Researchers found that DNA samples from fossils in China recognized that early cats in ancient China weren't actually the housecats we think of today. The DNA found was dated about 5,400 years ago which shown that small cats living around early farming settlements were wild leopard cats not domestic house cats. These wild cats lived in close proximity to humans and likely hunted rodents attracted to stored crops but they weren't the species we keep as pets today.
True domestic house cats arrived much later. They descended from the Near Eastern African wildcat which only appeared in China during the Tang dynasty AD 700-900. Analysis of remains from that period shows genetics signatures linking them to cats from Central Asia suggesting they came from trade networks like the Silk Road.
For over 3,500 years humans and leopard cats coexisted in ancient China, but these wild felines didn't become domesticated in the same way the African bobcat did. This helps explain why modern Chinese cats are genetically similar to cats from the West rather than to native Chinese wild cats.
Sources:
Brookshire, B. (2025, December 3). Ancient DNA reveals China’s first “pet” cat wasn’t the house cat. Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dna-china-first-cat-leopard-rodent
MSN. (n.d.-b). https://www.msn.com/en-us/pets-and-animals/cats/ancient-dna-says-china-s-first-pet-cat-wasn-t-the-house-cat/ar-AA1RQQ8u
This study is fascinating because it shows that early Chinese farming communities lived alongside wild leopard cats, not true domestic house cats. It show how domestication didn’t happen everywhere at once, China’s household cats actually came much later through trade routes like the Silk Road. The findings help explain why modern cats in China share genetic roots with Western domestic cats rather than native leopard cats.
ReplyDelete