Although the cat as we know it today first appeared on the scene about 10 million years ago, it took another two thousand years to establish a healthy interaction with humans. Cats protected the farmer’s grain from mice and other rodents and the farmer protected and gave shelter to an otherwise feral cat population. Although cats are represented (although rarely) in some prehistoric cave paintings, they seemed to have made their artistic debut in murals found on the palace walls of Minoan Crete. Many animals are depicted among lush vegetation, and in one fragment a cat can be seen behind … Continue reading →