A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT CAT
Before the cute, fluffy or grumpy companions (or internet sensations) that we know today, cats started out as principally a practical helper to early settlers. When ancient humans began stocking grains and keeping food for themselves, mice and other vermin began to show up – and with them came cats. Cats helped the ancients control vermin. This process likely began around 9,000 years ago in the Middle East, and over time cats, suggests a possible domestication of around 7500 BC, based on the discovery of a cat buried alongside a human skeleton in Cyprus. At a later stage, a different species of cat began to be tamed in Egypt.
