Cats and humans have a long history together. Archaeological evidence of this relationship dates to 8,000 years ago.

The first signs of domestication date to about 8,000 years ago. They come from the island of Cyprus, where the bones of cats, mice, and humans have been found together. All three of these species first appear on Cyprus at the same time. Apparently humans brought the other two to the island, the mice by accident and the cats on purpose.

In the beginning, cats were probably tolerated by humans because they killed the mice and rats that ate their food stores. Full domestication of the cat as a household companion likely occurred in Egypt about 4,000 years ago. To overcome the natural fear that wild cats had of humans, they were most likely captured as kittens and hand-reared.

Around 4000 BCE, cattle breeders, plant gatherers, and seasonal cultivators began to settle and become farmers on the high ground at the foot of the desert plateau and on "turtle backs," or sandy ridges, in the Nile Delta, where the river breaks into tributaries before flowing into the Mediterranean. There, man's relationship with the cat in Egypt began.

The cat's domestication depended on farming. It was the animal of the farmer, while the dog was the animal best adapted to the hunt, which is why its relationship with man was so much older -- because it preceded man's attachment to the land.

About 4000 BCE, the first permanent settlements, granaries and silos, and other basic preconditions for cat-human contacts were in place. Along came Felis silvestris libyca, the Libyan subspecies of the wild cat. It was larger than our domestic cat, with a coat of reddish brown to gray-brown or sandy yellow and striped and with a ringed tail, much like our tabbies.

Cats were part of the Egyptian fauna, probably descending from the wild cat and maybe the result of a little breeding with swamp cats. There appears to have never been any intentional breeding by the Egyptians. Illustrations of domestic cats appear in the Middle Kingdom, but the name of a female cat is known from an earlier time, and skeletons of cats are known in pre-dynastic cemeteries. They were tamed, fed, and kept, most likely as mousers in the fields and granaries.

The exact origin of this species is unknown, and its onomatopoeic name, miu, gives no linguistic clue to its original home, which was probably somewhere in the ancient Near East. There is no compelling evidence that the cat was introduced into Egypt from anywhere else. Around 1950 BCE, isolated representations of cats appear, as do those of cats as protective elements in religious reliefs. Some believe cats were brought into Egypt from Nubia during the New Kingdom. Others place their origins with Felis silvestris ornata and believe they were brought from Persia circa 2000 BCE. But these are minority opinions.

The cobra and two kinds of vipers, along with rats and mice, represented dangers to the human population. And while people were almost helpless to defend themselves against these, cats were not. Thus, they were most certainly made welcome! When the first Libyan wild cat wandered into a village and discovered tasty vermin in the silos, the relationship must have begun. Cats were even deliberately fed scraps of food to ensure their return. The cat thus found an ecological niche for itself. Diodorus Siculus, a Roman traveler who visited Egypt in 60-57 BCE, reported that in his time, cats were fed milk with bread or cut-up fish.

Cats are adaptable to many different situations. They found a good source of food living around people's homes and farms as well as affection from their human friends. In turn, humans influenced the cats' genetic makeup by modifying their diet and by selective breeding. Domestication caused changes in the cat, particularly in the bone structure.

The relationship between Egyptians and cats was unique. Cattle, sheep, and fowl were useful for their skin or wool, for food, or as pack animals. Monkeys and baboons were kept for amusement, although baboons were also used in markets as a kind of guard dog. The cat, however, was free to come and go at will.

Living conditions in ancient Egypt varied from crowded, poor urban conditions to rich country estates. Animals, and especially domesticated animals, were always around. Cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys were part of the economy. Pigs were also raised but do not appear in tombs. Hunting dogs are known to have existed from 4000 BCE and are also shown as pets. Baboons and monkeys were bred as well as brought into the country. Cattle were even used to move blocks of stone for short distances.

Cats and humans spent about a thousand years establishing a symbiotic relationship until about the end of the third millennium BCE, when the cat was domesticated fully and became an economic ally, companion, and household pet. Then, from about 1000-350 BCE, cats became regarded as manifestations of the goddess Bastet, and perhaps others, and were bred in large numbers in the temples.