I for one, would love to see some published references about these ferret
mummies in Egypt.  Personally, I can't see them being ferrets, for several
reasons.
 
1) Egypt, to put it mildly, is a very hot place.  We all know what happens
when ferrets are exposed to extreme heat.  They are simply not adapted to
the conditions.
 
2) If ferrets were domesticated 1200 years before cats, why isn't there
the variation among the species as there is in cats?  There are dozens of
different "breeds" of cats.  (Dogs, who have been domesticated 12000 years,
possess literally HUNDREDS of breeds) With ferrets, you don't, except
perhaps with the angora ferret.  With ferrets, there are mostly just colour
variations.  These changes take time' a lot of time, as well as controlled
breeding conditions.  This alone makes me believe that cats have been
domesticated far longer than ferrets.
 
3) Where did the Egyptians get the ferrets?  There are no wild populations
of any similar animals in that region.  It has been proven beyond a shadow
of a doubt that our domesticated ferret is descended from the European
Polecat.  So let me ask you this; why would Egyptians import a creature
that is still considered a wild animal in it's home environment?  Most
likely, they would not even know of it's existence!
 
If there are some solid journal references backing up your claim of ferret
mummies in Egypt, I will gladly eat my words.  But for the time being, I
find it easier to believe that it isn't true, based on the reasons I listed
above.
 
When it comes right down to it; who cares?  For the average pet lover, does
it really matter if it was domesticated longer than the cat, or vice versa?
Of course not!
 
Amy
[Posted in FML issue 2743]