Cats, Perfect from the Beginning

[FamTimes reporter Jennylyn Gianan] According to a new study, cats began to be domesticated by people around the world about 9,000 years ago.

Their behavior is said to have changed little since then.

An analysis of DNA from cat mummies and skeletons found that cats were first domesticated by people in the Neolithic Middle East and Egypt.

At first, they were raised not as household pets but as livestock put to work.

Dr. Eva-Maria Geigl of Paris Diderot University, who led the study, explained, “When humans began farming, they accumulated grain, which attracted rodents. Cats catch and eat rodents.”

Geigl said, “So people domesticated cats and began using them to catch rodents.”

Geigl added, “Cats were in fact very useful animals. They killed small animals that threatened people’s food supplies, as well as harmful creatures such as snakes and scorpions.”

Dogs require lengthy training to pull sleds, guard homes, or perform specific tasks.

Cats, by contrast, became domesticated because of traits they already possessed innately.

Geigl also said that cats’ appearance has changed very little over 9,000 years, apart from their coat patterns.

Geigl said, “Cats did not need to change very much because they were perfect from the beginning.”

Geigl emphasized, “As people expected, cats killed harmful animals. They also caught and ate their own food. No one needed to take care of them.”

Jennylyn Gianan fam1@pcss.co.kr