File:Wilhelm Kuhnert - European Wildcat.jpg

Identifier: americanaunivers03newy (find matches)
Title: The Americana; a universal reference library, comprising the arts and sciences, literature, history, biography, geography, commerce, etc., of the world
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Publisher: New York : Scientific American Compiling Dept.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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ligata), and to these we most likelyowe the greater part of our short-haired cats.Possibly when the Aryans made their pilgrim-age from Asia they brought specimens of theshort-haired, domestic cats from India, for thereare, at the present day in India, domestic catsthat are not likely to have any Egyptian bloodin their veins. Whatever the origin of the do-mestic cat, it is probable that in comparison tothe date of the domestication of the horse, dog,ox, etc., the advent of the cat to our firesidesis comparatively recent. Though cats appearon tombs, or as illustrations, as far back as1600 B.C., this date may be said to be compara-tively recent if we consider the question in re-lation to the probable date of the domesticationof the dog. The Egyptians loved their cats,understood their usefulness, and ended by wor-shipping them as sacred animals, and givingthem a careful burial, for the mummies of cats,beautifully wrapped in expensive fabrics, areconstantly coming to light when excavations
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P:UR0PKAX \V11,DCAT (Fdis Catii<) CAT, DOMESTIC are made in and around some of the buriedchies of Egypt. The Greeks and Romans, aboutwhom we have a clearer knowledge, and whosetimes seem to come nearer our own, appear notto have paid much attention to cats, and theyhave left us nothing in their literature, inscrip-tions, or paintings that leads us to any know-ledge of the history of the domestic cat. Thereseems to be no record that the cat became do-mesticated in France or in England before the9th century, but at that time it was consideredof great value and was a regular object oftrade. American interest in the cat is often said tohave originated within the last eight years, thatis, since the advent of exhibitions and the takinguo of the cat cult by the public. This impres-sion is not borne out by facts, for we have ex-hibitors who have intimately studied cats, havebred and raised them, and have cared for themfor over 30 years, and cat-shows were held inMaine between i860 and 1870

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