Реферат: The Amur River fishermen integrated cats into their daily practices around the 17th century, during the period when the Manchus came to power in China and extended their influence over the Amur area (1644 -1912). Local peoples established trade relations with them, exporting furs in exchange for handicrafts and agricultural products such as rice, gaoliang, millet, and legumes. These imported goods were stored in log barns on stilts, creating an urgent need for searching means of rodent control. As a result, cats were adopted as effective mousers and rat hunters (Shrenck 1899: 276 -314). Traveler A. Michi, who visited Eastern Siberia and the Amur region in the 1860s, noted that Manchu traders distributed these animals among the Gol'd (Nanai) people. To ensure stable distribution channels and revenue generation, the cats were spayed or neutered before being shipped (Michi 1868: 321). The Manchus highly valued domestic cats because of their practical role in controlling rodents. The animals sent to the Amur locals were not originally regarded as decorative; instead, they served a purely utilitarian purpose. Individuals with strong hunting instincts were chosen to be delivered. Breeding was carried out with adaptation to local climatic and economic conditions in mind. Unfortunately, no documented breed descriptions of these cats have survived. It is reasonable to assume that the initial material for their formation was the population of Far Eastern (Amur) forest cats, which belong to the northern subtype of Bengal cats. In the 1929 studies, two species of Far Eastern cats were distinguished: the spotted Manchurian cat (Felis viverrina mandjurica) and the Amur wild cat (Felis microtis, M. Edv.). Their habitats overlapped and encompassed the northern provinces of China, Primorye, the southern part of the Amur region, and Korea. These species were common and had the following characteristics: a dense coat with spotted reddish coloration; small, semicircular ears with white markings on the backside; stripes on the muzzle; and a body length of 70 to 85 cm (Baikov 1929). There have been recorded cases not only of importing but also of taming wild forest cats by the indigenous peoples of the Amur region. These instances have been observed among the Nanai and Udegei communities, where small kittens were taken from the forest and raised in domestic settings. According to the available information, adult individuals were quite large and possessed an independent nature, capable of leaving human dwellings at any moment (Arcenyev, 1989: 45-46; FMA 2008). In addition to its practical purpose, the cat held symbolic significance in the daily life of the Nanai people. The Gorin Nanais had a tradition of venerating the red-striped cat, which was considered a relative of the sacred animal, the tiger. If the tiger was given the status of an ancestor and called Daka ("father-in-law"), then the cat was revered as Dadaka (“mother's elder sister”). The deceased animal was mourned and buried in a separate grave that was covered with a thin layer of sand or ash. Each participant in the ceremony left their mark on the grave, symbolizing the tiger's paw print that came to bid farewell to its kin (Samar 2003: 22-23; FMA 2001). Since European settlers appeared on the banks of the Amur River in the second half of the 19th century, the local domestic cat population has been replenished by imported individuals. This process laid the foundation for the development of domestic cats that are characteristic of the Lower Amur area today.

Библиографическая ссылка: Maltseva O.V.
Domestication Pathway of Amur Cats: from Practical Hunters to Venerated Symbols
1st International Conference “Cats - Past & Present: An interdisciplinary perspective" 19-21 Nov 2025