Look out world, Hello Kitty™ is not the only kitty dominating the globe. Felines in general, have marked their territory worldwide and laid the path of domination through their entire existence right onto the cushions of your cozy couch. Have you ever pondered to why and how your domesticated little kitty-cat became just that? Is it because they are an intellectually superior creature? Or could it be the fact they have the entire world wide web in awe over their adorable whiskers and faces?
Cat DNA recently indicated that cats were one of the first domesticated animals originating from the Middle East. Felines later ventured throughout the land. Over time they were shipped out overseas to eventually extend their presence worldwide. They believe early farmers brought cats overseas about 6,400 years ago and have been traced back to the middle east for at least 1,500 years.
The length of time that domestication has evolved with cats have been the top of debate with researchers. Until recently the only type of cat DNA obtained for research have been modernized cats. Researchers have just recently been able to use a new technique that allows them to analyze ancient DNA. All of this has contributed in learning more in-depth about the domestication process.
Researchers have obtained information finding that mothers pass mitochondria to their offspring. A scientist can use different sequences of the mitochondrial DNA, called mitotypes. In return, this has helped scientists track maternal lineages.
African Wildcats have been traced all the way back to 10,000 years ago. They believe that these felines have been tamed by themselves with eating scraps from farmers homes and hunting rodents. They were originally used to help control pest problems around farming land. Cats started to slowly domesticate their way into human's hearts and earn their keep.
A lot has been left to discover about these lovable tiny balls of fur. We think that we domesticated cats, but it might be possible that they have trained and tamed us into supplying them with free food and a home. Sounds pretty clever if you ask me!
