To cat lovers, they are the embodiment of beauty and grace; yet they maintain their independence. This long-standing fascination with cats dates back thousands of years.

Early cats are found living in a harmonious relationship with man from as early as 3000BC in Ancient Egypt. Recently researchers have found evidence of the human association with cats being even earlier than this. Archaeological studies in Egypt and Cyprus point to the African Wild Cat (Felis sylvestris lybica) as the primary ancestor of the domestic cat. Indeed, African Wild Cats are also frequently found today living as pets with traditional peoples. Studies in South Africa have been unable to distinguish the domestic cat from the African Wild Cat using DNA mapping techniques, while the European Wild Cat (Felis sylvestris sylvestris), which is often presumed to have contributed to the development of the pet cat, is clearly distinguishable from both.

Scientists and historians believe African Wild Cats first started approaching Egyptian grain stores along the banks of the Nile, attracted by the resident mice and rats. By culling the rodents, cats endeared themselves to people. Early domestics would also have benefited from lower densities of predators than in the surrounding area, and been able to breed with a much improved chance of success by being close to man. Because they produce a lot of kittens in every litter, the friendly version of the species would soon have become established in the region alongside us.

Probably as a result of their usefulness, protecting food stores from vermin, the Ancient Egyptians turned cats into sacred feline deities. The name for these cats was 'miw'. Owners went into mourning when 'miw' died, and the cat was embalmed and placed in wooden coffins. Female cats and lionesses were linked to Sekhmet, the much revered Egyptian goddess of war, while tomcats were considered sacred to the sun god, Ra. Cats were so passionately protected from harm that anyone finding themselves near an injured cat fled from the scene in case they were blamed. After death, cats were mummified for burial - often in enormous tombs with tens of thousands of other cats.

In spite of the Egyptians' efforts to prevent the export of their beloved felines, the Greeks stole the animals to control their own rodent problem. The first domesticated animals appeared in Europe around 900BC. Eventually the Egyptians began selling cats to the Romans, the Gaels, the Celts and later other Europeans and thus the cat population began to spread worldwide. The cat was common in China by 500 BC. At first the cat was given as gifts to Emperors. As time went by the nobility were allowed to own them, then the priesthood, and finally the commoners. A lot of the cats interbred with the local wild cats and created some of the breeds we know today. The first record of domestic cats in the British Isles goes back to AD 936 when Howell Dla, Prince of South Central Wales, enacted a law to protect them.

Unfortunately the domestic cats' luck changed over the years, and they became associated with wrong doings, disease and mischief. In 1484, Pope Innocent VII decreed that all cat-worshippers in Europe be burned as witches. He believed that witches worshipped Satan and that they took on the form of their animal helpers, the most common of which were cats. Cats' habit of prowling around at night further connected them to the devil and witchcraft. Any cat that was in the company of an old woman was assumed to be a witch's evil associate. The Inquisition was instructed to hunt down all cat owners and try them as witches. Hundreds of cats and their owners were actually burnt to death!

The lives of cats didn't appear to improve much in Europe until the 17th Century when they became mousers, particularly on board ships. By Victorian times, however, cats had regained acceptance as household pets and by the end of the 19th Century early pedigree breeds were exhibited at the first cat shows. In 1871, a large show was held at Crystal Palace for British Shorthair and Persian types. About the same time in New England, USA, the Maine Coon breed was being shown at the first American Cat Show.

Nowadays a well loved and looked-after pet cat's quality of life is arguably the best it has ever been. With their aura of supernatural wisdom and independence, cats are definitely here to stay.