For over 3,500 years before domestic cats arrived via the Silk Road, people in ancient China lived alongside leopard cats in settlements, fostering a long-term relationship that predates the arrival of Felis catus by millennia. New genomic research confirms that these wild felids weren’t just occasional visitors but integral parts of human life, filling a niche that domestic cats later occupied.
A History of Coexistence
The study, published in Cell Genomics, analyzed the genomes of 22 ancient felid bones unearthed from 14 archaeological sites across China dating back to 3500 B.C. The findings show a clear timeline: leopard cats ( Prionailurus bengalensis ) were the primary feline presence in China for centuries, while domestic cats didn’t appear until around A.D. 700 – a relatively recent introduction brought by merchants traveling the Silk Road. The earliest evidence of domestic cats comes from Tongwan City, a critical trading hub in western China.
This means that for thousands of years, ancient Chinese people had an established relationship with leopard cats, long before the domesticated African wildcat ( Felis lybica ) made its way to the region.
The “Chicken-Killing Tiger” and Human Utility
The researchers suggest that leopard cats likely played a role in pest control, preying on rodents in villages and fields. Study co-author Shu-Jin Luo of Peking University explains that people may have even attempted to raise leopard cat cubs for hunting purposes, though full domestication never occurred.
However, the relationship wasn’t without its drawbacks. In some parts of China, leopard cats are still known as the “chicken-killing tiger,” a nickname that reflects their tendency to prey on poultry. As agriculture evolved and chicken farming became more prevalent, leopard cats became less welcome.
The Rise of Domestic Cats and a Shifting Ecosystem
The transition wasn’t immediate. There’s a 600-year gap between the last identified leopard cat remains and the first domestic cats. This decline coincides with the Period of Division (A.D. 220–589) in China, marked by warfare, colder climates, and declining agricultural yields. The loss of hunting grounds for leopard cats, combined with the growing preference for chicken farming, likely contributed to their disappearance from human settlements.
Domestic cats, with their smaller prey preferences and more docile temperament, eventually took their place. The arrival of domestic breeds wasn’t about filling a need the leopard cats couldn’t fill – it was about finding a species that was better suited to the changing needs of agricultural society.
The study reinforces the idea that the domestication of cats wasn’t a simple linear process but a complex interaction between humans and multiple feline species. This new evidence suggests that ancient China’s relationship with wild cats was both enduring and unique.
Ultimately, the story of China’s early cats is a reminder that domestication is less about controlling nature than it is about adapting to changing conditions. The “chicken-killing tiger” lost out not because it was inferior, but because its behavior no longer aligned with the priorities of a society that valued chickens more than pest control.
