"The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (1944) is the second in the Five Find-Outers series of children's mystery novels by Enid Blyton. It was published by Methuen and Co Ltd and follows the first book in the series, ""The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage"". It tells of a stolen cat the group of children work to uncover. Luke, a friend of the Five Find-Outers is working in the garden when Lady Candling's valuable siamese cat is stolen. The Five Find-Outers and Dog work to solve the case. It all takes place next door to"
"and new environments, including flight responses and reactivity to external stimuli. The beginnings of animal domestication involved a protracted coevolutionary process with multiple stages along different pathways. It is proposed that there were three major pathways that most animal domesticates followed into domestication: (1) commensals, adapted to a human niche (e.g., dogs, cats, fowl, possibly pigs); (2) prey animals sought for food (e.g., sheep, goats, cattle, water buffalo, yak, pig, reindeer, llama and alpaca); and (3) targeted animals for draft and nonfood resources (e.g., horse, donkey, camel). The dog was the first domesticant, and was established across Eurasia before the"
"between domestic and wild populations. There is also such a difference between the domestication traits that researchers believe to have been essential at the early stages of domestication, and the improvement traits that have appeared since the split between wild and domestic populations. Domestication traits are generally fixed within all domesticates, and were selected during the initial episode of domestication of that animal or plant, whereas improvement traits are present only in a proportion of domesticates, though they may be fixed in individual breeds or regional populations. The dog was the first domesticated vertebrate, and was established across Eurasia before"
"highly debated. In contrast, cats may have become fully dependent on a commensal lifestyle before being domesticated by preying on other commensal animals, such as rats and mice, without any human provisioning. Debate over the extent to which some wolves were commensal with humans prior to domestication stems from debate over the level of human intentionality in the domestication process, which remains untested. The earliest sign of domestication in dogs was the neotonization of skull morphology and the shortening of snout length that results in tooth crowding, reduction in tooth size, and a reduction in the number of teeth, which"
"is also such a difference between the domestication traits that researchers believe to have been essential at the early stages of domestication, and the improvement traits that have appeared since the split between wild and domestic populations. Domestication traits are generally fixed within all domesticates, and were selected during the initial episode of domestication of that animal or plant, whereas improvement traits are present only in a proportion of domesticates, though they may be fixed in individual breeds or regional populations. The dog was the first domesticant and was established across Eurasia before the end of the Late Pleistocene era,"
"Cultural depictions of cats The cultural depiction of cats and their relationship to humans is old and stretches back over 9,500 years. Cats are featured in the history of many nations, are the subject of legend and are a favorite subject of artists and writers. It is thought cats were originally domesticated because they hunted mice that would eat stored grains, but a recent study found that cats domesticated themselves. They were never specifically sought out for domestication like dogs were but their coexistence with humans naturally developed from the mutually beneficial nature of the relationship, with their hunting protecting"
"and (5) responses to humans and new environments, including flight responses and reactivity to external stimuli. It is proposed that there were three major pathways that most animal domesticates followed into domestication: (1) commensals, adapted to a human niche (e.g., dogs, cats, fowl, possibly pigs); (2) prey animals sought for food (e.g., sheep, goats, cattle, water buffalo, yak, pig, reindeer, llama, alpaca, and turkey); and (3) targeted animals for draft and nonfood resources (e.g., horse, donkey, camel). The dog was the first to be domesticated, and was established across Eurasia before the end of the Late Pleistocene era, well before"
"margarita""), among others. The domestic cat is believed to have evolved from the Near Eastern wildcat, whose range covers vast portions of the Middle East westward to the Atlantic coast of Africa. Between 70,000 and 100,000 years ago the animal gave rise to the genetic lineage that eventually produced all domesticated cats, having diverged from the Near Eastern wildcat around 8,000 BC in the Middle East. The domestic cat was first classified as ""Felis catus"" by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ""Systema Naturae"" published in 1758. Because of modern phylogenetics, domestic cats are usually regarded as another"
