Cats essentially domesticated themselves — they chose to move in with humans
Unlike dogs, pigs, or cattle — which were selectively bred over thousands of years by humans — cats underwent a form of self-domestication. When humans began farming about 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, grain storage attracted rodents, which attracted wildcats. The wildcats that were less afraid of humans thrived, reproduced, and gradually evolved into a domesticated relationship — tolerated or encouraged by farmers who benefitted from pest control. Genetic analysis shows domestic cats are barely distinguishable from their wild ancestors, retaining most of their original instincts.
Every other domestic animal was shaped by human selection. Discovering that cats chose us — that their presence in our homes began as a business arrangement they initiated — reframes the entire human-cat dynamic.
“Cats domesticated themselves. When humans started farming 10,000 years ago, wildcats moved into grain stores for the rodents. They tolerated us because it was profitable. 🐱 #OddlyHuman”