Many years ago, I spent a couple of months researching cats for a possible book. In many ways, cats are much less interesting than dogs. I don’t mean that in the typical way. I like both cats and dogs equally as species go. But humans have bred dogs to a remarkable degree. So we have ended up with a ridiculous number of dog breeds — ranging in size from the Chihuahua at 5 pounds to the St Bernard, which can reach up to 200 pounds. There is nothing like this in the cat world. In terms of base breeds, there are twice as many for dogs as for cats. But it is more simply that there isn’t that much variation between the breeds. And I have to say, I prefer it that way. I like both dogs and cats as mutts.
I had always thought that the reason for this lack of variety in cats was due to the fact that humans hadn’t really been breeding cats for very long. So I was surprised back in December to read a really interesting article by David Grimm, When Cats Became Comrades. According to genetic studies, humans first domesticated dogs about 15,000 years ago. We first domesticated cats somewhat more recently: 10,000 years ago. This number isn’t at all surprising: this is exactly when the Neolithic Revolution took place. Humans settled down, rodents came around, cats were useful with the rodent population.
There is a certain evolutionary pressure here. More aggressive cats would be chased away. Although interestingly, the domesticated cat is actually a bit bigger than its closest relative, the African wildcat. But over time, it isn’t hard to see how gentle and affectionate cats would get more scraps and so thrive in a way that others wouldn’t.
What’s remarkable is just how fast this happened. According to Grimm:
Strangely, this is about it for cat archaeology — at least for more than 4,000 years. A recent dig in China uncovered some cat bones from a millet farm that existed 5,300 years ago. As usual with these studies, the scientists were able to extract an amazing amount of information. They know, for example, that the cats were eating rodents and the rodents were eating grain. They even unearthed holes the rodents had dug into the grain stores. But they found even more:
The researchers also found a cat that was much older than is normal for wild cats. This is taken to mean that the cats had a close relationship with the farmers. But I’m not convinced that means quite as much as it could appear. The farmers could just have tolerated the cats — thereby providing a food source and protection without any active engagement from the humans. Then again, there could have been lots of petting going on. Regardless, it provides a much clearer picture of our long history with cats. And it is a lot longer than I had thought.