Domestic cats (Felis catus) and African wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) have successfully adapted to human environments worldwide. The precise origin of the domestic cat—whether it emerged in the Levant, Egypt, or another part of the African wildcat’s range—remains uncertain. A research team from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, led by Tor Vergata, has sequenced the genomes of 87 ancient and modern cats. Their research challenges the traditional belief that domestic cats were brought to Europe during the Neolithic period, suggesting instead that their arrival occurred several thousand years later.
Ancient cat genomes from European and Anatolian sites indicate that domestic cats were introduced to Europe from North Africa around 2,000 years ago, many years after the Neolithic period began in Europe. The Sardinian African wildcat has a separate lineage originating from northwest Africa. Image credit: De Martino et al., doi: 10.1126/science.adt2642.
The history of domestic cats is extensive and complex, yet it contains many uncertainties.
Genetic analyses reveal that all modern domestic cats can trace their ancestry back to the African wildcat inhabiting North Africa and the Near East.
Yet, limited archaeological evidence and the challenges of differentiating between wild and domestic cats through skeletal remains pose significant obstacles in comprehending the origins and diffusion of early domestic cats.
“The timing and specifics surrounding cat domestication and dispersal are still unclear due to the small sample size of ancient and modern genomes studied,” stated Dr. Marco De Martino from the University of Rome Tor Vergata and fellow researchers.
“There are ongoing questions regarding the historical natural habitats of African and European wildcats and the possibility of their interbreeding.”
“Recent investigations have shown that ancient gene flow can complicate the understanding of cat dispersal, especially when relying on mtDNA data.”
“The origins of African wildcat populations on Mediterranean islands like Sardinia and Corsica are equally obscure.”
“Current research suggests these populations constitute a distinct lineage rather than stemming from domestic cats.”
To explore these issues, the team examined the genomes of 70 ancient cats retrieved from archaeological sites in Europe and Anatolia, in addition to 17 modern wildcat species from Italy (including Sardinia), Bulgaria, and North Africa (Morocco and Tunisia).
In contrast to earlier studies, they concluded that domestic cats most likely emerged from North African wildcats rather than the Levant, and that true domestic cats appeared in Europe and southwest Asia several thousand years post-Neolithic.
The early cats of Europe and Turkey predominantly consisted of European wildcats, indicating ancient interbreeding instead of early domestication.
Once introduced, North African domestic cats proliferated across Europe, following routes used by Roman military forces, and reached Britain by the first century AD.
This study also reveals that the Sardinian wildcat is more closely related to North African wildcats than to either ancient or modern domestic cats, suggesting that humans transported wildcats to islands where they do not naturally exist, and that the Sardinian wildcat did not descend from early domestic cat populations.
“By identifying at least two distinct waves of introduction to Europe, we redefine the timeline of cat dispersal,” the researchers noted.
“The first wave likely introduced wildcats from northwest Africa to Sardinia, forming the island’s current wildcat population.”
“A separate, as yet unidentified population in North Africa triggered a second dispersal no later than 2,000 years ago, establishing the modern domestic cat gene pool in Europe.”
The team’s findings are highlighted in this week’s edition of Science.
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M. De Martino et al. 2025. Approximately 2,000 years ago, domestic cats migrated from North Africa to Europe. Science 390 (6776); doi: 10.1126/science.adt2642
Source: www.sci.news
