They evolved with other predators such as
the wolf and lion.
They became extinct about 10 million years
ago.
Before they became extinct, one kind of animal
survived: the miacids.
Miacids were small, and shy forest animals.
They had a much bigger brain.
They were carnivores. The dog family (carnids),
and the viverrids (mongoose, civets, genets, etc.), evolved from
the miacids.
The Cat family probably evolved from civel
species
40 million years ago, Proailurus started
to exist. They had long legs and tail, and walked on foot bones (plantigrade).
They were half civel, and half cat.
25 million years ago, the first true cat appeared.
It was digitigrade (walked on tips of its toes) and was called Psuedoailurus
First "real" cat:
The first real cat appeared about 12 million
years ago.
Fossil remains showed the Tuscany lion (smaller
than the modern lion and was related closer to the leopard) roamed northern
Italy and Central Europe with lynxes and giant cheetahs.
Giant Tigers existed in China, and giant jaguars
in forests of North America.
Smaller species of wildcat appeared. They
were the Manul, and Martellis's wild cat.
The Martelli's Wild Cat existed in Europe
and parts of the Middle East.
It went extinct about one million years ago.
The descendent was the Felis silvestris.
It lived 6 hundred to 9 hundred thousand years
ago.
It lived in Europe, Africa, and Asia
This species may have played a role in the
development of the Felis catus (domestic cat).
It had three descendants:
Asiatic Desert Cat- Felis silvestris ornata
Forest wild cat- Felis silvestis
African wild cat- Felis silvestis libyca
Domestication:
The cat was first domesticated in the Middle
East.
First domesticated species: Felis libyca
Ancient Egyptians:
The Egyptians worshipped them as gods and
were used as guardians of stores.
Phoenician traders took cats from Egypt to
Italy and then slowly to Europe.
The first colonists took cats with then to
the New World.
The cat has been domesticated for at least
five thousand years
The Concept of selective breeding and producing
pedigrees were not practiced until the 1900's.
Medieval Times:
Cats were considered evil and creatures of
the night at this period.
One of the popes during these times said that
all cats were evil and should be killed. They were often put in baskets
and burned.
Old women during these times kept cats because
they had no one else. Because the cat had such a bad reputation in the
medieval ages and old, strange women were accused of witchcraft, this is
how connection between cats and witchcraft started.
Brief History 
