![]() Cats from colder climates tend to have stockier bodies and denser coats, while cats from warmer regions have slimmer bodies and thinner coats. ![]() If that area has many cats with tabby coats, those cats will pass along their dominant tabby genes to their offspring.īody type also varies depending upon area as well. Cats choose mates from their immediate vicinity. Coat type, pattern, and color vary from place to place, and certain areas often have a greater number of, say, tabbies, calicos, or solids, or the ever popular tuxedo cat, with her black and white formal wear. Big or small, white or black, calico patched or tabby striped, the short-haired American domestic is diverse and outnumbers the domestic longhair approximately 10 to one. The variety of the domestic shorthair knows no bounds. These hardy short-haired feline immigrants established themselves in America and today the domestic shorthair enjoys a worldwide popularity. They appear in American paintings and needlework samplers of the 1600s and 1700s, indicating that cats arrived with the pilgrims or shortly after. With the advent of sailing ships, cats were transported to new areas, including the New World. Buddhist Monks transported cats to the Orient. Romans smuggled cats out of Egypt and brought them along into conquered regions such as France, Germany, Holland and Spain. The Egyptians were fiercely protective of their sacred felines, but eventually Phoenician traders transported cats to Europe and the British Isles. Later, during the time of the Egyptian cat cult, cats were considered sacred physical manifestations of the goddess Bast. Although cats were first welcomed for their rodent and snake-killing abilities, around 4,000 years ago in Egypt cats became beloved household companions as well. Humans soon discovered that these cats were useful in ridding the granaries and fields of ravaging rodents, and a symbiotic relationship developed. At first, these short-haired, shy felines lived at the edges of settled communities. ![]() These wildcats interbred easily with domestic cats, so easily, in fact, that conservationists fear the African wildcat will become extinct as a pure species.Īround 10,000 years ago, when humans evolved from hunter-gatherers to members of settled communities who grew and stored food, cats learned that humans provided a reliable food source - the rodents attracted to the stored food supplies. ![]() Put them side to side, and you might have a difficult time distinguishing the African wildcat from your average short-haired tabby-striped couch cougar. It’s thought that our modern day domestics are descendants of the short-haired African wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica. Short-haired domestics have been with us from the earliest days of domestication. History and Origin of Domestic Short-haired Cats The smallest domestic shorthair deserves just as much love, quality care, and respect as the finest grand champion purebred. Random-bred or mixed breed short-haired cats, with their healthy mix of genes and diverse personalities, colors, patterns, and body styles, make champion companions. And since an estimated 95 percent of all domestic cats in North America are random-bred, our “ordinary” everyday short-coated house cats win the popularity contest paws down. While the domestic shorthair is not considered a breed as such by the cat associations, it always will be best of breed in American homes and hearts.
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