Life All Our Cats Are Iraqi Americans
posted by on June 29 at 9:50 AM
From the New York Times:
Some 10,000 years ago, somewhere in the Near East, an audacious wildcat crept into one of the crude villages of early human settlers, the first to domesticate wheat and barley. There she felt safe from her many predators in the region, such as hyenas and larger cats.The rodents that infested the settlers’ homes and granaries were sufficient prey. Seeing that she was earning her keep, the settlers tolerated her, and their children greeted her kittens with delight.
At least five females of the wildcat subspecies known as Felis silvestris lybica accomplished this delicate transition from forest to village. And from these five matriarchs all the world’s 600 million house cats are descended.
Not mine.
This is probably totally inappropriate, but here goes: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/mattoly/CATZ5.jpg
Whatsamatter, Mr. Poe? Did someone insult your pussy?
That's about to be one sorry, sorry pussycat in that picture, Callie. I wouldn't mess with an eagle if I was wearing an iron suit. Puss there is about the size of dinner, too.
Your cats, and your laws, and your concept of agriculture: yeah, Mesopotamia was important.
Yes, bitch! I'm furious!
Interesting article, particularily the hypothesis that cats chose to be domesticated by man, thus their apparent indifference to overt efforts to tame them. I for one am glad that the wildness still exists in my Pete and Sam, but I personally think the article overlooked the attraction cats have for warmth. My fireplace is an irresisitable cat-magnet, and I think that is why cats chose to befriend us - for a warm spot by the fire. The rodents were just an added perk.
actually...isn't all humanity "Iraqi". Isn't Iraq the "cradle of civilization"?
there were no iraqis then.
akkadians
assyrians
babylonians
and so on.
the current iraqi populace is likely descended from invaders who chopped the genitals off the men, paraded them through their capital, & raped & enslaved the women who first domesticated the kitty cat.
its how things got done back then.
Tower of Babel!!1! LLLLLLOLZORTRAINZZZ
If only I could just walk into someone's house and get them to feed and pet me. I'd say cats have domesticated humans, not the other way around.
@7,
It's more accurate to say that all of humanity is African. Mesopotamia may have been the cradle of civilization, but not all humans are descended from Mesopotamians. We are, however, all descended from Africans.
Okay, so cat's have had 10,000 years now to evolve into what they are. Why the fuck haven't they figured out how to clean their fur without hacking up a hairball later? Fucking digest the thing or something! Vile creature! And quite puking on my carpet!
Co-evolution: cats and people chose each other. That's always the way it works. We like to think we chose to domesticate dogs. No, our trash piles attracted a friendly breed of wolves, and the nicer ones got an easy source of food and access to a really smart pack.
The same goes for agriculture. Grains evolved to be attractive to people, who then transformed their entire way of living to meet the needs of grain. Neither could have succeeded without the other. Read Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan.
Clearly this is completely false.
Everyone KNOWS the Earth is only 6,000 years old.
Robin Quivers once said (paraphrasing), "having a cat is the closest thing to having a wild animal in your home." That is exactly the feeling I have for my cats.
I love this post. Thinking about my kittys' ancestors domesticating their human feeders is great!
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