at the insolent person. This is where you need to kill him, but not with a club, not with a gun, but with a simple stick! This is extreme!

LYNX

The lynx has tassels at the tips of its ears. This small mammal of the cat family is a ferocious predator. Lynx hunts hares, foxes, large birds, and ungulates. It lies in wait for prey near trails and watering holes. A characteristic feature of a lynx is a very short tail.

It’s interesting: it turns out that the lynx does not protect its cubs; when it smells a person, the mother abandons the kittens and leaves.

LEOPARD

This is the heir to the saber-toothed tiger. This is a very beautiful cat, with a flexible, slender and, at the same time, strong body. Sometimes there are black leopards, which are called black panthers.

It’s interesting that the leopard drags the remains of large prey up a tree and feasts there.

IRBIS (SNOW LEOPARD)

This is the most cheerful cat that lives high in the mountains and rides down the snow slides all the time.

It’s interesting that the snow leopard’s mother insulates her “home” by tearing out fur from her belly.

It’s interesting that in different countries cats speak differently, that is, in foreign languages, just like people, for example

in Russia – meow;
in Albania - myau;
in England – mew-mew;
in Greece - niaou;
in Denmark - myav;
in Israel – mivau;
in Spain – mia;
in Ukraine – nyav;
in Japan – nyaa.

But when a cat is calm and well-fed, it purrs more often.

The amazing abilities of cats. Superstitions that people associate with cats

Cats predict an earthquake. A few days before the eruption, they begin to rush around the rooms and howl in a crazy voice. This is not magic at all, it’s just that before eruptions and earthquakes the temperature of the earth always rises, and caustic gases are released from cracks. A person cannot feel or smell these minor changes, but cats easily sense them.

Cats are a very good weather predictor. If a cat sleeps curled up in a ball and burying its face in its paws, this means that the air temperature outside will drop. And if you sleep stretched out to your full height, it means it will be warm.

If a cat is tearing at the wall, it means bad weather, and if it’s on the floor, it’s due to the wind, a blizzard.

They don't want to go into a house that's about to collapse.

They may not allow the owner into a dangerous place. Hence the sign of being the first to enter a new house.

The extraordinary ability of cats is to return home if it gets lost or the owners move. One such devoted cat wandered around the world for 9 years and finally found his owner. So far, science does not know why a cat can do this.

The cat is able to jump from heights without damaging itself. They say about this - “a cat has nine lives”, this is not true at all, it’s just that when a cat jumps from a height, it groups, shrinks and lands on its pursed paws and soft pads, and the higher the place from which the cat jumps, the more time it has to group and land correctly.

And a cat is also an excellent doctor, and all people who have cats in the house get sick much less.

It turns out that cats with long fluffy hair treat diseases of the nervous system, short-haired cats help if their stomach hurts, and Siamese cats treat colds.