Recent genetic research has revealed that domestic cats only became companions to humans around 3,500 years ago, with their arrival in Europe and Britain traced to the Roman period about 2,000 years ago. Scientists analyzed ancient feline remains from nearly 100 archaeological sites, uncovering that domestication began in North Africa before cats were transported by Roman traders as natural pest controllers. The study also identified two distinct waves of cat migration into Europe, first with African wildcats and later with true domestic cats during the Roman imperial era. In China, people lived alongside wild leopard cats for millennia before domestic cats arrived via trade routes around 700 AD, highlighting the varied paths of feline domestication across cultures.