In true cat style, cats took their time deciding when and where to bond with humans.
The shift from wild hunter to pampered pet happened more recently than previously thought — and in a different place, according to new scientific evidence.
Studies of bones found at archaeological sites show that cats began their close relationship with humans only a few thousand years ago, and not in the Levant in North Africa.
“They are ubiquitous, we make TV programs about them and they dominate the internet,” said Professor Gregor Larson of Oxford University.
“Our relationship with cats now appears to have begun only 3.5 or 4,000 years ago, rather than 10,000 years ago.”
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