Cats have been hanging out with sailors on boats for a long time, like way back when the first domestic cats arrived in what we now call the U.S. That’s what some researchers recently found out after digging into a shipwreck in Florida, where a couple of feline friends met their unfortunate end 466 years ago.
The shipwreck was part of a Spanish expedition led by a dude named Tristán de Luna y Arellano. They were cruising from Mexico to Florida in 1559 when a big ol’ hurricane wrecked a bunch of their ships near a Spanish settlement. Fast forward to 2006, some scientists stumbled upon one of these sunken ships, known as Emanuel Point II. Lo and behold, they found the remains of an adult cat and a kitten onboard.
Now, apparently, all domestic cats can trace their roots back to the Middle East. So, when these cats showed up in the Americas, they must’ve hitched a ride with some humans. Previous cat findings in early Spanish settlements hinted at this, but it was the Florida expedition that marked the first time domestic cats set paw in what we now know as the good ol’ U.S. of A.
The researchers did all sorts of fancy tests on the cat bones, like comparing them to bones from modern cats, checking out different chemical signatures, and even studying ancient DNA. And guess what? The results confirmed that these were indeed domestic cats. They also gave some clues about what the adult cat chowed down on.
Turns out, the adult cat wasn’t feasting on rats like you’d expect. Nope, this kitty had a diet more in line with what the sailors were eating. So, the sailors probably shared their grub with the cat either because the rats were on a diet too, or maybe they just really liked the furry stowaway.
Genetic analysis showed that both the adult and the kitten cats had European roots. As for how they ended up on the ship, well, the researchers aren’t totally sure. One theory is that they sneaked aboard while the ship was hanging out in Mexico before setting sail for Florida. But who knows, maybe someone brought them along on purpose to help keep the ship’s rodent population in check.
Speaking of which, cats have been expert mousers for centuries. From the time they were domesticated, they’ve been top-notch pest controllers, needing little supervision from humans. The ancient Romans even brought cats to Europe for this very reason. And here we are now, with one in every three U.S. households having a furry feline friend.
So, next time your cat is lazing around the house, remember that their ancestors were high-seas adventurers, sailing across the ocean blue. It’s a little slice of history right there in your living room. Who would’ve thought, huh?
