Apparently, cats find it harder to learn their names than dogs do – who knew? As we all know cats know how to do many things perfectly such as catching mice, birds, rodents, what the sound of a rattling ‘Dreamies’ packet sounds like from the bottom of the garden!

I’ve certainly found out that both Poppy and Amber know their names perfectly and will come running either for me to open the door – Amber or for food Poppy and Amber. These two tabby cats are sisters although Amber likes to steal Poppies food given half the chance – not very sisterly behavior or is it? Having never had a sister I’m not sure but for those of you who have siblings, you probably know better than I.

These two are the perfect cat companions demanding very little except the odd scratch around the neck or on the tummy. Poppy likes to sleep in the sunroom and will happily stay there all day long or in the vegetable patch. Amber strangely for a cat, likes to follow you around, but beware that doesn’t mean you can cuddle her! Oh no, a little tummy tickle is all she will tolerate!
We’ve greatly enjoyed our catsitting sojourn, and would happily come back and look after Amber, Poppy and let’s not forget the tropical fish too.

Dogs have always been my passion and wild animals too, but cats have always been somewhat of a mystery I must confess. Although they have been domesticated for thousands of years, first by the Ancient Egyptians who might have first domesticated them over 4000 years ago! So the ‘Felis catus’- cat to you and I have had a very long relationship with us humans.

With rodents in plentiful supply, cats were deemed necessary to most ancient peoples. However, recent studies show, and I’m sure most cat owners would agree, that they have remained unchanged for thousands of years. In fact, Casey Smith who writes for National Geographic says that – In a new comprehensive study of the spread of domesticated cats, DNA analysis suggests that cats lived for thousands of years alongside humans before they were domesticated. During that time, their genes have changed little from those of wildcats, apart from picking up one recent tweak: the distinctive stripes and dots of the tabby cat.

Researchers surveyed the DNA of more than 200 cats spanning the last 9,000 years, including ancient Romanian cat remains, Egyptian cat mummies, and modern African wildcat specimens. Two major cat lineages contributed to the domestic feline we know today, they report in a study published Monday in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

And so I can only conclude that cats have chosen to be domesticated, and have us running around them, feeding, stroking, tickling and waiting with anticipation, all be it with hesitation sometimes for that flick of the tail which signifies that they’ve had enough of your stoking and would now like to be left alone. But, don’t forget to feed me!