Cats

Cats were special to many countries throughout the world ever since they were domesticated. The first civilisation to worship cats was Ancient Egypt, six thousand years ago. Cats have been special to many other cultures since then. (Some people go as far as to claim that cats have psychic powers!) Cats are the second most popular pet in the world and have been bred so long that the domestic cat is now an entirely different species from its ancestors.

What is the history of the domestic cat? I plan to answer that question and more in this post.

History of cats

Cats were first bred from the African Wildcat in Egypt when the cats started catching the mice that were eating the wheat. Later, cats were bred in places like Cyprus and Persia for the same reason. Some of the oldest cat breeds came from Persia.

By 500 years ago people were breeding cats in countries worldwide, but mainly in places like Russia. The number of breeds had increased dramatically. 

After the dog, cats are the oldest household pet as they were first domesticated 6000 years ago. The Persian king almost  always kept at least one. Therefore the cats had a lot of time to breed, and there are thousands of breeds in the world today.

Unique breeds

Of all of the breeds, the strangest of all is the sphinx. Sphinx cats have almost no fur. It is one of the newest breeds and there are about 5000 of them around.

There are several breeds of almost tail less cats around. Why people want cats with no tails, I have not the slightest idea!

Actually, getting a cat with no tail can help if you do not want your cat climbing trees. Cats use their tails to balance themselves. Take away the tail, and it would be very hard to climb trees for the cat.

Some tips

Where do you live?

If you happen to live in Belgium, as long as there are not any big roads in the area, you can let your cat roam free.

If you live in Australia, you have to take precautions.

You see, cats are a problem in Australia as they kill wildlife. Attach a bell to your cat's collar. Keep your cat indoors at all times.

Because of the problems cats pose, Australians usually choose dogs. However, you can still keep a cat if you feel confident...