The Life of Domesticated House Cats

First domesticated in the Fertile Crescent during the Neolithic period and later accelerated in the Classical period of ancient Egypt, DNA studies of domesticated house cats indicate that they most likely originated from African wild cats or Asian desert cats, which both share the same number of chromosomes as the common house cat or Felis catus. Scientists have also discovered a second instance of early cat domestication in China, after researchers studied the skeletal remains of leopard cats, although the short-lived evidence of domestication may be evidence that the Chinese abandoned the practice due to the aggressive nature of leopard cats.

Worldwide Spread

What is known is that the domestication of cats spread quickly throughout the world—except Antarctica—due to their prodigious impact on rodent populations, aiding sailors at sea in the protection of food stores, while their usefulness in reducing rodent-borne illnesses in cities furthered their worth as pets and companions. During the medieval period, selective breeding of domesticated cats further reduced their wild nature, while enhancing the patterned luxury of their fur. With over 100 breeds of domesticated cats, Felis catus range in size from the four-pound Singapura to the 20-pound, 40-inch Maine Coon.

Reproduction

With lifespans of two to three years for feral cats and 20 for indoor cats, house cats are polygynandrous, as both males and females have multiple partners throughout the year, while female cats gestate their young for 63 to 65 days, before giving birth to a litter of four to six kittens, although the largest litter in recorded history belongs to a Burmese/Siamese cat from Oxfordshire England, who gave birth to 19 kittens. Born altricial or helpless, kittens remain blind and deaf for the first ten days of their lives, weaning from mother’s milk by eight to ten weeks of age. Curious and explorative by nature, kittens start play-hunting and fighting at six weeks of age, reaching sexual maturity from five to eight months of age, making the life of domesticated house cats, an affectionate and sometimes neurotic member of the family Felidae.