Wild and Domestic Cats
by vremde kattan
http://www.strangecats.com
The Egyptians were the first to domesticate the cats. That
was about five hundred years ago and the first pet cat was
probably the African wildcat. These cats were slightly
larger than the domestic cats of today and they were used
to protect Egypt's granaries from mice and other rodents.
The Egyptians were the first to realize that the task of
domesticating the cat was easy. They only had to raise a
kitten within the confines of their homes. As a result, the
kitten would have no fear of humans when it grew into an
adult cat. Thus evolution over thousands of years and its
domestication by man made the brain of the cat thirty
percent smaller than its wild counterpart.
All cats, wild and domesticated, share a common ancestor.
Fifty million years ago the Miacis lived in trees hunting
other animals. This creature, extinct for tens of millions
of years, is probably the forefather of cats, but is also
thought to be the common ancestor of modern dogs, bears,
foxes and other similar predators. Some ten million years
further on, the Dinicitis stalked the earth, and he looked
even more like the wild and domestic cats we recognize
today.
There are generally three sizes of cats in the wild- the
large, medium and small. The small cats are normally kept
as pets and are a breed of the African wildcat. The medium
cats are the Bobcat and the Asian Golden Cat.
The large cats are truly amazing creatures. The largest of
the big cats is not the lion as many people expect, but in
fact the Tiger - these cats can weigh over 700 pounds, and
have been known to hunt man. They are found all over Asia,
and can live in cold conditions as well as swamps and
tropical forests. Unfortunately this stunningly handsome
predator is an endangered species.
The cheetah is another big cat and the fastest land animal
on Earth. It is in reality a sprinter and cannot be beaten
over short distances and can sprint as fast as sixty miles
an hour.
In the species of cats, the Lion is the most unusual. It is
a very social animal and form prides of extended families
unlike other cats. This group hunts and lives together. It
is so unlike the domestic cat that looks after its offspring
for a very short period after birth that it is truly
wonderful.
One characteristic, which is common to all cats, is that
they love to sleep. They seem to prefer sitting and
digesting food rather than hunting for it. They sleep for
over sixteen hours a day.
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