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Saturday, August 1, 2009

The Cat’s Meow: training people to do their bidding

funny-pictures-cat-loves-youCats have been among man's favorite companions for thousands of years. Originally though to have been domesticated by ancient Egyptians, who loved felines so much that they included a cat in the form of  Bastet in their Pantheon of deities, new DNA evidence points to an even earlier time: 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent.

Compared to man’s other best animal friend, the Dog, cats are famously aloof  and contribute little to human survival. It’s been proposed that ancestors of the modern house cat were domesticated for their mouse-hunting prowess buy ancient farming societies, but the same research that estimated an earlier era of domestication suggests that cats domesticated themselves.

The house mouse having made itself at home in human settlements in the Fertile Crescent certainly attracted wild cats who preyed on them. However these cats were also drawn to the accumulated detritus of human settlements as a source of food. In such close proximity to humans, cats who were able to tolerate people were most likely to access the new food sources and reproduce.

Modern cats continue to adapt to the human condition, so much so that they have mastered cues that effectively manipulate people into meeting their needs. A study found that a particular cat vocalization mixing a purr with a high-pitched cry was recognized by humans as more urgent and less pleasant, even by those who never had cats. By learning to use this purr-cry to signal their hunger, cats train their owners to provide food.

Driscoll, Carlos A. et al.  “The Evolution of House Cats.” Scientific American on the web. Scientific American Inc. Jun. 2009 Aug. 1, 2009. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-taming-of-the-cat>

Live Science Staff. “Cats Do Control Humans, Study Finds.” Live Science on the web. Jul. 13, 2009 Aug. 1, 2009. <http://www.livescience.com/animals/090713-cats-cry.html>

Thornton, Kim Campbell. “Putty in their paws: Why we do what cats want.” msnbc.com. Jul. 31, 2009 Aug 1, 2009. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32178794/ns/health-pet_health/>

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