The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication

This study traced the ancestry of the domestic cat by sampling wildcats across their range and comparing mitochondrial DNA from hundreds of wild and domestic individuals. The authors showed that all domestic cats descend from the Near Eastern wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, and that domestication centered on the Fertile Crescent rather than Egypt. Five maternal lineages were identified, indicating multiple founder matrilines from a single subspecies. The work linked the genetic signal to the agricultural revolution, when grain stores attracted rodents and commensal wildcats, and established the genetic foundation for understanding how cats became one of the world's most widespread companion animals.