-
Between 40,000 and 13,000 BCE
People domesticate dogs from descendants of Eurasian gray wolves.
-
1980 BCE
Ancient Egyptians domesticate cats.
-
20 AD
The Romans keep small toy-breed dogs that appear to have no utility, but they came into fashion around the same time that the black rat became a major pest in Europe. For more detail, read "Ask Smithsonian: When Did People Start Keeping Pets?" from Smithsonian Magazine.
-
1598
Carlo Ruini's book Anatomia del Cavallo (Anatomy of the Horse) is the first comprehensive publication on the anatomy of any animal aside from humans.
-
1762
Claude Bourgelat establishes the first veterinary school, which opens in Lyon, France.
-
1840s
First pet stores open, mostly selling songbirds in cages.
-
1869
The Women's Branch of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opens in Philadelphia as the nation's first animal shelter.
-
1920s
Ken-L-Ration introduces canned dog food to the United States. The food was made mostly of horsemeat, and the brand is now defunct.
-
1958
American Pet Products Association—then called the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association—is founded.
-
1980s
The American Kennel Club celebrates its 100th anniversary and conducts the first Canine Good Citizen tests.
-
1998
The world's first cat café, Cat Flower Garden, opens in Taipei, Taiwan, as a place for young city dwellers to unwind after a hectic day.
-
2000
Pets.com—one of four online pet stores founded during the dot-com bubble—raises $82.5 million in a February 2000 IPO. Nine months later, it files for bankruptcy.
-
2005
The first cat video, called "Pajamas and Nick Drake," is uploaded on YouTube by cofounder Steve Chen. One year later, the YouTube video "Puppy vs Cat" becomes the first viral cat video. As of 2021, it has almost 16.4 million views.
