NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



A torn cat of his, which was at least two-thirds 

 of the Wild Cat breed, was found on the stoep 

 one morning in a dying condition, having been 

 severely mauled, no doubt, by a wild rival of superior 

 strength. Several farmer friends in the uplands 

 of Natal possessed domestic cats which had all the 

 markings of the wild species. In fact I knew an 

 animal dealer who was in the habit of purchasing 

 these domestic cats and disposing of them to 

 Continental zoos as being tamed African Wild 

 Cats. African Wild Cats are specially interesting 

 for the reason that they were held sacred by the 

 ancient Egyptians, who made a practice of em- 

 balming their bodies when they died. Tremen- 

 dous numbers of these mummy cats have been dis- 

 covered at Bubalis and Beni-Hassan, which clearly 

 shows that the Egyptians of four thousand and more 

 years ago had succeeded in domesticating the African 

 Wild Cat. Although there is some difference of 

 opinion over the matter, it can without much fear 

 of contradiction be taken for granted that the 

 present-day European cats originated from these 

 African Wild Cats. 



The fact that the females of the domestic cats 

 readily mate and breed with these Wild Cats in 

 South Africa is very significant in this connection. 

 It must not be assumed, however, that all varieties 

 of domestic cats have originated entirely from the 

 African Wild Cat. Domestic cats would, for in- 

 stance, in all likelihood interbreed with the European 

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