Ancient archaeological sites rarely have any cat remains so there is hardly any data available to reveal how they were domesticated. Previously, it was believed cats were domesticated 4000 years ago in Egypt. But the discovery of a wild cat buried with a human in Cyprus dated almost 10,000 years ago has changed that theory.
Based on recent DNA studies, the the African Wildcat or the Near Eastern Wildcat, as it is sometimes called, is shown to be the primary ancestor of all domestic cats in the world. This wildcat (see image) is native to Western Asia and Africa and is most the common and widely distributed wild cat. Although this species of wildcat is not native to China, the researchers theorize that the cats found at Quanhucun may have been domesticated elsewhere and brought to the region.
The recent discovery also suggest that cats were attracted to ancient farming villages by rodents and other small animals living on the grain that the farmers grew, ate and stored.
