When were cats first associated with humans?

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A Maine Coon longhair cat with cream and white fur sits beside a tabby shorthair cat in a garden with green foliage in the background. — cat Two kinds of domestic cats.

The earliest known association between cats and humans likely dates back to the origins of agriculture in the Middle East, approximately 15,000 to 10,000 years ago.1

This relationship began as a partnership based on mutual need: as humans transitioned from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settled agriculture, cats were drawn to the rodents that fed on stored grain and crops. Humans benefited from this natural pest control, while cats found a reliable food source.1

Evidence of a deeper bond appears in a grave discovered in Cyprus dating to about 9,500 years ago, which contained the remains of both a human and a cat. Because cats are not native to the island, their presence indicates they were transported there by boat, suggesting they were already valued as companions by that time.1