Posted on 06/29/2007 8:02:15 AM PDT by DogByte6RER
Scientists believe cats 'sort of domesticated themselves'
THE WASHINGTON POST
June 29, 2007
WASHINGTON – Your hunch is correct. Your cat decided to live with you, not the other way around. The sad truth is, it may not be a final decision.
But don't take this feline diffidence personally. It runs in the family. And it goes back a long way – about 12,000 years, actually.
Those are among the inescapable conclusions of a genetic study of the origins of the domestic cat, being published today in the journal Science.
The findings, drawn from the analysis of nearly a thousand cats around the world, suggest that the ancestors of today's tabbies, Persians and Siamese wandered into Near Eastern settlements at the dawn of agriculture. They were looking for food, not friendship.
They found what they were seeking in the form of rodents feeding on stored grain. They stayed for 12 millennia, although not without wandering off now and again to consort with their wild cousins.
The story is quite different from that of other domesticated animals – cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and dogs, cats' main rivals for human affection. It may even provide some insight on the behavior of the animal that, if not man's best friend, is certainly his most inscrutable.
“It is a story about one of the more important biological experiments ever undertaken,” said Stephen O'Brien, a molecular geneticist at the National Cancer Institute's laboratory in Frederick, Md., and one of the supervisors of the project.
“We think what happened is that cats sort of domesticated themselves,” said Carlos Driscoll, the University of Oxford graduate student who did the work, which required him, among other things, to befriend feral cats on the Mongolian steppes.
There are today 37 species in the family Felidae, ranging from lions through ocelots down to little Mittens. All domestic cats are descended from the species Felis sylvestris (“cat of the woods”), which goes by the common name “wildcat.”
The species is indigenous to Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. The New World, Japan and Oceania lack wildcats. Their closest counterpart in North America is the lynx.
There are five subspecies of wildcats and they look very much like many pet cats, particularly nonpedigree ones. The Scottish wildcat, for example, is indistinguishable from a barn cat with a mackerel tabby coat. These animals, however, are true wild species. They are not escaped pets that have become “feral,” or reverted to the wild.
Driscoll and his collaborators, who included Oxford zoologist David Macdonald, took blood samples and ear punch biopsies from all wildcat subspecies, and from fancy-breed cats, ordinary pet cats, and feral cats. They analyzed two different kinds of genetic fingerprints.
One was nuclear DNA, which carries nearly all of an animal's genes and reflects inheritance from both parents. The other was mitochondrial DNA, which exists outside the cell nucleus, carries only a few genes, and descends through the generations only from the mothers, never from fathers.
Both fingerprints showed that domesticated cats all around the world are most closely related to the wildcat subspecies (called lybica) that lives in the Near East.
One might think that people in each region would have domesticated their local wildcats. In that case, European pet cats today would genetically most closely resemble European wildcats and Chinese cats would be descended from East Asian wildcats. But that isn't the case.
Why not?
Genetics can't answer the question, but history and archaeology can provide a good guess.
Large-scale grain agriculture began in the Near East's “Fertile Crescent.” With the storage of surplus grain came mice, which fed on it and contaminated it.
Settled farming communities with dense rodent populations were a new habitat. Wildcats came out of the woods and grasslands to exploit it. They may have lived close to man – but not petting-close – for centuries.
Eventually, though, natural selection favored individual animals whose genetic makeup by chance made them tolerant of human contact. Such behavior provided them with them with things – a night indoors, the occasional bowl of milk – that allowed them to out-compete their scaredy-cat relatives in town.
BUMP!
Ahhh... that changes everything; also makes sense to me. I learned the hard way, back in high school, that birds must be attended to every day WRT food and water (I inadvertently, stupidly starved one of them).
Cats, OTOH, make sure that you don't forget to feed them. One of the things I like about them. ;)
Now I know why food is viewed by cats as “love”, because it goes back to the days of the ancient near east when they worked the fields.
No, she won't eat human food, so she doesn't care what I'm cooking when my stove timer goes off. Not that she doesn't yell for me to feel her her own food -- she even sighs really loud when I don't move fast enough. But when my oven timer goes off and I'm out of the room, she really does come and alert me.
Cats are masters.
A 24 pound cat? Wow ! Any pics?
The only thing that keeps the little furballs in line is that we are bigger than they are.
I sympathize! I had a terrified sparrow in the house who got in by the cat door. It flew around in a panic, dropping poop bombs all over and narrowly escaping death-by-ceiling-fan. I tried fanning it with a broom in the direction of the open door, but no dice. Finally it landed in the foliage of an indoor plant and cowered there, allowing me to pick up the entire potted plant and put it outdoors. All this transpired too high up for the cat to reach.
I hope you're not suggesting eating domestic cats.
LOL!! Been there — with a snake! Eeeewww!
The rabbit was quite interesting, as it hopped and jumped all over the kitchen before dad grabbed it and evicted it.
After it was evicted, it acted angry for that fact.
Well no, not really. As I noted in another post, I don't have any good recipes.
The Dog’s Diary
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
The Cat’s Diary
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am. Bastards! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...
LOL! I see that you are good at "reading" creature expressions. It amazes me when people are dumb to their subtle but visible ways. Twice I have rescued yellowjacket bees from drowning, and even they gave a little see-saw with their wings before flying off.
ROFLOL! Try inquiring at a wok restaurant.
“and we found him at our synagogue “
The cat was in shul?
He is SO cute :) He looks he is about to cry...little stinker!
Awwww. Don’t imagine life without her. Enjoy every day and keep loving on one another.
I say that to myself, as well.
I found a one year old cat in a pet store back in 1997. She stood out from every other animal because she had already outgrown her “kitten stage.” But she was the most relaxed cat; beautiful, beautiful eyes. And she was sweet and ever so tolerant - especially with my toddler.
The store owner said the couple who owned her brought her in because they couldn’t bear the pound. They were moving cross country and they couldn’t take her for some reason.
“Emma” (believed to have been “Mama”) is the only reason why I could probably become a cloning proponent. She is friendly with everyone who comes to our home. She has this unique ability to fall asleep completely on her back in the middle of a busy room with a vaccuum going, kids running around her, etc. She is trusting, she’s playful, and she’s part of the family. She’s our baby, and we try not to think about her age.
She’s sitting in my lap as I close this. I need to see if I can upload a picture and share her with you.
Much lasting health to your kitty,
getme...
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