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

Khalid Elhassan June 3, 2025 17 min

16. The Arrival of Domesticated Cats in China

Prionailurus bengalensis, the kind of wildcat whose remains were found in Quanhucun. Naturalis

Some researchers initially hypothesized that the Quanhucun cats represented a separate domestication event, distinct from the Near Eastern domestication of Felis lybica. However, it eventually turned out that the Quanhucun cats were not fully domesticated. They were likely wild or semi-wild felines that resembled the Asian leopard cat, Prionailurus bengalensis, which was native to the region.

Further genetic studies confirmed that all modern domestic cats trace their lineage to Felis lybica, and none are descended from the leopard cat. As such, while early Chinese cats might have had a close relationship with humans, truly domesticated cats reached China later, likely spread from the Near East along trade routes.

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.