Editing Cat (section)

==History==

[[Image:Wiki-Felis sylvestris.png|thumb|right|230px|Past range of ''Felis silvestris''.]]

In the past, mostly in [[Egypt]], people kept cats because the cats hunted and ate [[Mouse|mice]] and [[rat]]s in the grain stores. The oldest evidence of cats kept as pets is from the [[Mediterranean]] island of [[Cyprus]], around 7500 BC. [[Ancient Egyptians]] worshiped cats as gods, and often [[mummification|mummified]] them so they could be with their owners "for all of eternity".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2025-04-27|title=Archaeologists discover secret behind why we keep cats as pets|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/cats-mummified-pets-egypt-archaeologists-b2740373.html|access-date=2025-05-04|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref>

Today, people often keep cats as pets. There are also domestic cats which live without being cared for by people. These cats are called "feral cats" or "stray cats". Cats started becoming pets when the ancient Egyptians were around.