Many homes around the world have at least one cat living inside as a pet; in fact many homes have a few cats dwelling in them. People raise these animals for many reasons. Some want them for their companionship. Cats are soft, sweet, and lovable. People like playing with them when they are kittens and once they are older and calm love just snuggling with them. The reason these people keep cats is mainly for enjoyment. However, many other people keep cats to control the mouse or insect population in their house or on their farms. These cats usually do not come into much contact with their owners. Most just stay outside or in the barn where the mice are. But the question is where did cats originally come from, who first domesticated them, and who are their first ancestors? I think that all cats from the giant lions of Africa to the small house cat all came from the same ancestor. I will address and hopefully answer these questions and try to shed some light on the subject.

I read many websites dealing with this issue. One was from the Feline Advisory Bureau and another was written by H. Ellen Whiteley. Both are considered experts on this subject. Ironically both articles were titled Evolution of the Cat. However were very different in content. Whiteley's article was short and to the point. It only contains important facts and some were very broad while others were some what detailed. It discussed how the miacis was the original ancestor of the cats, and where these animals were from. It then went into a bit o detail explaining the domestication of the cat by the Egyptians and why they needed the cat. All in all it was a good article because it got right to the