Leopard cats were living alongside people in ancient China for more than 3,500 years before domestic cats arrived from Europe via the Silk Road.

The modern house cat reached China in the 8th century. Before that, another cat — the leopard cat — hunted the rodents in ancient Chinese settlements.

A research team led by Professor Luo Shujin from the School of Life Sciences has uncovered a surprising chapter in the ...

Cats didn’t become house pets because humans needed them. They didn’t herd animals, pull carts, or guard property.

The leopard was chasing the cat to prey upon when the felines fell into a well. However, after realizing the situation, the leopard decided to leave its intended prey alone. At a point, the cat even ...

The origins of domestic cats — centuries before they conquered the world’s sofas and internet memes — have long been murky. Now, ancient DNA is helping to fill in the blanks, and the findings shake up ...

Leopard cats lived near humans in China over 5,000 years before domestic cats arrived 22 small cat bones from Chinese archaeological sites revealed early leopard cat presence Leopard cats helped ...

A leopard cat, which is under second-class state protection in China, is seen in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on ...

It seems that domestic cats were not the first felines to live with humans, a study undertaken in China has revealed. In fact, the cats we are most familiar with they only arrived in the region via ...