Research overview: Proailurus, the dawn cat and earliest true felid

This overview examines Proailurus, widely regarded as the earliest true cat, known principally from the late Oligocene and early Miocene of Europe, including the famous Quercy fissure fillings of France. About the size of a large domestic cat or small wildcat, Proailurus had a relatively long body, short limbs, and a full dentition with more teeth than later, more specialized cats, along with features suggesting agility and possible climbing ability. The survey reviews its anatomy, its position at or near the base of the family Felidae, and its significance as the starting point from which the entire subsequent radiation of cats, including Pseudaelurus and ultimately lions, sabertooths, and house cats, is thought to descend. It frames Proailurus as the root of feline history.