Where Do Domestic Cats Come From?

Do you give ancient Egypt credit for the domestication of cats? That’s what many people think! But, with some new evidence, it seems that cats became our cuddly counterparts a little further east and because of an emerging pest problem.

Hosted by: Hank Green
———-
Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow
———-
Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters — we couldn’t make SciShow without them! Shout out to Bryce Daifuku, Kevin Bealer, Justin Lentz, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Patrick Merrithew, Accalia Elementia, Fatima Iqbal, Benny, Kyle Anderson, Mike Frayn, Tim Curwick, Will and Sonja Marple, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Kathy Philip, Patrick D. Ashmore, Thomas J., Charles George, Bader AlGhamdi.
———-
Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow
———-
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow
Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow
———-
Sources:
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/were-cats-domesticated-more-once
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/12/when-cats-became-comrades
http://www.pnas.org/content/111/1/116
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-house-cats-158390681/?no-ist
http://www.pnas.org/content/111/48/17230.abstract
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/11/genes-turned-wildcats-kitty-cats
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/07/cat_domestication_debate_over_hunting_tameness_docility_affection_feral.html
http://www.livescience.com/48696-origins-of-cat-domestication.html
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/317/5837/519
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0147295

Images:
Egyptian Tomb Carvings: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarcophagus_of_Prince_Thutmose%27s_cat_by_Madam_Rafa%C3%A8le.jpg
Bastet:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bastet_Istanbul_museum.JPG
Fertile Crescent: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fertile_Crescent_map.png
African Wild Cat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AfricanWildCat.jpg
Wild Cat 2: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Felis_Lybica_Sarda_05.JPG
Leopard Cat: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leopard_Cat_Tennoji.jpg
Leopard Cat Night: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leopard_cat_India.jpg