It wouldn't be the internet if there weren't cats, so this week is the purr-fect op-paw-tunity to talk about Felis catus. Apologies (a-paw-logies? No? Ok, we'll stop) in advance, there's an odd crackling in the final minutes, but don't let that stop you from learning all about the history of kitties, their domestication, and some of their silly antics from the past several millennia.

If you're still itching for more information, check out these sources:

Domestic Cat (National Geographic)

Cats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA Shows (National Geographic)

The Natural History of the Cat (Alley Cat Allies)

Abbott, Ian; Department of Environment and Conservation (2008). "Origin and spread of the cat, Felis catus, on mainland Australia: re-examination of the current conceptual model with additional information" Conservation Science Western Australia Journal (7).

Cats Are Ruthless Killers (Business Insider)

The Crazy Story Of A Cat Named Tibbles Who Killed Off A Whole Species Of Bird (Business Insider)

Curious Cat Walks Over Medieval Manuscript (National Geographic News)

This medieval manuscript curses the cat who peed on it (Gizmodo)

This cat was reared for one reason: to be mummified (BBC)

Early Taming of the Cat in Cyprus (Science)

A Roman Era Pet Cemetery: 86 Cat Burials Discovered in Egypt (Ancient Origins)

“Witch Cottage”? No. Cat Burial? Maybe. (Ancient Bodies, Ancient Lives)

The archaeology of the domestic cat (Current Archaeology)

How cats conquered the world (and a few Viking ships) (Nature)

Dogs and cats may have been involved in Maya rituals (The Economist)

They’re talking about cats from the genus Panthera, not Felis

Ancient Native Americans May Have Had Pet Bobcat (Live Science)

Bobcats also aren’t Felis, they’re Lynx

A Brief History of Cats in Asian Culture (Pearl River Mart)

Cats in the Ancient World (Ancient World Encyclopedia)

‘I can haz genomes’: cats claw their way into genetics (Nature)