Cats were first seen in the early Pliocene Epoch, approximately 5 to 4 million years ago, and have evolved into modern times with remarkably little change. The earliest known association between cats and humans can, however, be traced as far back as the origins of agriculture in the Middle East around 9,500 years ago.

In recent years, the skeleton of a cat was found buried along with that of a human in southern Cyprus. Although some sources noted that this discovery suggested that cats had undergone some forms of domestication in that region, other sources argued that cats may have chosen to domesticate themselves by living in human-altered landscapes. They cited the evidence that the cat genome was not so different from that of the African wildcat at that particular period.

Fossil evidence unearthed in China, dating back to about 5,300 years, shows that cats of a size similar to modern domestic cats used to feed on small grain-eating animals such as rodents. In contrast, the cats in agricultural settings went for millet.

There’s also a common belief that cats were domesticated in ancient Egypt because of the Egyptians’ great affinity for cats, and the animals had social and religious significance in their culture. Although cats were considered sacred animals in Egypt around 2465 B.C. to 2150 B.C., they had not yet been domesticated. It’s possible that the ancient Egyptians kept cats because they valued them for protecting their barns from rodents. Their respect and affection for this majestic predator resulted in the development of religious cat cults and the worship of cats in temples. There are no authentic records of domestication earlier than 1500 B.C.

:https://nationaltoday.com/national-cat-lovers-month/