Human history is etched into the DNA of domesticated animals, which is when we bend the evolutionary trajectory of species to serve our own purposes. We primates have domesticated many animals, including (possibly) ourselves, but the domestication of the cat has especially intrigued scholars and feline pet owners alike.
Maybe it's something about the innate mysteriousness and independence of cats, which often behave more like demanding roommates than pets. A popular theory is that cats actually domesticated themselves, possibly more than once — in other words, deliberately plopping down into our lives. If true, that would be a far cry from the laborious domestication process early humans may have undertaken with horses, dogs, cows and sheep.
