image: The Neolithic cultural level inside Zarska Cave, where one of the earliest cat remains of the Near Eastern lineage was discovered. view more
Credit: Image credit: Michal Wojenka and Magdalena Krajcarz.
A study suggests that the ancestors of domestic cats existed in a commensal but not yet domesticated relationship with Neolithic farmers. The earliest known interactions between humans and the precursors of domesticated housecats began in the Near East, with evidence of migration to Europe around 4200 to 2300 BCE. Magdalena Krajcarz and colleagues analyzed stable isotopes in six samples of cat remains from the late Neolithic Period, along with stable isotopes of 34 associated animal species, including the European wildcat, to assess the diet of the early European cats as well as the ecology of wild and domesticated animals in the region. The authors also compared the Neolithic cats to early domestic cat samples from the Roman Period in Poland. The analyses suggest that by the Late Neolithic, human agricultural activity had already altered the stable isotope ratios of rodents, which became significant food sources for the opportunistic Near Eastern cats. Stable isotope ratios of Near Eastern cats and European wildcats displayed only minor differences, suggesting that the cats shared an ecological niche. According to the authors, although Near Eastern cats may have followed early farmers to Europe, they existed in a commensal, free-living relationship, not yet fully dependent on humans for food and sharing an ecological niche with native wildcats.
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Article #19-18884: "Ancestors of domestic cats in Neolithic Central Europe: Isotopic evidence of a synanthropic diet," by Magdalena Krajcarz et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Magdalena Krajcarz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, POLAND; e-mail: <magkrajcarz@umk.pl>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences