Research overview: the Pseudaelurus grade and the Miocene felid radiation

This overview surveys the Pseudaelurus-grade cats, a diverse assemblage of stem felids that flourished across Eurasia and North America during the Miocene and bridged the dawn cat Proailurus and the later split into modern cats and sabertooths. More cat-like than Proailurus, these animals show progressive dental reduction and limb specialization toward the modern feline form. The survey reviews how Pseudaelurus, now recognized as a wastebasket grouping containing several lineages, occupies a pivotal position in cat evolution, and how its species have been parsed into separate genera. It discusses their role in the diversification that ultimately produced the Felinae and Machairodontinae, and why understanding this Miocene radiation is essential for reconstructing the deep origins of all living and extinct cats.