In a manner befitting their independent nature, cats appear to have selectively chosen when and where to integrate themselves into human society.
Recent scientific investigations suggest the transition from wild predators to domesticated companions occurred more recently than previously believed, and in a different geographical location.
Analysis of skeletal remains from archaeological sites indicates that the close relationship between cats and humans likely began only a few thousand years ago, originating in northern Africa rather than the Levant.
“They are ubiquitous, they are the subject of television programs, and they dominate internet culture,” noted Prof. Greger Larson of the University of Oxford.
“The relationship we observe with cats today appears to have commenced approximately 3,500 to 4,000 years ago, rather than the previously estimated 10,000 years ago.”
All contemporary domestic cats are descendants of the African wildcat species.
The circumstances surrounding their domestication, including the location and timeframe in which they transitioned from wild creatures to human companions, have long presented a puzzle for researchers.
In an effort to unravel this mystery, scientists analyzed DNA extracted from cat bones discovered at archaeological sites throughout Europe, North Africa, and Anatolia. They dated the bones, analyzed their DNA, and compared the results with the genetic profiles of modern cats.
The findings indicate that cat domestication did not commence at the dawn of agriculture in the Levant. Instead, it transpired several millennia later in northern Africa.
“Rather than occurring in the region where humans first established agricultural settlements, it appears to be a predominantly Egyptian phenomenon,” stated Prof. Larson.
This aligns with historical understanding of ancient Egypt as a society that revered cats, immortalizing them in artwork and mummifying them as sacred animals.
Once cats became associated with humans, they were transported around the globe, valued for their roles as ship cats and pest controllers. Their introduction to Europe occurred approximately 2,000 years ago, considerably later than previously assumed.
They spread throughout Europe and into the UK alongside the Romans, subsequently expanding eastward along the Silk Road into China.
Today, cats are found on every continent except Antarctica.
In an unexpected discovery, the scientists found evidence of a wild cat species coexisting with humans in China well before the arrival of domestic cats.
These were leopard cats, small wild felines characterized by leopard-like spots, that inhabited human settlements in China for approximately 3,500 years.
The early relationship between humans and leopard cats was primarily “commensal,” indicating a situation where two species live in close proximity without harming each other, according to Prof. Shu-Jin Luo of Peking University in Beijing.
“Leopard cats benefited from living near people, while humans were largely unaffected or even welcomed them as natural rodent controllers,” she explained.
Leopard cats never underwent domestication and continue to exist as wild animals throughout Asia.
Interestingly, leopard cats have recently hybridized with domestic cats to produce Bengal cats, a distinct breed recognized since the 1980s.
The research findings have been published in the journals Science and Cell Genomics.
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