AFRICAN WILD CAT
The Ancestor Of The Domestic Cat
African wildcats were
first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near
East.
In Cyprus, an African wildcat was found in a burial site next to a human
skeleton. The graves are estimated to have been established by Neolithic
farmers about 9,500 years ago, and are the earliest known
evidence for a close association between a cat and a human. Their
proximity indicates that the cat may have been tamed or domesticated.
In West Africa, the African wildcat preys on
rats, mice, gerbils, hares, small to medium-sized birds, including
francolins, and lizards.
In Southern Africa, it also attacks
antelope fawns and domestic stock, such as lambs.