Domination of The Cat

The cat, felis catus are becoming the most popular pets worldwide. There are about 100 million cats in the Western world and this figure is on the increase. There are many reasons for feline popularity and one reason in particular is that cats make affectionate, extremely devoted companions.
There are also over a hundred recognized breeds of domestic cat. The main feline features that vary are body type, eye color, coat color and length of coat. Some pedigree cats are natural breeds and many others are the result of careful breeding.

Cats have always been a source of fascination for mankind throughout history. It has been about 4000 years ago, since the first cats were domesticated. The Ancient Egyptians were the first to keep and use cats to control vermin and other pests to protect stores of food. In Ancient Egypt, the cat was revered as a hunter, even worshiped as gods and goddesses. The ancient Egyptians imposed the death penalty for killing cats and cats were also mummified before being buried. Early Egyptians even mummified their beloved pets for their journey to the next world—accompanied by mummified mice!

Other ancient civilizations later began to domesticate the cat and took tame felines to Italy where they slowly spread around Europe. Eventually, they arrived in the New World with the Pilgrims. The shorthaired domestic cat spread across the world from Egypt, while longhaired cats came later from Turkey and Iran. The domestic cat also spread from India to China and Japan.

Fast Facts
Type : Mammal
Diet : Carnivore
Size : 28 in (71 cm)
Weight : 5 to 20 lbs (2.3 to 9 kg)

Top 10 countries with most pet cat population

1. USA 76,430,000
2. China 53,100,000
3. Russia 12,700,000
4. Brazil 12,466,000
5. France 9,600,000
6. Italy 9,400,000
7. United Kingdom 7,700,000
8. Ukraine 7,350,000
9. Japan 7,300,000
10. Germany 7,100,000

source: mapsoftheworld 2006