A new genomic study published in Science has overturned a long-held belief about when domestic cats arrived in Europe, finding that they were introduced not by Neolithic farmers thousands of years ago, but rather around 2,000 years ago — most likely from North Africa.
Source: De Martino et al., "The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago," Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adt2642
Background and Previous Understanding
The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat (Felis lybica lybica), a species currently distributed across North Africa and the Near East. Archaeozoological and iconographic evidence had previously pointed to two possible domestication centres: the Neolithic Levant roughly 9,500 years ago, and Pharaonic Egypt around 3,500 years ago. Ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data had seemed to support a dual-origin model, suggesting an initial spread from Anatolia to Europe alongside Neolithic farmers around 6,400 years ago, followed by a second Egyptian wave approximately 2,000 years ago.The New Study
To move beyond the limitations of mtDNA analysis, researchers led by De Martino et al. sequenced full genomes — rather than just mitochondrial DNA — for 87 ancient, museum, and modern cats. The ancient specimens came from archaeological sites across Europe and Anatolia spanning the past 11,000 years, complemented by 17 modern wildcats from Italy (including Sardinia), Bulgaria, Morocco, and Tunisia. Full genomic analysis provides a far richer picture of ancestry and hybridisation than mtDNA alone, helping to untangle complex population dynamics.Key Findings
The results painted a strikingly different picture from the old narrative:- Cats previously identified as domestic based on their mtDNA from Neolithic and Chalcolithic southeast Europe (dated 9,500–6,300 years ago) turned out to be European wildcats (Felis silvestris) whose ancestors had hybridised with African wildcats — not domestic cats at all.
- Ancient genomes showed a gradual increase in African wildcat ancestry ranging from 9% to 34%, moving eastward from Bulgaria to central Anatolia.
- The earliest confirmed domestic cat in Europe was found at the site of Genoni in Sardinia, dated to approximately 2,200 years ago, and is genetically close to present-day wildcats on the island and to Moroccan wildcats.
- All other archaeological cats in Europe clustering with domestic cats date from ~2,000 years ago onward, showing the typical gene pool of modern domestic cats and stronger affinities with modern African wildcats than with Levantine relatives.
Two Waves of Introduction
The study identifies at least two distinct dispersal events into Europe:- First wave (first millennium BCE): Wildcats from Northwest Africa were likely introduced to Sardinia, founding the island's present-day wild population.
- Second wave (~2,000 years ago): A distinct — and still unidentified — North African population sourced the broader dispersal that established the gene pool of all modern domestic cats in Europe.
Source: De Martino et al., "The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago," Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adt2642