THE COMPLEX ORIGIN STORY OF DOMESTIC CATS: RESEARCH POINTS TO TUNISIA

For years, researchers believed that domestic cats likely traveled with early farmers during the Neolithic period, spreading across Europe as agriculture took hold.

However, two new large-scale studies—one led by the University of Rome Tor Vergata in collaboration with 42 institutions, and the other by the University of Exeter with contributions from 37 institutions—reveal a more intricate history than previously thought. Both studies suggest that Tunisia is likely the origin of the domestic cat.

These studies, which combine extensive genetic data with archaeological evidence, challenge the previous timeline of domestic cats in Europe and hint at cultural and religious influences that may have played a significant role in the domestication and spread of felines.

Cats have long been a challenge for archaeologists. Their skeletal characteristics and mitochondrial DNA markers often overlap with those of their wild ancestors.

The University of Rome Tor Vergata-led team conducted paleogenomic analyses of ancient cat remains from 97 archaeological sites across Europe and Anatolia, as well as museum samples from Italy, Bulgaria, and North Africa.

In their study, The Dispersal of Domestic Cats from Northern Africa and Their Introduction to Europe Over the Last Two Millennia, published on the bioRxiv preprint server, the team analyzed 70 ancient genomes with low coverage, 17 additional modern and museum genomes, and 37 radiocarbon-dated cat remains.

Nuclear DNA analyses from these studies revealed that domestic cats only began to appear in Europe around the 1st century CE, a full millennium later than previously thought.

The team from Tor Vergata identified two distinct waves of introduction. The first, occurring by the 2nd century BCE, saw wildcats from Northwest Africa reach Sardinia, establishing the island’s current wildcat population. A second wave, during the Roman Imperial period, brought cats genetically similar to modern domestic cats across Europe, further supporting Tunisia as a key hub for early domestication.

In a separate study by the University of Exeter, Redefining the Timing and Circumstances of Cat Domestication, Their Dispersal Trajectories, and the Extirpation of European Wildcats, which was also published as a preprint on bioRxiv, a slightly different timeline emerges.

By analyzing 2,416 archaeological felid bones from 206 sites and comparing morphological data with genetic results, the researchers determined that domestic cats had already reached Europe by the early first millennium BCE, well before the peak of Roman expansion. Distinct mitochondrial haplogroups found in Britain between the 4th and 2nd centuries BCE suggest Iron Age contact, with further introductions occurring during the Roman, Late Antique, and Viking periods. Tunisia remains a likely origin point for domestic cats in both studies.

Earlier models of domestication viewed cats primarily as commensals, helping control rodents around human settlements and grain stores. However, both recent studies suggest that religious and cultural factors played a significant role in driving human interest in cats and their spread.

In ancient Egypt, cats were revered alongside deities like Bastet, which may have facilitated their mummification and movement through religious networks. Similarly, in Greek and Roman cultures, cats were associated with Artemis and Diana, reflecting Bastet’s influence. In Norse mythology, cats were tied to the goddess Freyja, further indicating that spiritual and ritual beliefs helped spread cats across different regions.

Both studies also highlight the interaction and competition between domestic cats and Europe’s native wildcats. Evidence suggests a decline in wildcat populations starting in the first millennium CE, possibly due to resource competition, disease, and hybridization.

Though the two studies differ in their proposed timelines and routes of cat migration into Europe, they both conclude that the domestication and spread of cats occurred more recently, and was driven more by cultural and religious factors than previously understood.

These findings challenge the idea that cats were widespread in Neolithic settlements and emphasize how reliance on mitochondrial markers alone can obscure the complexities of feline domestication.

Together, these studies reshape our understanding of one of humanity’s oldest companions. Rather than simply trailing behind early farmers, cats likely spread across Europe in multiple waves, driven by human cultural practices, trade, and religious reverence after their domestication in North Africa.