Domestic cat (Latin Félis silvéstris cátus) - a pet, which, along with the dog is considered a " companion animal ." According to genetic studies , all house cats are descended from wild subspecies representatives of the Middle East ( Libya ) cat (Felis silvestris lybica) - small carnivorous mammal of the cat family . The domestication of the cat occurred about 9500 years ago in the Middle East in the area of the Fertile Crescent , and the birthplace of an ancient human civilization. Domestication of cats began the transition to a sedentary person life and the beginning of the development of agriculture , when the surplus food , and there was a need to preserve them from rodents . Although small wild cats of different subspecies can interbreed , the results of genetic studies have shown that in the phylogeny of domestic cat subspecies other small wild cat wild except the Middle East ( Libya anyway Nubian ) cats did not participate .                    CATS IN ANCIENT EGYPT  The earliest archaeological evidence of cat domestication was discovered in Cyprus, where in the course of archaeological excavations have joint burial of human and a cat , which dates back to 7500 BC. e .. It was also found that the island of Cyprus was colonized by immigrants from areas of modern Anatolia (Turkey) and Syria.Previously , scientists believed that the first domesticated cats the ancient Egyptians . However the earliest evidence of the domestication of cats the ancient Egyptians belonged to 2000-1900 years BC. And it was recently discovered that in ancient Egypt the cat came home as well as on Cyprus, from Anatolia . At the moment the cat is one of the most popular pets.The word cat in the Russian language means either species altogether or female cat. Male cats are called , and baby cat - kitten (plural kittens ) . In the Russian language is common diminutive form - pussycat . Accepted phrase holler cat kitty ( puss - puss , often abbreviated to rapidly repeated series of sounds to and from [ ksksksksksksks ] ) or kt - kt , and banish the word shoo shoo or .Currently there are approximately 200 breeds of cats from long-haired ( Persian cat ) to hairless ( sphinxes ) , recognized and recorded by different feline organizations . Despite the fact that cats have been domesticated for a long time , most cats are able to survive in a location outside of human habitation , swelling the ranks second feral cats , as in the conditions of life of wandering cats usually quickly re- run wild . Secondary feral cats often live solitary and hunt alone , but sometimes form small colonies in which there are several females with kittens .