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.

      The previous blog post traces the evolution of the domesticated house cat back to its most recent ancestor, F.S lybica, a wildcat species originating from the Middle East (Driscoll et. al, 2009). But what about the evolutionary history of F.S lybica and its relatives? The scientific article “The Evolution of Cats,” follows  the the ancestry of domesticated and big cats back to the earliest known feline roots (O’Brien and Johnson, 2007). 

Nimravidae Skeleton.
Image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hoplophoneus_skeleton.jpg

      The authors of this article chronologically map out the evolutionary ancestry of felines by comparing feline morphology, fossils, and the DNA of all the world’s current cat species. For many years, scientists believed the extinct species Nimravidae was the first form of cat, as it morphologically resembles the saber-toothed cat. In 2004, Nimravidae was removed from the Felidae (true cat) family due to the bone structure of its ears. Is is now referred to as a false cat. It’s morphological similarities to true cats is credited to parallel evolution. Now, Pseudaelurus is believed to be the first true cat species and is believed to be directly related to to all modern cat breeds (O’Brien and Johnson, 2007). 

        Pseudaelurus broke up into eight sub-groups. The first group, Panthera, formed 6.4 million years ago, and moved into Asia. Today, species of Panthera include tigers, jaguars, and leopards. The second sub-group, branching off 5.41 million years ago, is the bay cat lineage, a serious of small Asian cats. 5.6 million years ago, the caracal lineage formed in Africa. After the formation of the Barren Straight, cats began to move into the Americas. The first American cat species was the ocelot group, whose formation dates back to 2.9 million years ago. The members of the ocelot lineage evolved to create the lynx and and puma lineages 3.2 and 4.9 million years ago. When North America entered an ice age, many members of these lineages re-crossed the Barring Straight and returned to Asia and Africa. Amongst these species was the cheetah. Other species, like the jaguar, moved to South America. Some, like the cougar, remained in North America. The seventh group, forming 3.4 million years ago, is the Asian Leopard Cat lineage. The final and most recent lineage is the domesticated cat, developing only 3.4 million years ago from a single common ancestor, F.S lybica (O’Brien and Johnson, 2007).  

Drawing of Pseudaelurus. Image from:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pseudaelurus_1.jpg

        This article credits the vast movement of cats to their behavior and ability to adapt. Cats are are very territorial and, with the exception of lions who live in prides, claim large amounts of land for their individual hunting needs. Many cat species also follow herds of prey long distances. The fact that cats are found in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and South America in multiple environmental and climate conditions demonstrates their ability to adapt and thrive in new environments (O’Brien and Johnson, 2007) .  

The Eight Lineages of cats. Image from http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v297/n1/box/scientificamerican0707-68_BX1.html

Citations:

O’Brien, S, and Johnson, W, 2007, “The Evolution of Cats,” Scientific American, Vol 297, pp 68-75

Driscoll, C, Clutton-Brock, J, Kitchener, A, & O’Brien, S, 2009, 'The Taming of the Cat,’ Scientific American, vol 300, pp. 68-75. 

Blog post 1: Tracing the Domestication of the House Cat

     For many years, researches believed that all house cats could be traced back to the common ancestor Felis silvestris, a wildcat with various species in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was believed that the different species of Felis Silvestris evolved into the different breeds of cats we see today. Scientists Carlos Driscoll, Juliet Clutton-Brock, Andrew Kitchener and Stephen O’Brien argue against this theory in their scientific article “The Taming of the Cat.” Through genetic testing, they determined that the DNA of house cats is almost identical to F. S. lybica, a wildcat found in the   Middle East. They believe that F.S lybica is a common ancestor of all house cats, and that all house cats can all trace their roots back to the Middle East.

     The authors of this paper also argue that contrary to what many scientists believe, house cats were not domesticated by the ancient Egyptians. Burial sites of the Fertile Crescent have been found that have cats buried next to humans that date back to 10,000 years ago. The authors state that the early evolution of the house cat was not enforced through human breeding efforts. Rather, members of F.S lybica learned to occupy a human created nitch. They evolved in way that best allowed them to eat human trash and small animals, such as mice, that human settlements attracted. Humans allowed cats into their homes so they would eat pests. 

     Though the ancient Egyptians were not the first to domesticate the cat, they did, according to this paper, play a key role in taming it. The ancient Egyptians bred cats to emphasize desirable traits, such as a tolerance and affection towards humans. They also worshiped, sacrificed, and mummified cats in the name of their goddess Bastet, who had the head of a cat. Though Egyptian law prohibited the exportation of cats over its borders, sailers of other nations began keeping domesticated cats on ships in an effort to control rat and mice populations. Through these ships, cats were spread throughout the world and evolved  through both natural and human breeding efforts into the different breeds of cats we see today.   

Citation:

Driscoll, C, Clutton-Brock, J, Kitchener, A, & O’Brien, S, 2009, 'The Taming of the Cat,’ Scientific American, vol 300, pp. 68-75