Domestic Cats May Have Ancient Roots

This undated photo provided by the journal Science shows a domestic calico feline, Callie Pinholster-Stahley, who is 10 years old, weighs 17 pounds, and enjoys eating, sleeping, half-heartedly swatting at the occasional feather, and eating. (AP Photo/Science) (AP)

The earliest archaeological evidence of cats and humans in association dates to 9,500 years ago in Cyprus.

Joan Miller, chair of outreach for The Cat Fanciers' Association, based in San Diego, Calif., said the most interesting aspect of the research "is the finding that some wild cats and domestic cats from the Near East were distinct from the other Felis silvestris subspecies long associated with domestic cat origins."

"Since the DNA samples were taken from cats in remote desert areas there would be less likelihood of hybridization occurring," she said. "I would like to know more about these cats."

"We have evidence of cat domestication by the Egyptians because of their prolific artwork. It would be interesting to try to investigate early artwork from Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia," added Miller, who was not part of the research group.

Other wild cats in the study included the European wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris; Central Asian wildcat, F. s. ornata; sub-Saharan African wildcat, F. s. cafra; and the Chinese desert cat, F. s. bieti.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

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