Ancient burial site reveals oldest known pet cat

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Ivan Seeking
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The oldest known evidence of people keeping cats as pets may have been discovered by archaeologists.

The discovery of a cat buried with what could be its owner in a Neolithic grave on Cyprus suggests domestication of cats had begun 9,500 years ago. [continued]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3611453.stm

When it comes to humans and cats I'm not sure just who domesticated whom. I know that ours either get what they want or they pester us to death. Also, I don't see the cats cleaning the toilet but guess what I get to do?
 
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It seems the eight-month-old cat in the Cypriot burial was killed in order to be buried with the person. The skeleton shows no signs of butchering, suggesting that it was treated as an individual in death.

But burnt cat bones from a similar period at the site, attest to the fact that humans did eat the animals on certain occasions.
So, maybe they just wasted the cat to bury with him so he'd have a SNACK! :wink:
 
Tsunami said:
So, maybe they just wasted the cat to bury with him so he'd have a SNACK! :wink:
I was thinking the same thing!
 
If they'd found a little pre-historic rubber mousie next to the cat I'd be sold!