The cat capital of the world is Istanbul, Turkey, due to their large population of semi-wild cats that are deeply integrated into the city's culture and daily life.
Residents and visitors of Istanbul, Turkey also care for the cats and they are often seen lounging in historic sites, mosques and cafes, creating a unique atmosphere in which the cats are considered to be integral residents instead of just stray cats.
Cats originated in the Middle East's Fertile Crescent, around 10,000 years ago.
Domesticated cats that originated in the Middle East's Fertile Crescent around 10,000 years ago, originated as wildcats were drawn to the abundant rodent populations around early human agricultural settlements.
And the earliest evidence of human and cat companionship is a 9,500 year old burial of a human with a cat on the island of Cyprus, which indicates transportation by boat.
The domestication of cats we know today was a mutually beneficial although not fully intentional process.
And early farmers stored grain, which also attracted rodents like mice and rats and the rodents in turn attracted wild cats who ate them.
And the availability of prey near human settlements also likely led to cats becoming accustomed to humans.
A 9,500 year old burial in Cyprus also shows a human and a cat buried together, and the cat's presence suggests that the cat was brought to the island by boat.
Genetic analysis also confirms that domestic cats also descended from the Near Eastern wildcat "Felis silvestris lybica".
Cats also spread with humans along trade routes and they were also very useful on ships that were transporting of grain from the Near East.
Cats, in the family of Felidae also first appeared in Asia around 10 to 15 million years ago, with their evolutionary radiation beginning in Asia during the Miocene epoch.
Modern domestic cats, although originated from the Near Eastern wildcat subspecies, "Felis Silvestris lybica" and were first domesticated around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, which is a region in the Middle East.