domestication – Michael Broad

Converging Creatures – How Domestication Is Making Cats and Dogs Look Alike

May 9, 2025May 4, 2025 by Michael Broad

Here is why your cat is allegedly starting to look like your dog (and vice versa). Recent studies suggest that domestic cats and dogs are exhibiting increasingly similar physical traits, a phenomenon largely attributed to human influence through domestication. This convergence in appearance and behavior is rooted in the concept of “domestication syndrome,” a …

Comparing cats and ferrets as pets. Mini-infographic.

September 25, 2024 by Michael Broad

The ‘mini-infographic’ compares cats and ferrets as pets in sparse outline while the article on this page compares cats and ferrets in more detail. Hope you find it useful. cat Comparing cats and ferrets as pets. Mini-infographic. By Michael Broad This section is a recording of a conversation I had with ChatGPT, an AI …

How long does it take for a domestic cat to become feral?

April 23, 2024April 21, 2024 by Michael Broad

A true domestic cat, i.e. a cat that has been thoroughly socialised and who has lived with their caregiver, cannot become a true feral cat because they cannot lose that initial, early several weeks of socialisation before they are about 7-weeks-of-age. That will remain with them all their lives. The process is immutable. However, …

Are caracals legal in Alabama?

September 19, 2023 by Michael Broad

Of all the smaller wild cats the caracal is generally more predisposed to accepting the role of human pet! So, can a citizen of Alabama own/possess the medium-sized wild cat called the caracal as an exotic pet? Although Alabama prohibits the personal possession of many exotic animals it does not prohibit the ownership of …

Can you own a large wild cat in South Carolina?

September 19, 2023September 19, 2023 by Michael Broad

No, you cannot own a large wild cat in South Carolina. What do they mean by a ‘large wild cat’? They mean these cat species: lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cougars, cheetahs, snow leopards, and clouded leopards. The N. Carolina law (see the Federal Big Cat Public Safety Act further down which overlaps with this …

Living with companion animals has not worked out and it needs to be re-evaluated

September 16, 2023September 16, 2023 by Michael Broad

Cat and dog domestication has not worked out as planned

Some people think that it is time to give up our cats and dogs as it is unethical and their domestication not worked out well. It’s time to end it. This would apply to other animals as well. It’s a whopping suggestion. It’s probably entirely impractical seeing as there are probably up to 500 …

The discovery that disproved that the Ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate the wild cat

September 5, 2023 by Michael Broad

Credits:

The picture is deemed to be in the public domain
The words at the base of the image are from The Taming of the Cat published on the PMC Pub Med Central website.
Citation: Driscoll CA, Clutton-Brock J, Kitchener AC, O’Brien SJ. The Taming of the cat. Genetic and archaeological findings hint that wildcats became housecats earlier–and in a different place–than previously thought. Sci Am. 2009 Jun;300(6):68-75. PMID: 19485091; PMCID: PMC5790555.
Link to study.

P.S. I have one comment. It is possible that the cat in the image was tame and not truly domesticated whereas the Ancient Egyptians domesticated the cat.

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