(Felis catus) are among the most common pets in the world. In the United States, for example, according to a survey released by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, feline pets number around 77 million. Even though cats have now overtaken dogs in popularity in the US, and are enormously popular elsewhere, the history of feline domestication is not as well known as that of their canine counterparts.

Bast predates the following events:

The founding of America.
The Industrial and French Revolution.
The European Crusades.
The Dark and Feudal Ages of all the major world cultures.
Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah.
The Roman Empire's fall.
Christ and the Apostles.
The Roman Empire's rise.
Alexander the Great.
The Trojan War.
Lao-tzu, Confucius, and Buddha.
Ramses, Tutankhamen, Akhenaten, Thutmose III, and Hatshepsut.
The building of the Pyramids, Khaefra (Cheops), Senefru.