On Wed, 4 Feb 2004, lazarus wrote: @> >@> This brings up another of these anthropology questions: At what in @> >@> our development did humans start to keep pets, as opposed to, for @> >@> instance, domesticated dogs which were more like partners. I mean @> >@> pets as in animals that do nothing but lounge around the home and @> >@> provide some form of companionship, such as our cats and rats we have @> >@> in our home. @> > @> >http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpetcats.html @> @> Should have known Cecil would have tackled this. Disappointing, @> though, as it didn't really pin down an era when useless pets started @> to be kept. Just "relatively recent." I suppose that's the best we can expect from a staff report.