The original cat coat is the striped or 'mackerel' tabby, with the 'blotched' tabby pattern appearing later. Whether a cat shows their tabby pattern depends on whether they have inherited the recessive solid colour gene or not.
Long story short, the recessive gene in albino cats causes them to produce no melanin in their skin. This creates white fur and pink hues on body parts with less hair such as ears, nose and paws. Their eyes can also be red or very pale blue or green. Unfortunately, albino cats are prone to some health issues.
Domesticated cats all come from wildcats called Felis silvestris lybica that originated in the Fertile Crescent in the Near East Neolithic period and in ancient Egypt in the Classical period.
However, our kitties are still related to the big cats — especially tigers, the largest of the world's big cats and one of the most fear-inspiring predators. A study published in 2013 found that our pet cats share 95.6 percent of their genome (DNA) with the Amur tiger.
There were other earlier cat-like species but Proailurus (meaning "before the cat"; also called "Leman's Dawn Cat"), which appeared about 30 million years ago, is generally considered the first "true cat".
The cuddly domesticated house cats we love so much today are in fact descendants of lions and tigers, who are successors of early carnivores known as miacids. From here modern wild cats evolved into three key species – the European wild cat, the African wild cat and the Asiatic desert cat.
So it seems the cat family evolved first! However, it's a different story when it comes to when humans domesticated cats and dogs. This is hard to find out about, but a burial of a man alongside an 8 month old cat is the oldest known evidence of cat domestication so far, at 9500 years old.
Cats and humans share 90% of their DNA
Do you know how genetically close your feline is it to you? You may have thought that dogs would be a little closer to humans on the evolutionary scale, but it turns out that cats actually have 90.2% of the DNA in common with us! You read that right!
The tiger shares 95.6 percent of its genome with the domestic cat, from which it diverged about 10.8 million years ago, the comparison showed. In addition, several genes were altered in metabolic pathways associated with protein digestion and metabolism, or how the body uses fuel like food to power cells.
One of the key differences between the cat brain vs the dog brain is their cognitive function. As discussed, cats are independent thinkers and problem solvers, while dogs tend to be more socially intelligent and trainable. Their brain size is different as well. A dog's brain is typically larger than a cat's brain.
Cats are an invasive species in Australia. Because they are not native to Australia and were only introduced by colonisers as pets in the early 1800s, native Australian animals did not co-evolve with them. As of 2016, some 3.8 million domestic cats and up to 6.3 million feral cats continue to live in Australia.
Cats probably first arrived in Australia as pets of European settlers during the 18th century, and were later deliberately introduced in an attempt to control rabbits and rodents. Cats now occupy 99% of Australia, including many offshore islands4.
Domestic cats were introduced to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788, with many subsequent introductions around the mainland and to many Australian islands. Cats spread rapidly across Australia: historical records and genetic analyses show that cats colonised the entire continent (7.7 million km2) within 70 years.
Entirely or primarily black cats will be less likely adopted—and more likely euthanized—than cats of other colors.
Lilac or lavender cats are not purple as their name indicates, but it is a very light color, almost dusty. This color is extremely rare from a genetics stand point, even in pedigree cats.
Orange cats were regarded as the friendliest by respondents, while white cats were labeled aloof, and tortoiseshell cats were thought to have too much "attitude." The subject was revisited in a University of California Davis study a few years later. This time, results were tabulated from 1,274 completed surveys.
The domestic cat originated from Near-Eastern and Egyptian populations of the African wildcat, Felis sylvestris lybica. The family Felidae, to which all living feline species belong, arose about ten to eleven million years ago.
All cats, from our own pet moggies to lions and tigers, belong to the same family of animals; the Felidae family. These animals first began to evolve 25 million years ago and have become the most highly-developed carnivorous hunters of all the mammals.
The Siberian tiger, also known as Panthera tigris altaica. The biggest and perhaps most fearsome of the world's big cats, the tiger shares 95.6 percent of its DNA with humans' cute and furry companions, domestic cats.
The chimpanzee and bonobo are humans' closest living relatives. These three species look alike in many ways, both in body and behavior.
4. It's probably not that surprising to learn that humans share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees–but incredibly, we also share 70% with slugs and 50% with bananas.
The human brain is about three times as big as the brain of our closest living relative, the chimpanzee. Moreover, a part of the brain called the cerebral cortex – which plays a key role in memory, attention, awareness and thought – contains twice as many cells in humans as the same region in chimpanzees.
Rather than relying on facial recognition, cats actually identify us by the sound of our voice, our scent, and the way we physically feel to them. The strange part of all of this is that cats actually view people as fellow cats.
The average lifespan for a pet cat is probably around 13 to 14 years. However, although their lifespan varies, a well cared for cat may commonly live to 15 or beyond, some make it to 18 or 20 and a few extraordinary felines even pass 25 or 30 years of age.
Back to the beginning...
There is archaeological evidence dogs were the first animals domesticated by humans more than 30,000 years ago (more than 10,000 years before the domestication of horses and ruminants).