Sunday, March 8, 2009

House Pet Question

I was wondering... (my cat inspired this question): Before cats and dogs were house-bound and taken in as pets, did they just roam freely in the wild?

I mean, they had to. They're animals. But, have they changed since then? Did they used to be bigger or have different features since they had to fend for themselves and only rely on themselves? Now, most pets have everything taken care of for them. They can abandon their natural skills to be a predator and can focus more on playing and sleeping. But what about before that?

Cats and dogs both have very close species that still do live in the wild. Cats have mountain lions, lions, tigers, etc. Dogs have wolves, foxes, etc. Did they adapt to become smaller?

When did we decide that they should be house pets? Why cats? Why dogs? Why not chickens? Why not gophers? I mean, why did we select these animals? There had to be some time where they were outdoor animals, and now they're not. It's weird to think of a time before that, but there must be a time.

Does anyone know the answer to my question(s)?

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