Research overview: behavioral genetics of cat domestication and tameness

Domestication reshaped cat behavior, reducing fear of humans and increasing tolerance and sociability, and genetics is beginning to reveal the underlying changes. This overview surveys evidence that selection during domestication acted on genes affecting fear response, stress reactivity, and reward pathways, many linked to neural crest development under the domestication syndrome hypothesis. It discusses how comparisons between domestic cats and wildcats identify candidate regions, the relatively mild selection cats experienced compared with dogs, and the interplay of genetics with socialization in determining tameness. The survey connects molecular evolution to the behavioral transformation that allowed cats to live alongside people.