We all of our own private intellectual stock piles of seemingly useless information but one day – or at least at the next party – we are sure to find a use…or at least great conversation topic…that will make all our accumulated facts extraordinarily useful! Well, for when such a time comes here is some ridiculously interesting information on our not so average feline friend: the domestic cat…
The scientific species name for the domestic cat is Felis sylvestris catus and the closest genetic relative to the domestic cat is the African Wild Cat, also known as the Felis sylvestris libyca. There are also European and Asian wild cat varieties that share very close genetic markers to that of our modern day domestic cat.
The cat is thought to have first been brought into cohabitation with humans in Egypt around 4000 years ago. Here the cat was highly regarded and held with god-like stature. Since humans started breeding and specialty breeding the cat has taken on new forms of its wilder origin. This means that certain genetic traits have been recognized in the cats and they have been bred in such a way that these features are brought out and with specificity have been made more prominent in breed to breed. In this way we now have a larger array of cat breeds, colors and temperaments than were originally found in the wild. We now have a range of Persians, short and medium hair cats that can range from pure black to mottled and striped in a wide range of colours, body shapes and sizes.
