The Curious History of Cats

Think about a cat. Cute whiskers. Big eyes. Soft fur. You’re probably saying, Awww! But for most of human history, people instead screamed, AAAH!

That’s because most of the felines in the past were scary. There were saber-toothed cats, lions with sharp claws, and tigers with glowing eyes.

So what happened? How did millions of Americans end up with cats in their homes? How did these creatures go from scary animals to purrfect pets?

Think about a cat. Cute whiskers. Big eyes. Soft fur. You’re probably saying, Awww! But people didn’t say this for most of human history. Instead they screamed, AAAH!

That’s because most of the felines in the past were scary. There were saber-toothed cats. There were lions with sharp claws. And there were tigers with glowing eyes.

So what happened? How did millions of Americans end up with cats in their homes? How did these creatures go from scary animals to purrfect pets?

To answer that question, we’ll need to go back 10,000 years to the end of the Ice Age. Back then, much of the world was covered in huge sheets of ice. As the weather became warmer, people realized something. Seeds buried in soil could grow into plants to eat!

Today we call this farming. Humans grew food in the warm months. Then they stored extra food to eat during the winter months. But this extra food caught the attention of hungry mice. The mice nibbled at the food and could spread diseases. These rodents also brought creatures that loved to eat them: cats!

Thankfully, these cats weren’t lions or tigers. They were smaller and less aggressive cats called wildcats.

Sometime between 10,000 and 9,000 years ago, early farmers must have realized something important. Having wildcats close by kept the food they stored safe from rodents. Maybe these felines weren’t so bad! People likely started leaving out food to get the wildcats to come back.

Let’s go back in time to answer that question. We need to go back 10,000 years to the end of the Ice Age. A lot of the world was covered in huge sheets of ice during this time. Then the weather became warmer. People realized something. Seeds buried in soil could grow into plants to eat!

Today we call this farming. Humans grew food in the warm months. Then they stored extra food to eat during the winter months. But hungry mice noticed this extra food. They nibbled at the food and could spread diseases. These rodents also brought creatures that loved to eat them: cats!

These cats weren’t lions or tigers. They were smaller and less aggressive cats called wildcats.

Early farmers noticed something important between 10,000 and 9,000 years ago. Having wildcats close by kept the food they stored safe from rodents. Maybe these felines weren’t so bad! People likely started leaving out food to get the wildcats to come back.

Over many years, cats and humans got used to each other. Cats became more and more friendly. Eventually, wildcats
stopped being so wild.

Humans soon realized that cats didn’t just protect food. In East Asia, they were prized for keeping away rodents that would chew on books. In ancient Egypt, cats chased away dangerous snakes. Egyptians valued cats so much that they turned them into mummies. They even buried the cat mummies in tombs!

By the early 1600s, explorers were bringing cats around the world on ships. Cats kept their food and crews safe from rats. The cuddly creatures also made the long sea trips more fun. When the ships reached shore, many cats jumped off and found new homes. That’s how cats came to America!

Cats and humans got used to each other over the years. Cats became more and more friendly. Over time, wildcats stopped being so wild.

Humans soon realized that cats didn’t just protect food. In East Asia, they were prized for keeping away rodents that would chew on books. And cats chased away dangerous snakes in ancient Egypt. Egyptians valued cats so much that they turned them into mummies. They even buried the cat mummies in tombs!

In the early 1600s, explorers sailed around the world. They brought cats on their ships. The cats kept their food and crews safe from rats. The cuddly creatures also made the long sea trips more fun. The ships reached shore. Many cats jumped off and found new homes. That’s how cats came to America!