Garfield, Morris and the Aristocats get the fame, but look to the origins of today’s furry felines and you find “lybica,” a Middle Eastern wildcat.
Domestic cats can be traced to wild progenitors that interbred well over 100,000 years ago, new research indicates.
“House cats — which includes fancy breeds and feral cats — those cats all form a genetic group that is virtually indistinguishable from ones in the Middle East,” said Stephen J. O’Brien of the National Cancer Institute.
“So, domestication, for sure, took place in the Middle East where those cats live today,” said O’Brien.
And from those early ancestors came these newsworthy cats.
Goliath
20-pound stray was picked up in Portland, Ore., after he got stuck in a pet door.
Little Nicky
The cloned cat reportedly was the first delivered to a customer by Genetic Savings & Clone Inc.
Pippy the begging kitty
Pippy will beg for anything. Just watch Pippy’s YouTube video.
