100 Species #30: Domestic cat

[urbpan]

This domestic cat (Felis catus), an unneutered tom, is a familiar character in our neighborhood. Here he skirts along a neighbor's retaining wall at the edge of my yard. He is one of six or seven cats that I've seen in my yard so far.

Domestic cats are derived from one or more species of small wild cats from the old world. It seems likely that some wild cats were attracted to the large number of small rodents that occurred near grain stores in the earliest days of agriculture. Ancient people quickly appreciated these animals for their pest control function, and a strong bond between humans and cats has been in place since. Cats are the most popular companion animals worldwide, and as the human population becomes more urban, this will probably continue.

Domestic cats are found on every continent, including some Antarctic islands. On islands and in other sensitive ecosystems, cats are considered to be very harmful invasive species. Even in cities and suburbs there are those who actively try to curtail loose and feral cats as pests, often at odds with those who believe that cats deserve protection. Most often these two groups are participating in two completely different arguments, for which there is a common solution: All pet cats should be spayed or neutered, and kept indoors or in controlled runs.