DNA study reveals that domestic cats, popular as pets, were introduced to China 1,400 years ago



Cats that are currently popular as pets are originally known as '

domestic cats ,' which are domesticated European wildcats . Research by the Institute of Genomic Diversity and Evolution at Peking University has revealed that these domestic cats were introduced to China around 600 AD, about 1,400 years ago.

Leopard Cats Occupied Human Settlements in China for 3,500 years before the Arrival of Domestic cats in 600-900 CE around the Tang Dynasty - 2025.01.31.635809v1.full.pdf
(PDF file) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.31.635809v1.full.pdf

Pet cats arrived in China via the Silk Road 1,400 years ago, ancient DNA study finds | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/animals/domestic-cats/pet-cats-arrived-in-china-via-the-silk-road-1-400-years-ago-ancient-dna-study-finds



Previous

research (PDF file) has shown that domestic cats began to be kept as pets in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, and the culture of keeping domestic cats spread to Europe about 3,000 years ago.

In China, bones of wildcats dating back about 5,400 years have been discovered at ruins in a rural area in northwestern Shaanxi Province, and it has been reported that humans and cats coexisted in settlements. However, it has not been clear when domestic cats were introduced to China, so the research team said, 'We need to fully understand when and how domestic cats were introduced to China.'

Therefore, a research team led by Shujin Luo, a senior researcher at the Institute of Genomic Diversity and Evolution at Peking University, analyzed the remains of 22 cats excavated from 14 archaeological sites. The research team first analyzed the sequences of nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA contained in the remains to identify which species of cat the remains belonged to. According to the research team, of the 22 remains excavated, 14 were the remains of domestic cats.

The team then radiocarbon dated the remains of the domestic cats they identified, finding that the oldest remains dated to 730 AD.

In addition, it was revealed that all of the mitochondrial DNA in the remains of the 14 domestic cats had a genetic signature called 'IV-B'. Comparison with previous research data showed that IV-B is also a genetic signature found in domestic cats kept in Dzhankent , Kazakhstan between 775 and 940 AD.



Based on these analysis results, the research team speculates that 'merchants and diplomats may have brought domestic cats to China as tribute via

the Silk Road around 600 AD, during the heyday of the Silk Road . The DNA of the domestic cats kept at Duzan Kent indicates that they were completely covered in white fur or fur with white spots, but many of the domestic cats kept in China today are also white or white-spotted.



'This is the largest and most comprehensive study of domestic cats living in close contact with humans in China,' Luo said. 'Collecting cat skeletal samples from China during this period was a huge challenge.'

'This research gives us valuable insight into how domestic cats arrived in China,' said Melinda Zeder, an archaeologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 'Linking the introduction of domestic cats to the Silk Road is a very interesting perspective.'

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in Science,   Creature, Posted by log1r_ut