Figure 1: Cat hunting 

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“The Ascent of Cat Breeds: Genetic Evaluations of Breeds and Worldwide Random-bred Populations” is a fascinating scientific paper that discuses the evolution of the first domesticated cats, how truly "domesticated" cats are, and the formation of the cat breeds we see today (Lipinski et. al).

         This paper is in agreement with the articles discussed in the previous two blog posts in that all domesticated cats come from a common ancestor in the Middle East and were first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. Cats, in the authors’ minds, are not fully domesticated animals. Unlike most domesticated species that have largely evolved through artificial selection, cats mostly evolved to fit into the human environment through natural selection. Cats became smaller and more tolerant towards humans because it allowed them to hunt rodents and other animals attracted to human cultivated fields. The authors’ of this article boldly argue that the success and development of civilizations in the Fertile Crescent is in part due to the presence of cats, as they acted as pest controls in large fields (Lipinski et. al)

Figure 2: Feral cat Thomas O'Malley and house cat Duchess from the "Aristocats"
provide an example of  the interactions between house and feral cats. 

Because domesticated cats often live with and show affection towards humans, many people consider them to be a domesticated animal. Yet, cats are very independent and strong hunters. They, unlike most domesticated animals, do not need humans for survival. This is demonstrated by the vast presence of feral cats. The constant breeding between feral and house cats prevents domesticated cats from losing the genes that allow them to both survive and tolerate humans. Cats may never be a truly domesticated.     

 There are 41 species of domesticated cats. Of these 41, the authors of this article argue that only 16 are naturally occurring. These 16 breeds can be traced to four distinct regions, the Mediterranean, Asia, Western Europe, and East Africa.  Cat breeds of the Americas are grouped with the Western European cats, as they were very recently transferred there from Europe. Cats are not highly selective breeders, so it is believed the breeds of the four distinct regions formed due to natural barriers. Because of their low selectivity in mating, most cat breeds have high genetic diversity.  Only as recently as 150 years ago have humans taken an interest in breeding through artificial selection to form new breeds. Amongst the first breeds created were Persians, Russian Blues, Siamese,  and Angoras. These human created breeds were mixed with one another to form more breeds. Many human created cat breeds lack genetic variation and therefore suffer many health problems (Lipinski et. al).

Figure 3: Cat breeds traced back into the four regional groups defined by Lipinski et. al.

Citations: 

Lipinksi, M, Froenicke, L, Baysac, K, Billings, N, Leutenegger, C, Levy, A, Longeri, M, Niini, T, Ozpinar, H, Slater, M, Pedersen, N, and Lyons, L, 2008, “The Ascent of Cat Breeds: Genetic Evaluations of Breeds and Worldwide Random-bred Populations,” Genomics, Vol 91, 1, pp 12-21.  

Figure 1: Cobalt (2013) When Domesticated Cats Turn Ugly. http://blogs.voanews.com/science-world/2013/01/30/when-domesticated-cats-turn-deadly. Retrieved 27/03/15

Figure 2: Disney's Thomas O'Malley and Duchess.  http://cdnvideo.dolimg.com/cdn_assets/85a1bb75fbcd618a70cf89b93038a9e6e75fbabe.jpg. Retrieve 27/03/15

Figure 3: Lipinski et. al (2008). The Ascent of Cat Breeds: Genetic Evaluations of Breeds and Worldwide Random-bred Populations.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0888754307002510. Retrieved 27/03/15.