There are some 85 million cats in American households, many of which are cherished family members. What is behind felines’ appeal to humans? Could it be their apparently choosy nature? And what is their effect on human health? This Special Feature investigates.
When people say they love cats, that love can be intense. For many, a feline friend is a singularly trustworthy confidant and a comforting presence in times of loneliness.
Are such close relationships, however, healthy on a psychological or physical level?
Geneticists, infectious disease experts, psychologists, and others have put forward several theories as to why cats resonate so strongly with some people, and what effect felines may have on their humans’ health
According to DNA analyses, the ancestor of today’s domestic cat was the African wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, living in the Fertile Crescent, the intersection of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Levant, and Persia.
Some research suggests that our connection with felines began about 9,500 years ago, with the earliest evidence of a mutual relationship between cats identified on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Egyptians famously believed that their feline companions embodied divine energy.
Dr. Eva-Maria Geigl is research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and heads the Epigenomics and Paleogenomics group at the Institut Jacques Monod in Paris, France. She told Medical News Today:
One study found that there were at least 13 feline genes that signaled cats’ transition “from feral to friendly.” The genes relate to cognition and behavior, and may have strengthened felines’ ability to learn based on food rewards, and to feel less fearful of people.
According to a studyTrusted Source on which Dr. Geigl was the principal investigator, cats likely followed Neolithic farmers around as they moved from area to area. Their widespread dispersal occurred during the Classical period (1775-1825).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimateTrusted Source that there are about 85 million cats living in the U.S. There are also about 70 million unowned wild and feral cats in America.
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