Where Did Cats Originate From?

Cats have surpassed dogs in popularity as pets in modern times. But where did they originally come from, and who decided that they should be domesticated? The answers may surprise you.

  1. Pre-History

    • All carnivorous mammals originate from the Myacids, who lived 55 to 60 million years ago. Genus Felis, from whom today's small cats developed, appeared about 12 million years ago.

    History

    • Present-day domesticated felines trace their roots to one of almost 40 species of wild cats that roamed the Earth about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

    Theories/Speculation

    • When humans switched from hunting and gathering to farming, the rodent population increased. Since wild cats used rodents as a food source, they found associating with humans to be profitable, and humans benefited from the feline pest control.

    Identification

    • Today, there are some 600 million house cats around the world. Wild and domesticated cats are almost impossible to tell apart, even for experts, except through genetics. Researchers' DNA studies indicate that today's domestic cat and the Near Eastern wildcat share the same genetic ancestor.

    Considerations

    • Due to the degree of genetic diversity among today's domestic felines, cats have probably been around for between 70,000 to 100,000 years.