The Cat Is the Newest Domesticated Animal

The cat is the most recently domesticated mammal. Domestication in its broadest sense refers to a process in which an animal species becomes tame and unafraid of people. But for biologists, domestication also means that a species has been genetically altered to produce traits desirable to people. In contrast to dogs, cattle, and other domestic animals, the domestic cat is the least altered anatomically and behaviorally from its wild ancestor. This is partly because people have lacked a reason to breed specific traits in cats as they have with cows, for example, to produce more milk.