Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why are domestic cats genetically similar to African wildcats?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Young boy in a red shirt smiles while hugging a fluffy tabby cat, their faces close together. — cats as pets A boy hugging a pet cat.

Domestic cats are genetically similar to African wildcats because they are direct descendants of this species, and unlike many other domesticated animals, they have undergone very little biological or physical change since their domestication began.12

While species like dogs have changed radically over thousands of years of selective breeding, domestic cats remain almost identical to their wild counterparts. This close genetic relationship is evidenced by the fact that domestic cats and African wildcats are still able to interbreed readily. Because they have retained much of their original wild nature, physiology, and independence, experts often do not consider the cat to be a fully domesticated animal in the same sense as other livestock.13

Their association with humans likely began as a mutually beneficial relationship—humans provided grain storage that attracted rodents, and cats provided natural pest control. Over time, this partnership evolved into companionship, but the species never underwent the intense artificial selection that would have significantly altered their fundamental genetic makeup.124