• The forest cat,
• The African wild cat, and
• The Asiatic desert cat.

Most domestic cats of today are thought to have descended from the African wild cat.

The domestication process began about 3,000 BC in Egypt when cats were enlisted to protect grain silos from rodents. These felines became so valuable that they were regarded as gods. The basic domestic cat was descendant from this Egyptian stock.

Small cats never populated North America.  The small predators in existence here included the mink, marten, wolverine, and skunk.  The first domestic small cats were brought to this region by early explorers and colonists.

The concept of breeds began in the mid-nineteenth century when the idea of cat shows was invented. Pedigrees were developed by breeders from natural cat breeds that were in existence for thousands of years.  People took the cats with traits that they most favored and then bred those felines to continue and enhance the desirable characteristics.

Religious Persecution

Because cats were often deified in pagan religions, they have suffered from religious persecution throughout history. For example, in the 16th century it was very common for a cats to be executed as agents of the devil. Fortunately for today's cat lovers, this practice eventually diminished in popularity.