When did cats and dogs appear? - briefly
Cats and dogs diverged from their common ancestor around 55 million years ago, with domestic cats appearing approximately 9,000 years ago and dogs being domesticated around 15,000 to 40,000 years ago.
When did cats and dogs appear? - in detail
The evolutionary history of cats and dogs traces back millions of years, with their origins rooted in distinct lineages of carnivorous mammals. Dogs, scientifically classified as Canis lupus familiaris, descended from ancient wolves. The domestication of dogs is widely believed to have begun between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the late Pleistocene epoch. This process likely started when wolves began scavenging near human settlements, leading to a mutually beneficial relationship. Over time, selective breeding by humans resulted in the diverse range of dog breeds we see today. Genetic evidence suggests that all modern dogs share a common ancestor with gray wolves, diverging from them approximately 15,000 to 40,000 years ago.
Cats, on the other hand, belong to the species Felis catus and have a more recent domestication timeline compared to dogs. The domestication of cats is thought to have occurred around 9,000 to 10,000 years ago, coinciding with the advent of agriculture in the Near East. Wildcats, particularly the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), were attracted to human settlements due to the presence of rodents feeding on stored grain. Unlike dogs, cats were likely self-domesticated, as humans tolerated their presence for their pest control abilities. Genetic studies indicate that domestic cats share a close relationship with their wild ancestors, with minimal genetic changes over millennia.
Both cats and dogs have ancestral roots that extend far beyond their domestication. The family Canidae, which includes dogs, wolves, and other canids, first appeared approximately 40 million years ago during the Eocene epoch. Similarly, the family Felidae, encompassing all cat species, emerged around 25 million years ago during the Oligocene epoch. These ancient lineages evolved into the diverse array of species we recognize today, with domestication shaping the specific traits of cats and dogs as human companions. The appearance of cats and dogs as we know them is thus the result of millions of years of evolution and thousands of years of human influence.