The earliest domestic cat arrived in China during the Tang dynasty’s rule between 618AD and 907AD, likely through the Eurasian trade routes connected to the Silk Road, according to a new DNA study.
Feline bones found at archaeological sites were long believed to show that cats lived alongside Chinese farming communities in the Stone Age. But a new DNA analysis of remains spanning over 5,000 years reveals that the early felines were native leopard cats rather than house cats.