"for survival. As grain plants and livestock became domesticated 9,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, wild cats adapted to living with humans, hunting rodents in grain stores and ""abandoning their aggressive wild-born behaviors"", which led to today's house cats. While humans may have intentionally domesticated wolves into dogs, an alternate hypothesis is that wolves effectively domesticated themselves by establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with prehistoric humans. They scavenged on the remains of the prey animals left by the prehistoric people at the human settlements or the kill sites. Those wolves that were less anxious and aggressive thrived, continued to"
"that likely traveled a commensal pathway into domestication. The dog was the first domesticant and was domesticated and widely established across Eurasia before the end of the Pleistocene, well before cultivation or the domestication of other animals. Ancient DNA supports the hypothesis that dog domestication preceded the emergence of agriculture and was initiated close to the Last Glacial Maximum 27,000 YBP when hunter-gatherers preyed on megafauna, and when proto-dogs might have taken advantage of carcasses left on site by early hunters, assisted in the capture of prey, or provided defense from large competing predators at kill-sites. The wolves most likely"
"how long is uncertain. Genetic research has shown that the domestic cat's ancestor, the African wild cat (""Felis silvestris lybica""), was domesticated, for rodent control, about 9,000 years ago in the Near East when tribes transitioned from hunter-gathering to crop farming and settled life. In addition, the white-spotting in domestic cats appeared at the earliest stage of cat domestication, and is one of the points of evidence of early artificial selection. However, this does not necessarily mean that white cats have been in the Van area the entire time. The landrace is named ' (plural ' or ', possessive genitive"
"think ancient Egypt was the site of cat domestication, owing to the clear depictions of house cats in Egyptian paintings about 3,600 years old. However, in 2004, a Neolithic grave excavated in Shillourokambos, Cyprus, contained the skeletons, laid close to one another, of both a human and a cat. The grave is estimated to be 9,500 years old, pushing back the earliest known feline–human association significantly. The cat specimen is large and closely resembles the African wildcat, rather than present-day domestic cats. This discovery, combined with genetic studies, suggests cats were probably domesticated in the Middle East, in the Fertile"
"Cat The cat (""Felis catus"", or ""Felis silvestris catus"", literally ""woodland cat""), often referred to as the domestic cat to distinguish from other felids and felines, is a small and typically furry, carnivorous mammal. It is often called house cat when kept as indoor pet or feral/feral domestic cat when wild. It is often valued by humans for companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin. There are more than seventy cat breeds recognized by various cat registries. Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felids, with a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth and retractable claws adapted"
"the area and moves outside the fighting area. Once this happens the defeated cat leaves the area ending the duel. Humans and cats have a long history starting back with the ancient Egyptians, who were the first to domesticate cats. Cats between the age of three to nine weeks are sensitive to human socialization, after this period socialization can less effective. Studies have shown that the earlier the kitten is handled, the less fearful the kitten will be towards humans. Other factors that can enhance the socialization are having many people handle the kitten frequently, the presence of the mother,"
"conversely held to be unlucky in the United Kingdom, while tortoiseshell cats are lucky. It is common lore that cats have nine lives. It is a tribute to their perceived durability, their occasional apparent lack of instinct for self-preservation, and their seeming ability to survive falls that would be fatal to other animals. Cats were seen as good luck charms by actors, and the cats often helped cure the actors' stage fright. Domestic cats were probably first introduced to Greece and southern Italy in the fifth century BC by the Phoenicians. The earliest unmistakable evidence of the Greeks having domestic"
"memes and other humor; and on social media people frequently post pictures of their own cats. Cultural depictions of cats The cultural depiction of cats and their relationship to humans is old and stretches back over 9,500 years. Cats are featured in the history of many nations, are the subject of legend and are a favorite subject of artists and writers. It is thought cats were originally domesticated because they hunted mice that would eat stored grains, but a recent study found that cats domesticated themselves. They were never specifically sought out for domestication like dogs were but their coexistence"
"Dogs in ancient China Dogs (""Canis lupus familiaris""), known in Classical Chinese as ""quan"" (), played an important role in ancient Chinese society. An examination of the genetic evidence by Carles Vila and others confirms that the progenitor of the domestic dog is the wolf (""Canis lupus""). The suggested date of their domestication is about 100,000 BC. While accepting the wolf as the ancestor, paleontologists and archaeologists believe domestication came much later. A reconstruction by a joint team of researchers from China and Sweden postulates that humans may have domesticated dogs from wolves as recently as 15,000 years ago. They"
