iN PHOTOS: Cute cats lounge away in Kamloops, Okanagan

These adorable domestic cats in Kamloops and the Okanagan don’t appear to be bothered by overcast weather and bring cheer to their owners. “My cat Monkey is the most sweetest kitty around,” said Kamloops resident Michele White. “He’s full of energy and lives up to his name by climbing anything he can just to get as high as he can.” There are more than six million domesticated cats in the world and evidence that cats and humans have been living together for 12,000 years. Contrary to popular belief that cats originated in Egypt, all domestic cats are the descendants of the African wildcat that started living with humans in the Middle East, according to Petpedia https://petpedia.co/history-of-cats/ . In ancient Egyptian times, cats were used to control mouse populations and become valued as sacred creatures that were commonly buried with pharaohs. Over the centuries, felines made it to many other countries where they used to ward of rats and disease. During the Middle Ages, cats were associated with superstition and witchcraft and killed by the thousands, which increased rat populations and disease. READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Kelowna artist spoiled by Okanagan's diverse landscape https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-photos-kelowna-artist-spoiled-by-okanagans-diverse-landscape/it108349 Early colonists to the New World saw the value of cats and used them on ships as rodent catchers and the felines were brought to America where they thrived as mousers until the 1800s when people started bringing them indoors as companions. The cats in these photos look like they lounge more than work. We’d love to see your cute pet photos, please send them to the news@infonews.ca. mailto:news@infonews.ca To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .