Jonathan B. Losos

It's a fascinating story. A key development in the interaction of people and cats was the development of kitty litter, which was only invented in the 1940s. Before that time, the possibility of having a cat that just lived indoor all the time was very difficult. All this today on Something You Should Know.

It's a fascinating story. A key development in the interaction of people and cats was the development of kitty litter, which was only invented in the 1940s. Before that time, the possibility of having a cat that just lived indoor all the time was very difficult. All this today on Something You Should Know.

It's a fascinating story. A key development in the interaction of people and cats was the development of kitty litter, which was only invented in the 1940s. Before that time, the possibility of having a cat that just lived indoor all the time was very difficult. All this today on Something You Should Know.

Well, that's an interesting question. I mean, everyone knows what a cat is just by looking at one. And it turns out that the first cat that was discovered in the fossil record, the ancestor of all cats, as far as we can tell, evolved about 30 million years ago. And it pretty much looked like a cat.

Well, that's an interesting question. I mean, everyone knows what a cat is just by looking at one. And it turns out that the first cat that was discovered in the fossil record, the ancestor of all cats, as far as we can tell, evolved about 30 million years ago. And it pretty much looked like a cat.

Well, that's an interesting question. I mean, everyone knows what a cat is just by looking at one. And it turns out that the first cat that was discovered in the fossil record, the ancestor of all cats, as far as we can tell, evolved about 30 million years ago. And it pretty much looked like a cat.

Its legs were a little bit shorter than most cats, but if you saw one walking down the street, you would say, hey, that's a cat. And so, I mean, I could give you the technical aspects of the anatomy that define members of the Thelidae, the cat family, but essentially a cat is a cat and no one's going to confuse one with something else.

Its legs were a little bit shorter than most cats, but if you saw one walking down the street, you would say, hey, that's a cat. And so, I mean, I could give you the technical aspects of the anatomy that define members of the Thelidae, the cat family, but essentially a cat is a cat and no one's going to confuse one with something else.

Its legs were a little bit shorter than most cats, but if you saw one walking down the street, you would say, hey, that's a cat. And so, I mean, I could give you the technical aspects of the anatomy that define members of the Thelidae, the cat family, but essentially a cat is a cat and no one's going to confuse one with something else.

And that's been true throughout the evolutionary history of this group. There have been variations, bigger and smaller, spots on the coat and so on. Of course, there were the saber-toothed cats, but essentially they've all been cats.

And that's been true throughout the evolutionary history of this group. There have been variations, bigger and smaller, spots on the coat and so on. Of course, there were the saber-toothed cats, but essentially they've all been cats.

And that's been true throughout the evolutionary history of this group. There have been variations, bigger and smaller, spots on the coat and so on. Of course, there were the saber-toothed cats, but essentially they've all been cats.

Well, today there are 42 living species, and I think people might be surprised to hear that, that there are so many. Everyone knows the big cats. Those are the celebrities of the cat world, the lions, the tigers, the cheetahs, and so on. They have their own week on National Geographic, and everyone knows them.

Well, today there are 42 living species, and I think people might be surprised to hear that, that there are so many. Everyone knows the big cats. Those are the celebrities of the cat world, the lions, the tigers, the cheetahs, and so on. They have their own week on National Geographic, and everyone knows them.

Well, today there are 42 living species, and I think people might be surprised to hear that, that there are so many. Everyone knows the big cats. Those are the celebrities of the cat world, the lions, the tigers, the cheetahs, and so on. They have their own week on National Geographic, and everyone knows them.

The little cats, though, which I'm defining as cats that weigh less than 50 pounds, are much more common. And I like to ask people, can you name species of cats less than 50 pounds? And the two that people usually get right away are the ocelot and the bobcat. But after that, people often are stumped. But there's all kinds of obscure cats that no one has heard of.

The little cats, though, which I'm defining as cats that weigh less than 50 pounds, are much more common. And I like to ask people, can you name species of cats less than 50 pounds? And the two that people usually get right away are the ocelot and the bobcat. But after that, people often are stumped. But there's all kinds of obscure cats that no one has heard of.

The little cats, though, which I'm defining as cats that weigh less than 50 pounds, are much more common. And I like to ask people, can you name species of cats less than 50 pounds? And the two that people usually get right away are the ocelot and the bobcat. But after that, people often are stumped. But there's all kinds of obscure cats that no one has heard of.

The tigrina, the ancilla, the marbled cat, the Bornean bay cat, the rusty footed cat.

The tigrina, the ancilla, the marbled cat, the Bornean bay cat, the rusty footed cat.