A cat is a small felid mammal that has been domesticated for several years. The word cat most usually means a domestic or house cat, even though people used to refer this as member of a feline family. For instance, people often refer tigers, lions, and jaguars as the large cats.
Domestic cats hailed from the inherited wild species such as Felis silvestris, the African and European wild cat. In recent times, people consider a domestic cat as a separate species and call Felis Catus.
While looking at the appearance of domestic cats, they are same as their wild relatives. Even many behaviors such as hunting down and other routine activities remain to be as same as their inherited form. The first ever domestication of cats took place in Egypt.
In 4000 BC, the Ancient Egyptians domesticated cats to protect their grain stores from rats and mice. They considered cats as goddess Bast’s avatars. If any person killed cats, he/she would be given death penalty. At times, when domestic cats died, individuals arranged for mummification as similar to human.
Nonetheless, by 500 BC, the Greeks started to domesticate cats and spread this practice throughout the world. Recently, domestication of cats is very popular all over the world, mostly by the colonist from Europe.
Varieties of Domesticated Cat:
There are several names to domesticated cats, each with unique features and legacy. However, because of some common interbreeding in colonized regions, several cats are merely recognized as family members of homogenous varieties of domestic shorthair and domestic longhair, depending on their hair types.
Tortoiseshell (UK) or Calico (USA) cats have various colors. Bicolor cats are partially white. A tabby cat features stripe around its skin. A male domestic cat is a tomcat and similarly a female domestic cat is a queen.
A young domestic cat is a kitten. A domestic cat whose heritage is officially registered is a pedigreed cat or purebred cat or a show cat. The breeders and owners of these domestic cats contend against one another to see who breeds well.
Less than 1% of the entire domestic cats are purebred cats and the rest 99% have varied ancestry, known as moggies or more often domestic shorthairs and domestic longhairs.
Common Domesticated Cats:
Domestic shorthaired cats and domestic longhaired cats are the two major kinds of domesticated cats, which are popular all over the world in recent years.
Domestic shorthaired cats do not represent a renowned cat variety or feature a pedigree, instead they are popular for their wide array of colors around their body. This could be of any color or a mixture of various colors.
Domestic longhaired cats come with moderate or long hair. Their standard colors include tortie and tabby and/or are bi-colored. These cats are excellent family pets, especially for people who are ready to give their hair the additional care it requires.
However, with a little research work, people can ensure themselves to determine the right type of domestic cats for their own needs.