How We Domesticated Cats (Twice)

[sl8]

How We Domesticated Cats (Twice)

PBS Eons

Published on Nov 6, 2019

A 9,500 year old burial in Cyprus represents some of the oldest known evidence of human/cat companionships anywhere in the world. But when did this close relationship between humans and cats start? And how did humans help cats take over the world?

Big thanks to these paleoartists for allowing us to use their wonderful illustrations:
Julio Lacerda (who illustrated the Cyprus grave site): https://252mya.com/gallery/julio-lacerda
Ceri Thomas (who illustrated Felis silvestris lybica): http://alphynix.tumblr.com/

Produced in collaboration with PBS Digital Studios: http://youtube.com/pbsdigitalstudios

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[erronis]

1. This is great. I just wish the narrative hadn't been sped up so much.

I'm living with 3 and have had probably 20 very independent felines over the years. I can definitely see some differences between the "siamese" and "egyption" breeds - altho all of my cats are rescues, heavily interbred.

[House of Roberts]

2. We fed them.

[Skittles]

6. yes

In August I gave a half-grown feral tuxedo kitty a chicken dinner and he then proceeded to move right on in. It was good timing, as I was mourning the recent passing of my 14-yr old tuxedo cat. "Angus" (named after Angus Young because he never seems to stop moving) is now fixed and chipped so it's official.

[Collimator]

3. I've always been of the opinion. . .

. . . That cats deign to live amongst us. They are not "domesticated" per se, but rather slumming in our homes after their temples were overtaken by different deities.

[TomSlick]

4. You are almost correct.

Cats deign to allow us to live in their house to serve them.

[sir pball]

5. We have most definitely not domesticated them.

Anyone who has indoor/outdoor cats will know this. They're absolutely tame (I have a warm grey armwarmer purring next to me at the moment), but hardly domestic - they'd do just fine if we all vanished tomorrow. I mean, cats can breed with servals, with fertile offspring, so it's at the best a behavioral difference.

If Savannah cats weren't illegal in NYC and also insanely expensive I'd get a big F1 and take on all the assholes around here who march their unneutered "tough" dogs around on chains...

[Ponietz]

8. Yes, there are 60 million feral cats in the US alone

https://www.ecology.com/2013/08/27/global-impact-feral-cats/

Sorry, I’m a bird lover and just caught a feral cat earlier this evening. Hoping I can trap the second one I saw before going to the Humane Society tomorrow.

[sir pball]

9. I understand the bird issue

It's an interesting thing though, feral dogs are terrible predators. My murderfloof/cat is the daughter of a very fat and happy feral kitty. Domestic animals, even predators (cough cough dogs) aren't really that good at it when they go feral, are they?

[cstanleytech]

7. Sure its not the other way around with cats domesticating humans?