The Domestic Cats

The ancestor of the domestic cat first appeared about 10,000,000 years ago, but it was not until 1500 B.c. that cats were adopted as household pets. The Egyptians, who were the first to do­mesticate cats, made pets of African wildcats. Certain breeds that are common today probably descended from these tamed wildcats, while other breeds may be descended from an Oriental v cat. The earliest record of cats in Great Britain dates back to about a.d. 936 when a law was passed for their protection.
There are two groups of domestic cat types, long-hairs and short-hairs. There are further dif­ferences within each group, based mainly on color.

Persian cats, originally an Oriental breed, are long-haired cats. Their colors include black, white, silver, and blue. A calico cat is a Persian with patches of black, orange, and cream on a white coat.

Cats of the short-hair type differ greatly in appearance. Among the most striking are the tailless Manx, the blue-eyed Siamese, and the curly-haired Rex. The domestic short-hair is the most common breed for keeping as a pet. Its short coat is often patterned with stripes, and its colors vary widely.

The Egyptians regarded the cat as sacred and worshiped it at the city of Bubastis. Their god­dess Bast or Pacht was pictured with a cats head. Sacrifices were offered to the god and goddess, Ra and Isis, often represented as cats. When a house cat died, the family and servants shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning. The death of a temple cat was mourned by the whole city. Many mummies of cats have been found, pre­pared in the same way as the mummies of kings and nobles. The penalty for killing a cat was death.

The tame cat was rare in Europe until after a.d. 1000. In European superstition the cat was usually an evil spirit rather than a god. The devil was often pictured as a black cat, and the familiar spirits of witches were sup­posed to take the shape of cats. Even today some people believe that a black cat crossing their path will bring them bad luck.