How our mild-mannered kitties are related to ferocious beasts!

Domestic Cats May Have Ancient Roots

Jun 29, 4:53 PM (ET)

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

WASHINGTON (AP) - Garfield, Morris and the Aristocats get the fame, but look to the origins of today's furry felines and you find "lybica," a Middle Eastern wildcat. Domestic cats can be traced to wild progenitors that interbred well over 100,000 years ago, new research indicates.

"House cats - which includes fancy breeds and feral cats - those cats all form a genetic group that is virtually indistinguishable from ones in the Middle East," said Stephen J. O'Brien of the National Cancer Institute.

"So, domestication, for sure, took place in the Middle East where those cats live today," added O'Brien, co-author of a paper appearing in this week's online edition of the journal Science.

Carlos Driscoll, of Oxford University and NCI, and an international team of researchers studied the origins of those loving and aloof, graceful and finicky pets that entertain or supervise millions of homes.

It's serious research, because cats are a model for some human genetic diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease and retinal atrophy, Driscoll explained in a telephone interview. In addition, the work is expected to assist in conservation efforts for wild cats, he said.

Cats' ancestry was traced to five types of wild cats, but that doesn't mean they were domesticated five times, Driscoll said. Rather, these five types managed to interbreed at various times, with the result being Felis silvestris lybica, which appears to be the ancestor of modern house cats.

"This was an amazing experiment when animals came out of the wild," O'Brien said. "Cats are known for their ferocious, deadly nature," O'Brien said, so this is an extraordinary change for them.

Cats may have been domesticated once or many times, he said, adding that the most likely case is they were domesticated once and other wild cats bred with the domesticated ones.

"I wasn't there, but all the data supports that," he said.

The researchers found wild cats, with DNA identical to domestic cats, in Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

By studying the mitochondrial DNA of 979 domestic and wild cats from Europe, Asia and Africa the researchers concluded that the origins of the species - what O'Brien calls a feline Adam and Eve - developed between 130,000 and 160,000 years ago. Mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mother to child.

Domestication of cats began as long as 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, O'Brien said, as the earliest farmers domesticated grains and cereal. As that occurred, local wild cats adapted to hunting rodents in the grain and developed a relationship with humans.

The earliest archaeological evidence of cats and humans in association dates to 9,500 years ago in Cyprus.

Joan Miller, chair of outreach for The Cat Fanciers' Association, based in San Diego, Calif., said the most interesting aspect of the research "is the finding that some wild cats and domestic cats from the Near East were distinct from the other Felis silvestris subspecies long associated with domestic cat origins."

"Since the DNA samples were taken from cats in remote desert areas there would be less likelihood of hybridization occurring," she said. "I would like to know more about these cats."

"We have evidence of cat domestication by the Egyptians because of their prolific artwork. It would be interesting to try to investigate early artwork from Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia," added Miller, who was not part of the research group.

Other wild cats in the study included the European wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris; Central Asian wildcat, F. s. ornata; sub-Saharan African wildcat, F. s. cafra; and the Chinese desert cat, F. s. bieti.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

For more info on cats check out these links:

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Brenda's article about home equity line of credit

Brenda published this article today...I think it's very informative. Good info.

How to choose a Home Equity Line of Credit

If you’re reading this, you probably realize it’s time to get that home equity line of credit (HELOC), but may not understand how they work or what’s involved. They are really pretty simple, but quite flexible. I hope this article helps you choose the one that’s right for you.

There are various reasons for getting a HELOC, and each reason may require different features, so there is not one perfect HELOC out there that will fit everyone’s needs.

If you are establishing your HELOC for emergency purposes only, and intend to pay it off quickly if you use it, don’t pay much attention to the interest rate, but be sure you find a HELOC with no annual fee, and no closing costs.

Many people will get a HELOC to consolidate debt. This is a great tool for that, because the interest rate is usually lower than your typical credit card, and it’s normally deductible on your tax return.(check with your accountant or tax advisor) In my experience, people with credit card debt who consolidate using their home end up paying less each month and paying their debt off much soon than if they had kept the debt on their card. If you have a substantial amount of debt, say more than $25,000, find a HELOC with a lock option. Let’s say you have $40,000 of equity in your home. You may get a HELOC of $40,000, take a draw on it to payoff your credit cards of $25,000, lock in the balance at a fixed rate and payment, then have $15,000 available in case of an emergency. As you pay down the balance, it will become available to use.

You can do the same thing for a car purchase or remodeling project as well. In most cases, the features of the HELOC are more important than the rate. If you get a fantastic variable rate, but do not have the option to “lock” the rate, you may end up paying more in the long run. I recommend searching for the bank with the best features first, then compare rates second.

Also, beware of “teaser” rates. You may be quoted what seems like a phenomenal rate to start with, but that rate may adjust in three or six months.

The application process should be simple, and if your credit is holding up, they do not usually require a lot of documentation. It will take two weeks to a month, though, and there is a three-day rescission period, so you will not get your money immediately upon approval.

No matter your reason for wanting or needing a HELOC, remember, you still need to maintain self control. You do not want to end up with more debt and no way out. You can usually get a HELOC that will account for 100% of your home’s equity. If you use the whole thing, then have a financial setback, you have no cushion, and no way out.

If you’d like to learn more about credit, try the links below.

http://gazdank.ctonc.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=DEBT

http://gazdank.creditprov.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=CREDIT

http://gazdank.moneydebt.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=COLLECT