The question is a sensible one because all of the world’s half a billion domestic and feral cats originate in a domesticated North African wildcat (Far Eastern wildcat or African-Asian wildcat). It happened about 10,000 years ago. Nowadays there are … Continue reading →
This is a difficult and perhaps pointless question to answer. I know that sounds negative but I think it’s a fair point to make. The basic problem is that we can’t use the feeding arrangements of the wildcat ancestor of … Continue reading →
I am picking up on a study that I have written about before which genetically analysed the Chinese mountain cat to confirm (1) that it is a subspecies of wildcat and not species in its own right and (2) that … Continue reading →
Although this precise question has been asked and answered many times, I will throw my hat into the ring, briefly. There are two reasons why cats are scared of cucumbers, (1) they are hardwired to avoid snakes as they’ve inherited … Continue reading →
As this photograph was taken in what appears to be a German zoo, I will presume that it is a European wildcat. It as taken by Melanie Kahl of BUND Bundesverband for the BUND Wildkatzen-Symposium 2016. That is the Bund … Continue reading →
Artist Peter Hall was on a game drive in the central regions of Kruger National Park in South Africa, reports the EarthTouch News website. A “game drive” is one in which the participants sit in 4×4 vehicles looking out at … Continue reading →
The Daily Mail reports on a study which says that cats are better off in terms of controlling their hunger when they are fed one meal a day. They should be fed in the morning at breakfast time. It results … Continue reading →
If and when domestic cats use their paws to eat food or to drink water they do so in a very specific way. They scoop up the food such as dry food pellets or water from their bowl into their … Continue reading →
The wildcats of South Africa and Namibia are sometimes referred to as “caffre cats”. They are a species of small wild cat looking like a tabby domestic cat. The Mirriam-Webster dictionary tells us that the phrase “caffre cat” is a … Continue reading →
The cat was first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent which is a large crescent shaped area encompassing modern day countries such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Kuwait. The earliest domestic cat is believed to date from around 7,500 BC, found in Cyprus which is an island adjacent to the eastern sector of the Fertile Crescent.
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