How Cats Domesticated Themselves: A Tale of Natural Selection

Unlike dogs, who were actively bred and trained by humans over thousands of years, cats took a different route to domestication, one led almost entirely by natural selection and their own instincts.

It Started With Food

Around 9,000 years ago, as humans began farming and storing grain, rodents became a problem. Enter the wildcat (Felis lybica), a solitary hunter native to the Middle East and Africa. These cats began hanging around early human settlements, not for affection, but for easy hunting.

Humans tolerated them because they controlled pests. And over time, the wildcats that were less fearful of humans had a clear advantage: more food, more territory, and better chances of survival. These bolder, calmer cats thrived and passed on their genes.

Evolution Through Natural Selection

Unlike with dogs, humans didn’t deliberately breed cats at first. Instead, cats evolved through self-selective traits:

• Less aggression
• Lower flight response
• More tolerance toward humans and other cats

Generation after generation, this created a new type of cat; still independent, but more sociable and willing to live alongside people.

Still Wild at Heart

Despite thousands of years of coexisting with humans, domestic cats today are still incredibly similar to their wild ancestors in terms of genetics, behavior, and body structure. That’s why your couch-loving tabby might still stalk bugs like a jungle predator.

In Short:

Cats domesticated themselves by choosing to live near humans and benefiting from it. We didn’t tame them; they chose us.