Research has shown that today’s domestic cat has two major lineages, which is confirmed by DNA analysis of cat remains from different parts of the world (Europe, North and East Africa and Southwest Asia) and from different time periods. Accordingly, both the Southwest Asian and the North African wildcat (felis silvestris lybica) contribute to the gene pool of today’s cat.
A lineage emerged about 7,000 years ago in what is now Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, southern Turkey, Kurdistan, southern Iraq and western Iran, and from there spread north and west into Europe. The other line comes from Egypt, it flowed throughout the Mediterranean. Finds of cats in various areas of the landscape indicate that the cat spread via the land and sea trade routes of the time.
The earliest known connection between cats and humans dates back to around 9500 years ago and thus to the beginning of agriculture in the Middle East. Attracted by the food supplies, the cats approached human settlements and protected the food supplies as exterminators of rats and mice. Cat and human lived in a useful co-existence. Whether the cat was domesticated at this time remains a matter of debate. There is evidence that the feline genome did not differ significantly from that of the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) during this period, and thus the cat was more of a wild than a domestic animal. It is perhaps more correct to say that the cat domesticated itself by choosing to live near humans, where it found food in the form of rodents, which in turn were attracted to humans’ food.
The cat was declared a sacred animal in ancient Egypt in the 5th and 6th dynasties (ca. 2465 – 2150 BCE). Previously, she had joined the human who – in whatever way – took care of the food. The Egyptians valued cats, they were welcome guests as they protected food from rodents. It was probably her gentle and useful nature that finally opened the floodgates for her to live in houses. There she became a household idol and was considered venerable and sacred throughout Egypt, but even then she was not necessarily domesticated.
Since there is no evidence to date that proves otherwise, it must be assumed that the cat was not domesticated before 1500 BC. took place.
The cat was known in many cultures before it was mentioned in Europe. You can see them on tiles, read about them in literature and see them in paintings and sculptures. The cat occupied a special place everywhere. As already described, she was in the old Egypt deified and had a goddess of her own, Bastet. Anyone who killed a cat was punished with death. When a cat died, all the residents of the house shaved their eyebrows. The deceased cats were embalmed and buried in sacred vessels.
Cats appear in both of the great epics of old India mentioned (ca. 500 – 400 BC). And – who would have thought it – the famous story of Puss in Boots originally comes from an Indian folk tale.
A legend in Persia states that the cat was created magically. It is said that Prophet Muhammad was very fond of cats. Legends and stories surround him and his favorite cat, Meuzza.
in the old China the goddess Li Shou was depicted in the form of a cat. She was also offered prayers and sacrifices to keep pests away. An old myth also tells that the gods at the beginning of the world appointed cats to oversee the direction of their new creation. However, the animals preferred to sleep under the cherry trees and play with falling blossoms than to devote themselves to such mundane tasks.
A legend in Japan states that outside a temple, a cat raised its paw in appreciation as the emperor passed by. Attracted by the cat, he escaped death when lightning struck where he was standing. The waving cat is now a coveted lucky charm in Japan.
In Greece and Rome cats were kept less as pest exterminators (there were domesticated weasels for that). In these cultures it was considered a symbol of independence (Rome) and was generally very highly regarded.
In Great Britain The earliest mention of cats dates back to 936 AD, when Hywel Dda, Prince of Wales, enacted legislation to protect cats.