All domesticated cats today descend from a wildcat species, Felis silvestris lybica, that originated in Africa and the Middle East. Scientists believe these cats followed rodents that were after human ...

Two studies of ancient felines find that cats were likely domesticated in Egypt or other regions in North Africa — and moved into Europe with humans much later than previously believed.

But with the right preparation and training it need not be such a worrisome time. Before introducing a kitten to the outdoors, you should take certain precautions. Kittens should be microchipped ...

Image credit: Kaelin et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.055. Lots of mammals come in shades of orange — think tigers, golden retrievers, orangutans and red-headed humans — but only in domestic cats ...

There's no question that humans have left an indelible mark on the world, but we're also inadvertently steering the evolution of the life around us.

Discover the history of our feline friends, and learn about the debate over whether cats are really "domesticated" at all.

The cat specimen is large and best resembles the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), rather than present-day domestic cats. There are no native feline species on Cyprus, so the authors presume ...

Experts such as Helen Senn, the head of conservation at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, who is part of a project to rewild the Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris), warns that ...

Modern domestic cats (Felis Catus) descend from African wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica). Previous research suggests these felines began living alongside humans in the Middle East roughly 10,000 ...

“In this photograph, I am using radio tracking to monitor European wildcats (Felis silvestris) with my daughter, Sabana. I love this image, because it brings together my two worlds: science and ...

For a long time, archaeologists interpreted the many bones of small carnivores they found in early Neolithic settlements in the Levant as coming from fur hunters, but new analysis suggests they were ...

By Ruth Kamnitzer In 2018, Han Xue-song, then a researcher with the Beijing-based Shan Shui Conservation Center, was in the ...