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Cats' domestication traced to northern Africa, not the Levant
New genetic research overtuns long-held assumptions about feline domestication, pinpointing northern Africa-not the Levant-as the origin of house cats roughly 3,500 to 4,000 years ago, far later than previously believed.
Late and localized domestication
Scientists from the University of Oxford and Peking University analyzed ancient DNA from cat bones unearthed at archaeological sites across Europe, North Africa, and Anatolia. Their findings, published in Science and Cell Genomics, reveal that modern domestic cats descend from African wildcats but only began forming close bonds with humans millennia after agriculture's rise.
"This relationship we have with cats now only gets started about 3.5 or 4,000 years ago," said Prof. Greger Larson of Oxford, contrasting it with earlier theories suggesting a 10,000-year timeline. The study links domestication to Egypt, where cats were revered, mummified, and depicted in art.
Global spread via trade and empire
Once domesticated, cats spread as ship companions and pest controllers, reaching Europe around 2,000 years ago-later than prior estimates. They traveled with Roman legions into Britain and migrated east along the Silk Road to China, eventually populating every continent except Antarctica.
Ancient commensal rivals in China
Researchers also uncovered evidence of leopard cats-small, spotted wildcats-living alongside humans in China for 3,500 years in a "commensal" relationship. Unlike domestic cats, these wild felines benefited from human proximity without full domestication, said Prof. Shu-Jin Luo of Peking University. Today, leopard cats remain wild, though their genes live on in Bengal cats, a modern hybrid breed.
"Leopard cats benefited from living near people, while humans were largely unaffected or even welcomed them as natural rodent controllers."
Prof. Shu-Jin Luo, Peking University
Modern implications
The study reshapes understanding of feline-human history, emphasizing cats' delayed but rapid integration into societies. Their role as both cultural symbols and practical allies underscores a unique domestication path-one driven more by mutual benefit than deliberate human intervention.
