For generations, cats were believed to have been companions of humans since the Neolithic period, with the expansion of agriculture. But new studies show there are flaws in this narrative: Modern domestic cats may have arrived in Europe (and many homes) a long time ago. later than expected.
A much more recent (and surprising) origin than we imagined
According to a study published in 2025, based on DNA analysis of ancient remains found in archaeological sites, the first true domestic cats were introduced to Europe from North Africa some time ago. 2,000 yearsin Roman times (and not 6,000 or 7,000 years ago as the oldest studies assumed)
This delay in the arrival of domestic cats in Europe, compared to the domestication of dogs, completely changes our idea of the beginning of feline-human coexistence. The study reveals that ancient cats found in Europe (between 10,000 and 2,000 years ago) belonged to the European wild catnot the domestic cat (which descends from the African wild cat, Felis Lybica).
This means that although cats had roamed Europe for thousands of years, they were not “domesticated” as we know them today. Today’s domestic cats (those animals that purr on the couch) come from populations that appeared in North Africa, and their expansion throughout the Mediterranean and Europe took place with the trade routes and settlers of the ancient world.
Domestication, according to the researchers, was not so much an active process of domestication by humans, but rather a phenomenon of “self-domestication”: cats approached the colonies. attracted by rodentsthey began to live with people and, over time, developed this social tolerance this distinguishes them from their wild relatives.
Today, these data force us to rewrite entire chapters of the history of humanity: the cat, so present in our homes, is not an ancient companion since the dawn of civilization, but a relatively recent guest in the long history of human beings.
For those who live with or admire these animals, the news changes the way we view their relationship: what many believed to be an ancestral bond is actually a bond that was forged with them.trade, ships and cities dating back only two millennia ago.
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