A woman holds a cat during a judging session of an international feline beauty competition, dubbed the Feline Oscars, featuring more than 200 cats, in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, March 21, 2026. When I announce that I'm not really a pet person (and especially that I don't particularly want a dog), people stare at me like I'm a criminal.
A woman holds a cat during a judging session of an international feline beauty competition, dubbed the Feline Oscars, featuring more than 200 cats, in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, March 21, 2026.
When I announce that I'm not really a pet person (and especially that I don't particularly want a dog), people stare at me like I'm a criminal.
Recently, a study published in bioRxiv has called into question the timeline of cat ownership.
The page is ready to read now. The fuller skim-friendly version will appear here automatically.
A woman holds a cat during a judging session of an international feline beauty competition, dubbed the Feline Oscars, featuring more than 200 cats, in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, March 21, 2026. When I announce that I'm not really a pet person (and especially that I don't particularly want a dog), people stare at me like I'm a criminal. Recently, a study published in bioRxiv has called into question the timeline of cat ownership.
At least I'm not as vicious as the world's first cat owners. Previously, scientists believed that cats became domesticated during the Neolithic period as African wildcats were drawn in by the cosy fires and abundance of food linked to farming, while humans welcomed their presence as they got rid of rodents.
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.