The world of big cats is a thrilling blend of power, grace, and mystery that has captured human imagination for centuries.

The African wildcat was first tamed in ancient Egypt some 4,000 years ago, marking the beginning of cat domestication. Cats ...

The bodies weren't human. They were feline—ancient cats that had been mummified and buried in pits in staggering numbers. "Not one or two here and there," reported the English Illustrated ...

Cat coffins and representations of the cat-headed goddess Bastet are among the extraordinary objects that reveal felines’ critical role in ancient Egyptian religious, social, and political life.

In 1890, an estimated 180,000 mummified cats, weighing 19.5 tonnes, were auctioned off. Where did the ancient felines come from and why were they so many? We take a look into a story that tells us ...

Cat Transit By analyzing mitochondrial DNA in the remains of some 200 ancient cats, researchers in France found that felines spread across the world first with farmers from the Fertile Crescent ...

How and when domestic cats arrived in China has been a mystery. A new analysis of cat DNA suggests traders and diplomats likely carried the pets with them along the Silk Road 1,400 years ago.

Ancient Egyptians thought cats were very special. They wanted to take their cats with them into the afterlife so they often mummified them and put them in their tombs. This piece of papyrus ...

In 1890 an estimated 180,000 mummified cats, weighing 19.5 tonnes, were auctioned off. Where did the ancient felines come from and why were they so many? We take a look into a story that tells us ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. This painting from the bottom of a bowl is one of the earliest depictions of a cat from China ...