As the world’s most popular pet, cats provide us with plenty of fun, companionship and laughs. The domestication of cats began when people started settling and farming the land 10-12,000 years ago. The rodent populations attracted wild cats to live near human settlements, and they may have been fed and homed in order to keep rat numbers down. It’s thought that these cats then moved as people moved, travelling alongside tribes and spreading throughout the world.

Like other domestic pets, there are many different breeds of cats, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Moggies are very intelligent creatures and have an amazing array of physical attributes and sharp senses. Our cats can also key into our emotions and communicate with us very effectively. Vocalisation is a large part of this, as is body language.

A happy cat who wants to be stroked will arch its back under your hand and purr, but if a cat shrinks away, it’s not interested. Flattened ears can mean they’re worried or anxious, and hissing and spitting means they’re ready to fight Conversely, when your cat is relaxed and does that curious ‘slow-blink’ at you, this is a relaxed gesture that means all is well in the cat’s world.