Cats became our companions way later than you think

Helen BriggsEnvironment Correspondent

Getty Images An orange cat with a white nose and throat closes its eyes as its owner pets it on a pale gray sofa. — All domestic cats (Felis catus) are descended from the African wild cat.

In true feline style, cats were slow to decide when and where to bond with humans.

The transition from wild hunter to pampered domestic animal occurred much later than previously thought – and in a different place, according to new scientific evidence.

A study of bones found at archaeological sites suggests that cats began their close relationship with humans only a few thousand years ago, in North Africa rather than the Levant.

“They're everywhere, we make TV programs about them and they dominate the Internet,” said Professor Greger Larson of the University of Oxford.

“The relationship we have with cats only began about 3.5 or 4,000 years ago, not 10,000 years ago.”

Cats were domesticated much later than dogs.

Getty Images A tabby cat looks at the camera, paw raised, as if taking a selfie portrait. — Cats were domesticated much later than dogs.

All modern cats are descended from one species – the African wild cat.

How, where and when they lost their wildness and formed close ties with humans has long puzzled scientists.

To solve the mystery, researchers analyzed the DNA of cat bones found at archaeological sites in Europe, North Africa and Anatolia. They dated the bones, analyzed the DNA and compared it with the gene pool of modern cats.

New evidence shows that the domestication of cats did not begin in the early days of agriculture – in the Levant. Instead, it happened several thousand years later somewhere in North Africa.

“Rather than being in an area where people first started farming, it appears to be more of an Egyptian phenomenon,” Professor Larson said.

A leopard cat skull found in a Han Dynasty tomb in Xinzheng City, Henan Province, China.

Ziyi Li and Wenquan Fan A leopard cat skull sits on a rock block surrounded by sand. A ruler is placed in front of the skull to show its size. — A leopard cat skull found in a Han Dynasty tomb in Xinzheng City, Henan Province, China.

This fits with what we know of the land of the pharaohs as a society that revered cats, immortalized them in art, and preserved them as mummies.

Once cats became associated with people, they were moved around the world, where they were prized as ship's cats and pest controllers. Cats only appeared in Europe about 2,000 years ago, much later than previously thought.

They traveled through Europe and Great Britain with the Romans, and then began moving east along the Silk Road to China.

Today they are found in all parts of the world except Antarctica.

The leopard cat is the most common wild cat in Asia.

Getty: A small leopard spotted a wild cat crouched on a bed of leaves and looking away from the camera. — The leopard cat is the most common wild cat in Asia.

And here's what's new: Scientists have discovered that the wild cat had been interacting with people in China for some time, long before domestic cats appeared on the scene.

These rival kittens were leopard cats, small wild cats with leopard spots that lived in human settlements in China for about 3,500 years.

According to Professor Shu-Jin Luo of Peking University in Beijing, early human-leopard cat relationships were essentially “commensal” ones, with the two species living alongside each other without harm.

“Leopard cats benefited from living near humans while being largely unharmed by humans or even welcomed them as natural rodent controllers,” she said.