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Meow – The History of Cat Domestication, and How Our Furry Friends Domesticated Themselves

Khalid Elhassan June 3, 2025 17 min

18. Did the Chinese Independently Domesticate Cats From a Different Wildcat Species?

Range of the wildcat discovered in Quanhucun, China. Public Library of Science

Recent archaeological finds threw a twist into – and shed more light on – the story of cat domestication. The discovery of cat remains at a Neolithic site in Quanhucun, central China, suggested that the Chinese might have independently domesticated cats from a different wildcat species than Felis lybica. Located in Shaanxi province, Quanhucun offers evidence of a close relationship between humans and cats in China as early as 5,300 years ago.

Archaeological excavations in the early 2010s revealed that it was a thriving farming village of the Yangshao culture. The site yielded finds such as house foundations, pottery, food storage pits, and the remains of domesticated plants like millet. There were also cat bones – an unusual and significant discovery. Through radiocarbon dating and isotope analysis, researchers determined that the cats lived during the Neolithic period, circa 3,300 BC.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.