Tagged: domestication

European wildcat meows

Can European wildcats be domesticated?

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...

Persian cat with lion cut on hind legs

Are cats completely domesticated?

Putting aside selectively bred pedigree breeds, which are a tiny minority, most cats choose their own mates and go where they please unless they are neutered and confined to the home. However, although in...

Feline hunting is in their DNA

Why do domestic cats still hunt?

Domestic cats still hunt because it is in their DNA to do so. It is a characteristic which is a genetic inheritance. It is hard wired into their brains and personalities. And it has...

New Stone Age when the cat was first domesticated

Why was the cat domesticated?

Why was the cat domesticated? The advent of farming was the reason why the wild cat came to be domesticated. As Dr Morris says ‘there would have been no taming of the cat before...


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