Do lions and tigers meow, and if not, why? Where and how did cats make their evolutionary leap from the African savannah? Why would a cat leave a dead mouse at your feet, or even on your pillow? Is it really that bad to have an ocelot at home? And what did cats mean in Egyptian hieroglyphics? Evolutionary biologist Jonathan Losos deciphers complex scientific and historical mysteries, finds out how modern researchers are uncovering the secrets of felines’ past and present using cutting-edge scientific technologies, from GPS tracking to genomics and forensic archaeology, and shows how natural and artificial selection over the past few millennia has shaped the modern cat, which in a relatively short time has become the most successful and diverse biological species on the planet. People change cats, and cats change the world around them, and this fascinating and interesting book tells us, among other things, what the future holds for Felis catus and Homo sapiens.

... cats meowed even before domestication. However, as they adapted to life with us, they changed the sound of their signals and began to use them for other purposes. They do not consider us to be their fellow tribesmen and communicate with us differently than with their feline brethren, because cats of all species rarely meow when interacting with each other.

For whom
For cat lovers and all animal lovers.

These findings suggest that the process of domestication of cats in China, at least in the early stages, began much earlier than previously thought - long before they were fully domesticated in Egypt.