Lizzie Renaud
Cats make purr-fect pals!
You may know cats as sweet pets. But the first cats were wild hunters! How did these felines become our friends?
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The History of Cats
By Molly Bradley
From the December 2025/January 2026 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will follow the sequence of events as they learn about the history of cats.
Lexile® measure: 490L
Featured Skill: Sequencing
Vocabulary: felines, rodents, companies
Standards
Cats Help Farmers
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About 10,000 years ago, humans learned to farm. They planted seeds to grow food in the warm months. They saved some food to eat in the winter.
But there was a problem. Rodents like mice and rats would eat the food they saved!
Then, humans noticed something. Wild cats would come to eat the rodents. That helped humans keep their food safe. It was useful having cats around!
Cats Go on Ships
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Over many years, cats and humans got used to each other. Cats got friendlier!
Humans started exploring the world on big ships. They brought cats on the ships. The cats kept rodents away. Cats also made the long journeys fun! Cats were playful and silly.
By the 1600s, ships had brought cats all over the world. That’s how cats got to America!
Cats Become Pets
In the 1900s, many Americans started keeping cats as pets in their homes. They loved taking care of their furry friends.
Companies started selling supplies for cats, like cat toys and cat food. House cats didn’t have to eat mice anymore!
Cats Today
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Cats love to play with toys!
Today, cats are everywhere. You can find cats in books, like The Cat in the Hat. Cats star in movies and TV shows!
You can find cats in millions of homes around America. Would you like a pet cat?
Cat Timeline
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10,000 years ago: Early wildcats
North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy Stock Photo
1600s: Cats on ships
Courtesy of The Cat Magazine
1900s: Food just for cats
iStockPhoto/Getty Images
Today: Cats in our families!
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