The Life and Times of a Cat – Ancient Cat-like Beasts
Cats have a long history in China, appearing in the Western Zhou Dynasty poem 'Han Yi'. The poem describes the mountains as having 'bears, weasels, cats, and tigers' at that time, which indicates that cats were not yet domesticated. The animals called 'cats' at that time were larger in size with shorter legs compared to modern cats. Approximately during the Western Han Dynasty, wild cats were gradually domesticated into pet cats. By the Tang Dynasty, they were very common in households across the country.
Archaeological studies around the world have also discovered traces of cats. Research shows that the earliest cats appeared in West Asia and North Africa. Paleontologists have found a large number of wild cat remains in ancient layers in Southern Europe and North Africa, which suggests that cats were already widespread wild animals during the Pleistocene Ice Age.
Approximately 40 million years ago, ancient cat-like animals appeared on Earth, including a species that has now gone extinct, the saber-toothed tiger; and another divided into three subfamilies: the cat subfamily, the panther subfamily, and the cheetah subfamily. Animals in the cat subfamily have the same characteristics, are relatively small in size, do not make roaring sounds, and can retract their claws. Animals in the panther subfamily are larger in size, make roaring sounds, and can retract their claws. While the claws of the cheetah subfamily cannot be extended.
All of these cat-like animals have a common ancestor – the Felis silvestris, also known as the small Felis silvestris. However, this small Felis silvestris doesn't seem as cute as its name suggests. The Felis silvestris is similar to modern domestic cats in appearance and has a long body and tail, but shorter legs, and can also retract its claws like cats.
The Felis silvestris has 44 teeth, which is similar in appearance to the weasel. They can live in trees and are considered to be the common ancestors of cat and dog families. Animals such as bears, weasels, raccoons, foxes, and wolves may all have descended from the Felis silvestris. Looking at our cute little cat at home, but cats are actually related to the world's most ferocious animals, such as tigers, lions, and leopards. Cat owners should not bully their cats, or they may expose their carnivorous and bloodthirsty nature.
