Domestication of the feline

You can take the cat out of the jungle, but you can never entirely take the jungle out of the cat. In the thousands of years that we have been living with these animals, mankind has never really been able to understand all of her moods.
I say this because I spend a great deal of time watching our cats. They still walk very much like their wild ancestors. One minute, they aren't there, the next, you are pounced on. Now, they just lick you or demand attention. In the distant past, that pounce would have ended with teeth in your jugular. All you have to do is watch one of our babies stalking each other to get an idea of how far we have yet to go in taming them.
Of course, taming is useful only if we want the animals just as ornamental house pets. Many of us still need our cats to perform the function for which we brought them indoors. We need them to hunt, and for that, they need all of their instincts intact. Which would explain why even the most mild house cat is still a little fearsome sometimes.
There are some things you can do to help your cat adjust to life indoors.
Stimulation is the key. The last thing you want is for your friend to become lazy and overweight. My wife and I have a variety of toys which our girls like to play with. Their favourite, I am amazed to say, is a ball of yarn tied to the end of a stick. Anything that gets your cat to move is good. As I've said before, if you are thinking of getting a kitten, get two. They will naturally keep each other going.
The feline instinct involves constant use of the ears. This often causes a tense neck and muscles behind the ears. Every now and then, give your cat a gentle massage, as well as scratching. Very gently pull at your cat's neck, stretching just ever so slightly. If they squawk, let go. The goal is to relieve the tension that gets built up over the course of a day. Also, it is a good way to bond with your cat.
Just don't ever expect your cat to be totally yours. They will always be independent creatures with minds of their own. Let's be honest, would we want it any other way?