On Cats
The cat or domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) is a small carnivorous mammal in the Felidae family. The cat has been in close coexistence with the human being for about 3,500 to 6,000 years, so.
In the Romance languages, the most general current names derive from the vulgar Latin catus, a word that especially alluded to wild cats as opposed to domestic cats, which in Latin were called felis.
There are dozens of races, some hairless or even tailless, as a result of genetic mutations, and they exist in a wide variety of colors. They are predators by nature, their possible prey being more than a hundred different species of animals to feed on. They are also animals that can assimilate some concepts, and certain specimens can be trained to manipulate simple mechanisms, but may say they are completely independent and even not so caring, as if they were still savages.
They communicate with moans, grunts, and about a hundred different vocalizations (Sometimes they seem to pronounce human words), in addition to body language.
The African wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica) is believed to be its most immediate ancestor.
However, as it is a subspecies, it can and does exchange genetic material with other subspecies of Felis silvestris. Hybridization has been detected in the wild European cat. This massive hybridization is considered the main threat to the conservation of wild variants. It is included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature list 100 of the world's most damaging invasive alien species.
Also, exceptionally, fertile hybrids with wild cats have been obtained outside the Wildcat Species; In the 1960s the breeder Jean Mill began a breeding program crossing domestic cats with a female leopard cat, obtaining after several crosses the current breed of Bengali cat.
As a companion animal, it is one of the most popular pets worldwide. Because their domestication is relatively recent, they can live in wild environments forming small colonies. The cat's association with humans led him to figure prominently in mythology and in legends from different cultures, including the Egyptian, Japanese, Chinese, and Scandinavian civilizations. It is an instinctively hunting animal. Cats in the wild live semi-wild and hunt mice and rats, among other species, that would otherwise eat significant amounts of grain. Domestic animals instinctively capture insects, mice, and small birds, although they generally do not consume them. Even the dams can be used as a gift for the owner.
They are preferred for their cleaning habits, for their low level of attention and care required for their cats' owners in relation to the maintenance of their fur.
According to a study published in the journal Nature in June 2007, the ancestors of today's domestic cats began to separate from wild lines 130,000 to 100,000 years ago. Another published in the journal Science confirmed this fact, indicating that current domestic cats are descended from a group of five African wild cats that were associated with man in the Middle East 131,000 years ago.
The direct ancestors of domestic cats would have gradually abandoned wildlife to coexist with the humans, species attracted by rodents that parasitized human communities.
Currently, domestic cats are grouped into various clades (or
By Keily Valdivieso, Step 9
