New research suggests that domestic cats first appeared in China around 600 CE, likely arriving via the Silk Road trade route. DNA analysis indicates that domestic cats were brought to China by Silk Road traders, with evidence suggesting they were transported in small cages from the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia around 600 CE. Initially considered luxury pets, domestic cats quickly gained popularity among China's elite. The study, which analyzed 22 feline remains from 14 archaeological sites in China, found a close genetic relationship between the domestic cats in China and a cat that lived in Kazakhstan between 775 and 940 CE.
image sourced from original article at https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/archaeology-around-the-world/article-845422Original article source: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/archaeology-around-the-world/article-845422
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