Have you ever wondered which breed of domestic cat is the most ancient? Several breeds claim the title, some of which have a history of many thousands of years, however, it is not known exactly which of of them is truly ancient.
Turkish Angora
This breed is also known as just Angora. These cats were documented in the 1600s but similar longhair cats were present in Europe back in the 1400s. Some believe that the gene white hair, like the longhair gene, comes precisely from Angora cats.
Turkish Angora was bred by the Persians for several centuries, in mainly to improve the coat of a Persian cat. Nonetheless, There is still no consensus on the origin of Angora.
Persian cat
Like the Angora, the Persian cat has a long coat. So as angora is considered the first cat to have long hair, this means that Persian is not as ancient as angora. By no less, again, it causes a lot of controversy, and unequivocal there is no opinion on this matter.
Persian cat originated in Persia, which is known today like Iran. Long hair in cats was first described in Europe in 1400s, but what kind of breed it was is not exactly known. Highly it is likely that these European longhair cats are ancestors of modern persian cats.
Siberian cat
This breed is also known as the Siberian Forest Cat. Breed has a long history and originates in Russia. There is an opinion that Siberian is also the ancestor of all modern longhair cats. Siberian forest cat, probably closely connected with the Norwegian forest. This cat was one of 3 long-haired breeds that were described during the first cat shows in England in the 1700s.
Norwegian Forest Cat
The Norwegian Forest Cat has a rich European history. It is believed that the Vikings traveled with similar cats on their ships and brought them to Europe in the region of 1000 AD. These cats adapted to new conditions of life with the help of long waterproof wool.
Siamese cats
Siamese cats originated in Thailand, formerly known as Siam. They were first described and documented in writing. between 1350 and 1767 The source (ancient book) describes that the breed has a “point” color, and also pictures that look very similar to modern Siamese cats.
Korat
Korat is an ancient cat breed native to Thailand. These cats were described in the same book as Siamese. Thus their the first written description dates from the Siamese: between 1350 and 1767 However, this does not mean that they are not may be older.
Abyssinian cat
Of all the oldest breeds, the Abyssinian probably has the most confusing and controversial background. Some people think that the origin of the breed dates back to ancient Egypt, as it similar to many artifacts of the time. Of course, modern Abyssinian cat is very different from its ancestor. Now the famous breed was bred using Burmese, Russian blue and siamese cats.
Egyptian Mau
Egyptian Mau is probably truly ancient or the oldest breed of domestic cats. These cats have a natural spotty color. Apparently, modern Egyptian Mau looks like almost the same as 3000 years ago. There are ancient artwork that is over 3,000 years old and which depicts cats that look like modern mau.
Egyptian Mau were probably used in ancient times as hunting cats. Perhaps this is the first and so far the only hunting cat breed. This breed also has a melodious voice that could allow her to show the hunter that he is next to prey. In addition, Egyptian Mau has many other excellent hunting skills: high speed (develop speed up to 58 km per hour), excellent hearing, smell, vision, and also the lack of fear of water.
