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LiveScience
LiveScience
Sascha Pare

Pet cats arrived in China via the Silk Road 1,400 years ago, ancient DNA study finds

China East Asia
Cat illustration on the ancient bowl.

China's first pet cats arrived in the country around 1,400 years ago — likely via the famous Silk Road trading route, ancient feline DNA reveals.

This new research — hailed as a "knockout study" — places the arrival of domestic cats in East Asia several hundred years later than previous studies. And it appears that the kitties were an instant hit with the local elite.

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