Cats, as companion animals of humans, have been with us for a very long history. However, although cats have always been by our side, their temperament is unpredictable; sometimes indifferent, sometimes affectionate. You never know when a cat will come close to you. This leads us to a fundamental question: why did cats originally choose to be tamed by humans? Do they approach humans for food, securing their livelihood, or is there some other purpose or innate factor?

　　According to Stephen O’Brien, head of the Dobzhansky Center for Gene Bioinformatics, more than 10,000 years ago, with the development of agriculture, humans began to have a surplus of grain. Cats came to humans as "freeloaders," wandering and foraging near human dwellings. During this process, some wild cats that were less afraid of humans stayed behind and became the ancestors of today’s domestic cats. This friendliness toward humans was reinforced genetically over time. It can be said that it was not humans who domesticated cats, but cats that chose to approach humans. Some believe cats have not been fully domesticated even today — you can tell by how conflicted those "cat slaves" who experience both pain and joy are. However, the latest scientific research reveals genetic changes that occurred in cats during their domestication.

　　The findings were published in the recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, following the complete cat genome map published in August in the journal Gigascience. The genetic differences between domestic cats and wild cats are not significant. Although wild cats have slightly larger brain volume than domestic cats, the main differences lie in appearance. For example, cats with white paws or long-haired Maine Coons did not exist 200 years ago. Those glamorous-looking cats are basically bred artificially according to human preferences.

　　However, compared to appearance, the biggest difference between domestic cats and wild cats is temperament, and this is all encoded in the cat’s genes.

　　By comparing the genes of wild and domestic cats, scientists found that domestic cats have indeed undergone some gene mutations. These mutated genes are generally active in the spinal cord, related to memory, fear regulation, and stimulus-reward learning. In daily life, these genetic changes show in that domestic cats are willing to lie on your lap, lazily watching you, while wild cats only silently watch humans from a distance. It sounds a bit like how stray cats behave before they get familiar with you.

　　But no matter what, cats don’t respond to us like dogs do when we do things around them. The latest research from the University of Tokyo confirms this claim. The study showed that although cats have the full ability to recognize their owner's voice, pet cats choose to ignore it. This research tested 20 domestic cats: when their owners were out of sight, three strangers called the cats’ names, then their owners called their names, and finally another stranger called them. Researchers analyzed the cats’ responses by observing ears, tails, vocalizations, and pupil dilation.

　　When cats heard their own names, they exhibited sound localization behavior looking for the source. Results showed that cats reacted more strongly to their owners’ voices than to strangers’ but refused to respond.

　　This result indicates that although cats can recognize their owner’s voice, they will not actively respond. "This type of cat-owner relationship is exactly the opposite of dogs," wrote Atsuko Saito and Kazutaka Shinozuka from the University of Tokyo in their article.

　　In summary, don’t underestimate the little bit of affection cats show you; know how many genetic mutations they have undergone to be willing to gently rub against your legs for a while. Because the genetic difference between domestic and wild cats is small and even hybridization occurs, aside from slight differences in tameness and appearance, the differences between domestic and wild cats are not large.

　　How to maintain a close relationship with cats?

　　If you cage-raise a cat at first, remember to line the cage with something to increase comfort and warmth. It’s best to use your old clothes or sheets filled with your scent, which can help the cat adapt to your presence. You should also place a clean litter box, a full and preferably secured water bowl, and a food bowl, along with a cat nest made of old clothes inside the cage. So the cage must be large, preferably a double-layer cage. The bottoms of both layers can be covered with wood boards, cardboard, or old clothes because walking on wire is uncomfortable for cat paws, so cover the floor with something.

　　If you plan to leash-train a cat initially, tie it in a more open space without corners to hide in. Being tethered is slightly uncomfortable for the cat, but the benefit is a bigger activity area and easier closeness to humans. Provide a clean cardboard box with a roof in its activity area, with a hole on the side to serve as a nest. Line it with your old clothes or similar items. Using a cardboard box also lets the cat scratch its claws. Remember to separately place a litter box and water bowl within its range. If the cat does not tip over the water bowl, it can remain beside it, but the food bowl must not always be in front of the cat! Or rather, an empty food bowl is fine, but do not keep a bowl with food constantly in front of it; the same applies to caged cats!