[Animals] Domestic cat, thousands of years of coexistence

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Domestic cat, thousands of years of coexistence
The first domestic cats, these animals have accompanied us in our daily lives for millennia, the first signs speak of Ancient Egypt, but we are still discovering many of their secrets.

The bumps on cats' tongues are actually tiny barbs called papillae, and understanding how they work could help us invent brushes that make cats less allergenic and better clean human hair.

Domestic cats, whatever their breed, are all members of the same species, Felis silvestris catus, which has had a relationship with humans for a long time. The ancient Egyptians would have been the first to domesticate cats, 4,000 years ago, but there are archaeological records that place cats (or their ancestors) coexisting with humans in the Middle East and Europe thousands of years before. Feral cats were probably attracted to human communities by the abundance of rodents there, and their ability to hunt them endeared them to their inhabitants.

The first Egyptians worshiped a goddess in the shape of a cat and even mummified their favorite pets to accompany them on their journey to the other world...accompanied by also mummified mice! Later, civilizations around the world adopted cats as companion animals.

Domestic cat behavior
Like their wild relatives, domestic cats are natural hunters, able to stalk their prey and pounce on them with their claws and teeth. They are particularly effective at night, when their reflective eyes give them much clearer vision than their victims. They also have very keen hearing. Like all felines, they are agile and fast and their long tails help them have an extraordinary sense of balance.

(Related: The legend of the "demonic cat" roaming the US Capitol)

Related gallery: Stray cats of the world

Cats communicate by marking trees, posts or furniture with their paws or urine. Leaving their trail is their way of informing others of the extent of their territory. Their vocal repertoire ranges from purring to screeching.

The diet of domestic cats has remained predominantly carnivorous throughout evolution, which is why they have developed a simple stomach, suitable for digesting raw meat. They have also maintained a rough tongue that helps them extract every last bit of meat from animals' bones (and also groom themselves). Their diets, however, have varied with the treats offered by men, although they can complete it with their own hunting trophies.

(Related: Domestic cats killed all 232 animals in this photo in just one year)

Left or right handed?
In 2018, a team of scientists discovered in a study published in Animal Behavior that many domestic cats show a preference for the right or left front paw when walking down stairs, stepping on an object, or reaching for food. These preferences also vary by sex: males typically prefer to use their left paw, while females are more likely to be right-handed.

"We think this difference is linked to sex hormones," lead author Deborah Wells, a psychologist at Queen's University Belfast, says in this National Geographic article, although she says researchers don't know how or why it happens.

https://www.nationalgeographic.es/animales/gato-domestico