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Domesticated cats may have arrived in the West much later than previously thought: Study
Genomic analysis shows domestic cats spread rapidly across Europe from North Africa about 2,000 years ago, overturning earlier beliefs of Neolithic arrival 6,000 years ago.
- On Thursday, two studies in Science and Cell Genomics reported domestic cats descend from North African wildcats and spread to Europe and East Asia within the past 2,000 years.
- Using nuclear DNA and radiocarbon dating, researchers who sequenced ancient and modern cat genomes analysed 225 ancient cat specimens to produce higher-resolution ancestry timelines.
- The team obtained 70 ancient genomes and 87 genomes overall, showing a Sardinia specimen radiocarbon-dated to the second century AD and Roman military sites in Austria, Serbia and Britain with feline remains matching modern domestic cats.
- Trade and maritime routes appear to have carried cats, with Mediterranean trade networks and ancient sailors and grain ships aiding rapid spread within 2,000 years, Marco De Martino said.
- In China, genetic evidence shows leopard cats lived alongside people over 5,000 years ago but were not domesticated, while true domestic cats arrived around 1,300–1,400 years ago via the Silk Road.
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Genome study reveals milestone in history of cat domestication
Whether they are a Siamese, Persian, Maine Coon, or Domestic Shorthair, there are hundreds of millions of cats living with people around the world. But despite their popularity as pets, the history of cat domestication has remained difficult for scientists to decipher.
·United Kingdom
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The domestic cat didn't arrive in Europe via the Near East 6,000 or 7,000 years ago, but rather from North Africa around 2,000 years ago. The Institute of Natural Sciences, which provided cat bones for an international study, said this Thursday.
·Amsterdam, Netherlands
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New research on the ancestors of modern matous, based on ancient DNA analysis, has identified a Tunisian branch, hitherto unknown.
·Paris, France
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