Cats have lived alongside people for as long as 10,000 years. For countless centuries, felines have shared the planet with us.
Initially drawn to the grain stores by mice and other pests, they were carried around the globe by sailors.
Many different varieties of cats have been developed over the past few centuries as a result of selective breeding for specific characteristics, such as hairlessness.
On the island of Cyprus, a human and a cat were buried together around 9,500 years ago, making this the earliest recorded burial of a domesticated cat.
Sites in China dating back 5,300 years have yielded cat bones, indicating that cats were also a part of ancient Chinese culture.
Bastet, the divinity with the head of a cat, was revered as a guardian and a deity of motherhood.
Cats are notoriously difficult to work, they refuse to collaborate when introduced to new people or environments and instead prefer owners arms.