Cats occupy unique niche
A few winters ago, Carlos Driscoll trudged alone through Mongolia's frigid Gobi Desert.
There was no person or animal for miles, he said. Nothing but cold tranquility.
Until, Driscoll said, 'I hear this meowing.
'It was this big male black domestic cat. That cat was living on its own, and it was fat and happy."
It was also tame, and after easily surviving a winter alone in the Gobi Desert, willingly followed Driscoll back to his camp and lived with him.
Who needs humans?
Domestic cats can survive with or without us, said Driscoll, who is one of the world's leading experts on domestic cats. And the Mongolian cat was just one example.
Their ancestors -- the wildcat, or felis silvestris -- thrived in virtually every climate on the planet, he said.
Despite thousands of years living with humans, domestic cats are almost identical to their wild counterparts, with few biological or genetic variations.
This is odd for a domestic animal, which generally differs greatly from its wild ancestors after thousands of years of human interference with its breeding.
They chose us
So a few years ago, Driscoll set out to understand why cats are so different from our other pets. He used genetic tests and archeological evidence to determine when, where and why cats first moved in with humans.
His answer, in short: We didn't pick them; they picked us.
Cats were domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, the Middle East, Driscoll said. That was the time that humans first broke away from mobile hunting-and-gathering groups, and built permanent lodgings.
Our ancestors in Mesopotamia learned to farm, tamed food-producing animals, stored grain for winter and accumulated trash.
The food and trash piles attracted mice. The mice attracted cats.
Mostly undomesticated
'It's not appropriate to think of cats like other domesticated animals," Driscoll said. 'They're more like mice and rats.
'We did not set out to domesticate mice. We created an environment that mice exploited."
Of course, mice were an unwanted attraction because they ate human food stores. Cats, on the other hand, ate mice, which humans would have approved.
Driscoll thinks humans probably coexisted -- rather than interacted -- with cats in those early years, which explains the lack of genetic alteration.
'These cats, all they had to do was get used to people," Driscoll said.
'We didn't ask anything else of them. We can't teach them how to catch mice because we don't know how to catch mice."
A cat's cuteness probably led to further interactions, Driscoll said.
Beasts of both worlds
These days, all domestic cats -- tame or feral -- have the ability to live near humans. It is the main difference between domesticated cats and their wild counterparts, Driscoll said.
And being able to live around humans spells long-term success for any species, he added.
'We've taken over the world," he said.
'That first little experiment where people in the Middle East built mud houses -- that is now the dominant habitat on earth.
'Domestic cats can take advantage of both habitats," he said. Like the black cat Driscoll found on its own in Mongolia.
'They can hunt, and, if people are around, they can eat trash, or sit on the back porch and meow and be cute, and people will feed them.
'Both worlds are open to them."
There was no person or animal for miles, he said. Nothing but cold tranquility.
Until, Driscoll said, 'I hear this meowing.
'It was this big male black domestic cat. That cat was living on its own, and it was fat and happy."
It was also tame, and after easily surviving a winter alone in the Gobi Desert, willingly followed Driscoll back to his camp and lived with him.
Who needs humans?
Domestic cats can survive with or without us, said Driscoll, who is one of the world's leading experts on domestic cats. And the Mongolian cat was just one example.
Their ancestors -- the wildcat, or felis silvestris -- thrived in virtually every climate on the planet, he said.
Despite thousands of years living with humans, domestic cats are almost identical to their wild counterparts, with few biological or genetic variations.
This is odd for a domestic animal, which generally differs greatly from its wild ancestors after thousands of years of human interference with its breeding.
They chose us
So a few years ago, Driscoll set out to understand why cats are so different from our other pets. He used genetic tests and archeological evidence to determine when, where and why cats first moved in with humans.
His answer, in short: We didn't pick them; they picked us.
Cats were domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, the Middle East, Driscoll said. That was the time that humans first broke away from mobile hunting-and-gathering groups, and built permanent lodgings.
Our ancestors in Mesopotamia learned to farm, tamed food-producing animals, stored grain for winter and accumulated trash.
The food and trash piles attracted mice. The mice attracted cats.
Mostly undomesticated
'It's not appropriate to think of cats like other domesticated animals," Driscoll said. 'They're more like mice and rats.
'We did not set out to domesticate mice. We created an environment that mice exploited."
Of course, mice were an unwanted attraction because they ate human food stores. Cats, on the other hand, ate mice, which humans would have approved.
Driscoll thinks humans probably coexisted -- rather than interacted -- with cats in those early years, which explains the lack of genetic alteration.
'These cats, all they had to do was get used to people," Driscoll said.
'We didn't ask anything else of them. We can't teach them how to catch mice because we don't know how to catch mice."
A cat's cuteness probably led to further interactions, Driscoll said.
Beasts of both worlds
These days, all domestic cats -- tame or feral -- have the ability to live near humans. It is the main difference between domesticated cats and their wild counterparts, Driscoll said.
And being able to live around humans spells long-term success for any species, he added.
'We've taken over the world," he said.
'That first little experiment where people in the Middle East built mud houses -- that is now the dominant habitat on earth.
'Domestic cats can take advantage of both habitats," he said. Like the black cat Driscoll found on its own in Mongolia.
'They can hunt, and, if people are around, they can eat trash, or sit on the back porch and meow and be cute, and people will feed them.
'Both worlds are open to them."
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