Ancient DNA un-zips cat domestication

Are cats domesticated? If so, how and when did domestication occur? A team of scientists at the University of Leuven analyzed the mitochondrial DNA of 200 ancient and modern cats. The gene Taqpep, which is associated with the blotched tabby pattern of many domestic cats (and the only feature of their domestication), occurs in high frequency only after 1700 BC. This finding is important as it indicates selective breeding was not occurring before, and thus the domestication process began far later in cats than in other animals. The authors argue that cats dispersed from two clades that originated in Egypt and the Near East, but the clade from Egypt is responsible for the greatest spread. Moreover, cats likely dispersed via maritime trade routes mediated by human dispersal.

If my cat could turn her meow-like conversations with me into words, I'm sure she would argue she is not domesticated. I'm not as convinced per her current state of begging me to push a little purple ball around from the comfort of my bed. I'm convinced her evolutionary history has only begun to unzip -- thank you aDNA!