A Brief History of Cats

Researchers think that our fluffy hairball friends, which we know as domestic cats, were domesticated in Ancient Egypt about 6500 years ago.

Bastet Cat Statue

So, how did cats get domesticated?

Ancient Egypt had large warehouses to store grain. Rodents and mice, which were the scourge of these barns, would constantly find their way in and damage the products. At this point, cats stepped in, (we probably all know how cats are amazing hunters, duh) and saved the poor farmers from the rodent problem. Over time, they began to find a place for themselves on the farm fields and in the temples of Ancient Egypt. Thus began our intimacy with cats.

Quick Facts

• Cats have 2 known ancestors. These are Felis lybica in Africa and Felis silvestris in Europe.

• First cat fossil was found in South Cyprus, 9500 years ago. The remains was found, lying down next to a human fossil.

• In ancient Egypt, people whose cats died, shaved off all the hair on their heads, including their eyebrows, and went into mourning.

• In ancient Egypt, those who deliberately killed cats were executed.

• Since cats were considered sacred in ancient Egypt, they were mummified and buried in tombs when they died.

• In the war between the Persian Empire and Ancient Egypt, the Persian army used cats as shields against the Egyptians and won the war.