Evolution of the cats

EvolutionEvolution

Main article: Cat evolution

Skulls of a wildcat (top left), a housecat (top right), and a hybrid between the two (bottom centre)
The domestic cat is a member of the Felidae, a

family that had a common ancestor about 10–15 million years ago.[40] The genus Felis diverged from the Felidae around 6–7 million years ago.[41] Result

s of phylogenetic research confirm that the wild Felis species evolved through sympatric or parapatric speciation, whereas the domestic cat evolved through artificial selection.[42] The domesticated cat and its closest wild ancestor are diploid like all mammals and

both possess 38 chromosomes[43] and roughly 20,000 genes.[44] The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) was tamed independently in China around 5500 BC. This line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today.[45]