The cat skeleton is both strong and light having evolved for speed and agility, which is demonstrated in the cat’s wonderfully graceful movements including its jumping and climbing skills. The back is highly flexible, which is geared for speed. And … continue reading…
Intro: this page contains some opinions too! Here are 20 facts about the closest relations of the domestic cat. The Near Eastern wildcat aka North African wildcat is the ancestor of the domestic cat. There is one group of small … continue reading…
Here are 12 facts about the digitigrade foot posture of cats. Yes, most cat owners realise that their cats walk on their toes but if you were unsure, now you know 😃. There are three categories of foot posture (item … continue reading…
People ask the question: “Why are domestic cats and invasive species?” And the answer is that in most countries of the world domestic cats did not evolve in those countries but they were brought there by people. It is only … continue reading…
The question is inherently incorrect! Evolution dictates the length of cats’ tails and evolution is always correct in the very long-term. Tails are functional and they have to be at a certain length in order to carry out the function … continue reading…
The human is a diurnal species of animal – the human-animal. “Diurnal” means active during the daytime. I am referring to the domestic cat which does not comfortably sit within the diurnal or nocturnal category of animals. They can be … continue reading…
Although some people might believe it, it’s not true that cats do not have facial expressions. I would like to get that out of the way initially. Cats do show their mood but it is very subtle and most often … continue reading…
Eighty-five million years ago, Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand separated from the major land mass called Gondwanaland. About 200 million years ago Australia was attached to Antarctica. 85 million years ago was well before the beginnings of the evolution … continue reading…
Researchers have decided that cats evolved from a fierce saber-toothed predator that occupied North America 42 million years ago. They also decided that this “new species” was among one of the first mammals to be an obligate carnivore. At this … continue reading…
Here is a potted history of the big cats by a student of the wild cats – me. It is not meant to be overly heavy 😉. The big cats are grouped together because they can all roar. The puma … continue reading…
This post is specifically about the evolution of the domestic cat since domestication. I do not address the evolution of the wildcat pre-domestication. It’s fairly well-known and currently accepted that the first domestic cats on the planet existed around 10,000 … continue reading…
Domestic cats don’t always curl up when they sleep but they often do. It’s the default position. Although, we do see some extraordinary sleeping styles for the domestic cat; being totally stretched out is also not uncommon inside the home. … continue reading…
It is an interesting if slightly bizarre thought. The theory is that over a period of say 500 years (my estimate) feral and stray cats will shape-shift to have greater surface to volume ratios which will allow for the dissipation … continue reading…
Yes, there is a common ancestor to the cat and dog. If you believe in evolution as set out by Charles Darwin in his work “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection…” you will believe that there … continue reading…
Do domestic cats come from big cats? The answer has to be no. The reason is because the big cats split off and formed their own path millions of years ago. This is a discussion about the taxonomy of the … continue reading…