"was domesticated early; dogs appear in Europe and the Far East from about 15,000 years ago. Goats and sheep were domesticated in multiple events sometime between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago in Southwest Asia. Pigs were domesticated by 8,500 BC in the Near East and 6,000 BC in China. Domestication of the horse dates to around 4000 BC. Cattle have been domesticated since approximately 10,500 years ago. Chickens and other poultry may have been domesticated around 7000 BC. The term ""livestock"" is nebulous and may be defined narrowly or broadly. Broadly, livestock refers to any breed or population of animal"
"the domestic cat. The first written reference to mice kept as pets occurs in the ""Erya"", the oldest extant Chinese dictionary, from a mention in an 1100 B.C. version. Human domestication led to numerous strains of ""fancy"" or hobby mice with a variety of colours and a docile temperament. Domestic varieties of the house mouse are bred as a food source for some carnivorous pet reptiles, birds, arthropods, and fish. The effects of domestication can be rapid, with captive-reared mice differing in boldness and activity patterns compared to wild-caught mice after 4-5 generations in recent research. Mice are widespread pest"
"lybica"". In comparison to dogs, cats have not undergone major changes during the domestication process, as the form and behavior of the domestic cat is not radically different from those of wildcats and domestic cats are perfectly capable of surviving in the wild. Fully domesticated house cats often interbreed with feral ""F. catus"" populations, producing hybrids such as the Kellas cat. This limited evolution during domestication means that hybridisation can occur with many other felids, notably the Asian leopard cat. Several natural behaviors and characteristics of wildcats may have predisposed them for domestication as pets. These traits include their small"
"found that, while most dogs share a common gene pool, genetic diversity is highest in East Asia, suggesting dogs have been domesticated there the longest. Genetic research suggests that all domestic dogs worldwide may have originated from possibly three female wolves. The dog, along with the pig, were the earliest animals domesticated in China. Remains of both animals have been found in the oldest Neolithic settlements of the Yangshao (circa 4000 BC) and Hemudu (circa 5000 BC) cultures. Canine remains similar to the Dingo have been found in some early graves excavated in northern China. Tests on neolithic dog bones"
"cultivation and before the domestication of other animals. Unlike other domestic species which were primarily selected for production-related traits, dogs were initially selected for their behaviors. The archaeological and genetic data suggest that long-term bidirectional gene flow between wild and domestic stocks – including donkeys, horses, New and Old World camelids, goats, sheep, and pigs – was common. One study has concluded that human selection for domestic traits likely counteracted the homogenizing effect of gene flow from wild boars into pigs and created domestication islands in the genome. The same process may also apply to other domesticated animals. Domestication has"
"selective pressure while adapting to a novel niche that includes another species with evolving behaviors. Commensal pathway animals include dogs, cats, fowl, and possibly pigs. The dog was the first domesticated animal, and was domesticated and widely established across Eurasia before the end of the Pleistocene, well before the cultivation of crops or the domestication of other animals. The dog is often hypothesised to be a classic example of a domestic animal that likely traveled a commensal pathway into domestication. Archaeological evidence, such as the Bonn-Oberkassel dog dating to ~14,000BP, supports the hypothesis that dog domestication preceded the emergence of"
"by royal families. In general, small cat species are more commonly kept as exotic pets than larger ones. Big cats are substantially more expensive to maintain, pose a greater danger when being handled in direct contact, and may not always remain handleable when fully grown. This typically limits their keeping to professional animal trainers and zoo settings. Servals and caracals have the longest history as human companions. Part of their popularity can be attributed to the fact that they readily hybridize with domestic cats. The resulting crosses (savannahs and caracats) inherit traits of both the domestic cat and the wild"
"with more settled communities. The first wild animal to be domesticated was the dog. Half-wild dogs, perhaps starting with young individuals, may have been tolerated as scavengers and killers of vermin, and being naturally pack hunters, were predisposed to become part of the human pack and join in the hunt. Prey animals, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle, were progressively domesticated early in the history of agriculture. Pigs were domesticated in Mesopotamia around 13,000 BC, and sheep followed, some time between 11,000 and 9,000 BC. Cattle were domesticated from the wild aurochs in the areas of modern Turkey and Pakistan around"
