How long have cats been domesticated?
The recent finding of a 9,500 year old cat skeleton on Cyprus suggests that the relationship between cats and humans might have begun much earlier than previously believed. The cat was buried inches away from a human and evidence suggested a relationship between the two. Scientists are now speculating that humans and cats first linked up 10,000 or so years ago with the development of agricultural societies. Villages with grain stocks would have attracted mice, and mice, naturally, would attract cats to human settlements. The ancient Egyptians, of course, are known for their relationship with cats, but they lived only 4,000 years ago.
