Alejandro Alcolea
WriterWriter at Xataka. I studied education and music, but since 2014 I've been writing about my passion: video games and technology. I specialize in product analysis, photography, and video. My body is 70% coffee. LinkedIn
The domestication of cats remains one of history’s mysteries. While dogs were bred as hunting partners, cats seemingly became close to humans for entirely different reasons.
Some scientists even suggest cats may have domesticated themselves.
The Cyprus cat. For years, experts believed ancient Egyptians were the first to domesticate cats. This theory stemmed from mummified remains dated to 2,000 BC. However, a discovery in Cyprus upended this idea.
In 2004, researchers found a cat just 15 inches from some human remains in the same burial site. The positioning of the skeletons, along with the presence of tools and offerings, suggested to researchers that the cat and its owner were intentionally buried together. Dating back to 9,500 BC, this find provided a significant clue about early human-cat relationships.
The French researchers who made the discovery compared it to a similar burial in Israel, where a man and his dog, dated between 12,000 and 11,000 BC, were interred together. This parallel offered insights into how long humans had been living alongside domesticated animals.
Tamed, not domesticated. While cats have lived with humans for 12,000 years, their domestication appears less extensive than that of dogs. Unlike dogs, which show significant genetic diversity due to selective breeding, domestic cats remain genetically close to their wild ancestors.
Belgian archaeologist Wim Van Neer notes that cats depicted in ancient Egyptian tombs 6,000 years ago were likely tamed but not fully domesticated. They lived near humans, benefiting from the partnership without being entirely dependent.
The Cyprus cat.
Tracing the domestication timeline. To unravel this puzzle, the project FELIX is analyzing DNA from more than 1,300 cats found at 80 archaeological sites across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
The goal is to determine when felines transitioned from living near humans to becoming their companions—or even their masters.
Mummified DNA. Led by paleogeneticist Claudio Ottoni from the University of Rome, the FELIX project aims to identify the moment humans and cats forged their unique relationship. Researchers are reconstructing ancient cat genomes, analyzing skeletal remains, and tracking changes in diet to understand how domestication unfolded.
For instance, the team is studying when cats began consuming fish, likely provided by early fishermen. DNA from mummified remains poses challenges due to damage, but advances in sequencing technology are helping overcome these hurdles.
A mummified cat from Egypt.
Tracing the map. While researchers have successfully analyzed skeletal remains, significant questions remain unanswered. Early findings suggest that European domestic cats originated from the crossbreeding of African wildcats and cats introduced by North African humans. For instance, Roman traders who transported cats across the Mediterranean, spreading their lineage.
However, no evidence of domesticated cats in Europe from 10,000 years ago has been found—unlike pigs and other domestic animals. This absence suggests that cats in Europe during that time were still wild, with no genetic ties to domesticated strains. Researchers believe the domestication of cats in Europe likely began around 2,500 years ago.
Technical challenges also complicate the work. DNA from mummified remains is often damaged, making it difficult to extract reliable information. Nonetheless, Van Neer is optimistic that advances in DNA sequencing will help overcome these hurdles.
A unique and ongoing process. Despite the uncertainties, some conclusions are clear. Cats have been incredibly successful from an evolutionary perspective, adapting seamlessly to human environments. Unlike other domestic animals, their path to domestication has been unconventional and less complete.
Ottoni’s team emphasizes the need for further analysis of ancient cat genomes. These genomes are “blueprints” that contain vital information about an organism’s growth, development, and function. By decoding this genetic history, researchers hope to pinpoint when and where cat domestication occurred in Europe and beyond.
However, it’s worth noting that cats remain only semi-domesticated. They’ve retained much of their wild independence, as any cat owner who’s endured an unprovoked bite can attest.
Images | Manja Vitolic (Unsplash) | Science
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