"the suite of phenotypic traits arising during domestication that distinguish crops from their wild ancestors. The term is also applied to vertebrate animals, and includes increased docility and tameness, coat color changes, reductions in tooth size, changes in craniofacial morphology, alterations in ear and tail form (e.g., floppy ears), more frequent and nonseasonal estrus cycles, alterations in adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, changed concentrations of several neurotransmitters, prolongations in juvenile behavior, and reductions in both total brain size and of particular brain regions. The domestication of animals and plants began with the wolf (""Canis lupus"") at least 15,000 years before present (YBP),"
"isolated island populations. Cats are thought to be primarily responsible for the extinction of 87 species of birds, and the presence of feral and free-ranging cats makes some otherwise suitable locations unsuitable for attempted species reintroduction. Because cats were venerated in ancient Egypt, they were commonly believed to have been domesticated there, but there may have been instances of domestication as early as the Neolithic from around 9,500 years ago (7500 BC). Results of a genetic study in 2007 showed that all domestic cats descended from the Near Eastern wildcat and diverged around 8000 BC in the Middle East. The"
"occur as a natural landrace. Aegeans are considered one of the oldest domesticated cat breeds. They are common as feral cats in Greece and Turkey, where they are found amongst fishing ports begging for food. In Greece, Aegean cats are considered a national treasure. Although the Aegean has only very recently begun to be bred systematically, it has been domesticated for many centuries and thus has become adapted very well to humans. It is a social pet that tolerates living in an apartment rather well. It is intelligent, active, lively and also communicative, not hesitating to draw a person's attention."
"Domestic rabbit A domestic (or domesticated) rabbit (""Oryctolagus""), more commonly known as a pet rabbit, a bunny, or a bunny rabbit is any of the domesticated varieties of the European rabbit species. They may be considered a pocket pet depending on their size. A male rabbit is a ""buck,"" a female is a ""doe,"" and a young rabbit is a ""kit"" or ""kitten"". Rabbits were first exploited by the Romans as sources of food and fur, and have been kept as pets in Western nations since the 19th century. Beginning in the 1980s, the idea of the domestic rabbit as"
"returned to their colonies, or cats who are semi-feral or otherwise difficult to adopt due to behavioral issues. Ship's cats are typically feral or semi-feral, and were once common features on many trading, exploration, and naval ships. Cats were primarily brought aboard to catch mice and rats, which damage ropes and woodwork, eat cargo and foodstores, and spread disease. Cats have been officially banned from some commercial and military fleets, though they are sometimes still kept privately by sailors. Although scientists do not agree on whether cats were originally domesticated in Egypt or if they were introduced there after domestication,"
"ancient Egypt along maritime trade routes a few thousand years after first being domesticated. Preliminary results of a genetic study published in September 2016 concluded that cats were carried on trading ships to control rodents, and that practice was adopted by traders from many nations, including Vikings in northern Germany around the 8th to 11th centuries. The Norwegian Forest cat is a natural breed believed to have been developed from Viking ships' cats. Sailing ships spread the domestic cat throughout much of the rest of the world during the Age of Discovery in the 15th through 18th centuries. Sometimes worshipped"
"Crescent around the time of the development of agriculture, and then were brought to Cyprus and Egypt. Direct evidence for the domestication of cats 5,300 years ago in Quanhucun, China has been published by archaeologists and paleontologists from the University of Washington and Chinese Academy of Sciences. The cats are believed to have been attracted to the village by rodents, which in turn were attracted by grain cultivated and stored by humans. In ancient Egypt, cats were sacred animals, with the goddess Bastet often depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the war-like aspect of a lioness. Killing a cat"
"the habit of beating drums and gongs at the critical moment to drive away the dogs. Dogs in ancient China Dogs (""Canis lupus familiaris""), known in Classical Chinese as ""quan"" (), played an important role in ancient Chinese society. An examination of the genetic evidence by Carles Vila and others confirms that the progenitor of the domestic dog is the wolf (""Canis lupus""). The suggested date of their domestication is about 100,000 BC. While accepting the wolf as the ancestor, paleontologists and archaeologists believe domestication came much later. A reconstruction by a joint team of researchers from China and Sweden"