Adopting Cats
Inform yourself before adopting a cat: Which are the origins of our domestic cats and of which breed? When did cats begin to live with men? The first part of the following reading will answer these questions, and it will also allow discover which cat is more adequate for you.
Stories from the past: Loved, spoiled, tolerated and pursued . . . Domestic cats have experienced, in their 4,000 years of history, a whole diversity of possibilities regarding the attitude of humans towards them.
How Felines conquered Earth: Wild cats lived almost everywhere on the planet. Cats evolution, created, within millions of years, perfect hunters that could submit their prey by attacking them by surprise. Cats keen senses, highly developed intelligence, strength, resistance and agility, have positioned them -specially great felines- in a prevailing place in the animal kingdom.
A small feline from North Africa, the lion, also called cat of Nubia (felis libica), adapted to men some 4,000 years ago, being domestic cats their descendants. These have spread through out the world in relatively independent populations and in almost the same wild conditions.
When did cats begin to live with men: It has been 4,000 years since cats realized they were linked to men under very special manners. Many of these let us think domestic cats were encountered for the first time in the Near East, and that they arrived to Europe through Greece. Although, the oldest known theory states that its origins are found in Egypt. Who knows, maybe both are true.
Lions, like cats: It has been demonstrated that lions lived in the wild in North Africa, and it was very much appreciated by ancient Egyptians. Lions, like cats are slim, they have big ears and a long tail. Their skin can present soft stripes or stains. In ancient Egyptian upper cultures relations between cat and men developed on mutual needs basis. Cats found in towns along the Nile river grain warehouses, and this meant a well served dinner table filled with rodents that were attracted by grains. On the other hand, cats started gaining respect of the ancient Egyptians, because of its beauty and free-style behavior; they were even worshipped as goddesses sometimes.
