How Did Cats Become Domesticated?

Thou art the Great Cat, the avenger of the Gods, and the judge of words, and the president of the sovereign chiefs and the governor of the holy Circle; thou art indeed...the Great Cat.
~Inscription on the Royal Tombs at Thebes

Domestic cats are descended from Felis sylvestris, a wildcat of the middle east. Felis sylvestris translates to "cat of the woods." The common wisdom is that cats, unlike other domestic animals, more or less domesticated themselves. When people started storing food, wild cats found a ready food source: the rodents that were drawn to the food stores. The cats were encouraged to stay and guard the food supply. The cats we today call our pets are the descendents of the cats that adapted to this environment.

Felis sylvestris, rawr:

The  domestication of cats occurred far earlier than the civilization of ancient Egypt. The first depiction of a cat wearing a collar appeared on Egyptian art  in a tomb during the Old Kingdom (2500-2350 BC) and cats were the most commonly mummified animal in Egypt. They appear frequently in Egyptian art and drawings.

Current archeological evidence places the domestication of cats around 10K years ago in the fertile crescent region when wheat and barley were also domesticated. An intentional cat burial was discovered next to a human burial dating 9500-9200 years before the present on the island of Cypress.

Animal domestication is defined as the process of developing the mutually useful relationship between animals and humans. Apparently the Egyptians were the first to get this right - cats hang around, and humans worship them. This relationship has largely endured.

Note: For some reason cats were demonized in Europe during the middle ages. They somehow developed a reputation for association with witches and the devil. They were killed in large numbers. The depletion of the cat population very likely contributed to the spread of the plague.

Something else I learned: Cats are the most popular pet in the world. One third of American homes have feline members, and more than 600 million cats live among humans worldwide.