Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which prehistoric mammal is thought to be the ancestor of all true cat species?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
cats as pets
A boy hugging a pet cat.
The prehistoric mammal thought to be the ancestor of all true cat species is Proailurus.1
Evolving approximately 30 million years ago, Proailurus was a small, civet-like predator. While this ancient mammal is considered the progenitor of the entire cat family, it is important to distinguish this from the ancestry of the modern domestic cat. The domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) is primarily descended from the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica).12