The Truth About Cats: Were They Really "Newcomers"? The Unexpected Timeline of Domestic Cats' Emergence

"Cats have always been with humans" … or so we thought

curled up on the sofa at home, going viral on social media daily, and featured on television.
Cats blend so naturally into modern life that many people have assumed, "The history of humans and cats must be long."

However, the latest ancient DNA research easily overturns this image.
According to a new paper reported by the BBC, "The 'current relationship' between humans and cats began only about 3,500 to 4,000 years ago at most."BGNES

Far from 10,000 years ago, it's actually quite a "recent event" on the scale of history.
The being we call "our pet" is, in fact, a "companion that came later" in human history.

Previous theory: Domesticated 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent?

The conventional textbook explanation was as follows.

• About 10,000 years ago, with the start of agriculture, mice appeared in grain stores in Levant (the current Middle East region)

• Wild cats approached human settlements targeting the mice

• Humans "welcomed" cats as mouse catchers, gradually leading to semi-wild → pet domestication

Since many dogs and livestock deepened their relationship with humans during this "agricultural revolution period," it was thought that cats did so at the same time.National Geographic

However, this story had a decisive weakness.
There was hardly any "ancient cat DNA data to support it."

A new story told by ancient DNA: The starting point is North Africa

In this study, DNA contained in cat bones found at archaeological sites in Europe, North Africa, and Anatolia (around present-day Turkey) was extensively analyzed.Science

As a result, the following story emerges.

1. All modern domestic cats originate from the African wildcat (Felis lybica)

   • Comparing the bone DNA with the genome of modern cats, it was reaffirmed that domestic cats are a "family clan" that diverged from a single wild species.BGNES

2. The "true domestic cat" was born in North Africa

   • Decisive traces of domestication are seen not in the early agricultural Levant, but thousands of years later in North Africa, particularly around Egypt.

   • Many cats buried with humans and cat mummies have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, aligning with DNA data that they were treated as "sacred animals."BGNES

3. The "landing" in Europe was only about 2,000 years ago

   • Examining ancient cat bones found across Europe, the first individuals with a "genome that can be called domestic cat" appear during the Roman Empire period (1st century onwards).

   • In other words, it is thought that when the Romans began to dominate Egypt and other parts of North Africa, cats also "traveled to the Mediterranean world with the Romans."Sci.News: Breaking Science News

4. After that, they spread worldwide via Roman Empire and trade routes

   • On ships, they were valued for rodent control, becoming "ship cats" traveling from port to port.

   • On land, they crossed the Eurasian continent via the Silk Road.BGNES

The global expansion of modern cats, "found everywhere before you know it," seems to have started this way.

In China, the Bengal wildcat was the predecessor

Behind this BBC article, there is another important paper.
It is a study in the journal Cell Genomics dealing with the history of cats in China.セル.com

According to this study――

• In China, from about 3,500 years ago,the Bengal wildcat, a small wildcat with leopard-like spots, lived around human settlements

• The relationship between humans and the Bengal wildcat was close to "commensalism," where "they didn't interfere much with each other, but humans benefited because the cats ate the mice."

• However, the Bengal wildcat was never fully domesticated and still lives in the wild across Asia today.

Later, the **"true domestic cat"** entered China via the Silk Road, estimated to be about 1,400 years ago.セル.com

Interestingly, the popular cat breed "Bengal," officially recognized as a breed in the 1980s, was born from the recent crossbreeding of the Bengal wildcat and domestic cats.BGNES

"Were cats domesticated by humans, or did humans serve cats?" ―― Reactions on social media

This news, reported by the BBC and various media outlets, became a big topic on social media.Hacker News

1. The "That's so cat-like, isn't it?" camp

On forums like Hacker News and Reddit, such voices are prominent.Hacker News

• "It can take years for a single cat to become attached. I wouldn't be surprised if it took thousands of years for them to warm up to humanity as a whole."

• "My farm cat waits for hours at the same hole, ambushing mice. Watching that, it feels more like 'enjoying their own game' rather than 'working for humanity.'"

In summary, there's a strong sense that "the control is always on the cat's side."

2. "Were they really that effective at pest control?"

In the same Hacker News thread, there's a heated debate about whether cats are useful for pest control.Hacker News

• Comments point out that in urban areas, **mice in districts with cats just "become less visible, but their numbers don't necessarily decrease."**

• In response, some argue that "on farms and ships, trained cats diligently monitor specific areas and are very helpful."

This highlights the reality that the image of "cats as versatile rodent exterminators" is somewhat exaggerated, and it's actually "dependent on location and cat personality."

3. "The Egypt theory again?" Science vs. general perception

This study strongly suggests a "North Africa-Egypt origin,"
and some comments suggest that "the general perception of 'Egyptian origin' might have been more accurate."Hacker News

Meanwhile, from experts and history enthusiasts,

• "Ancient texts (like Herodotus) describe cats as 'exotic animals' of Egypt. The DNA results support that impression."

Such voices are also present.

For years, the "Levant origin theory" was dominant in academia, leading to a small reversal where "general perception" and "researcher consensus" have swapped places.

4. "What does 'domestication' even mean?" A fundamental question

In the comments, there's also a philosophical debate on whether cats can be called domesticated.Hacker News

• Unlike animals like cows and dogs, which humans have bred and improved with purpose, cats approached human living areas on their own, and individuals with "personalities tolerated by humans" remained, which is closer to **"self-domestication."**

• If so, it might be more fitting to call them "wild cats adapted to human society" rather than "domestic cats."

Such discussions resonate surprisingly well with the image of "cats being free and easygoing," garnering much empathy from many people.

What changes when rewriting cat history

These research results are not just for "cat history enthusiasts."

1. Reconstructing the history of human-animal relationships

   • Cats came to the "human side" much later than other livestock.

   • Yet they have spread worldwide and gained popularity to the point of being the stars of the internet—this fact is symbolic when considering coexistence between humans and animals.

2. Material