Introduction to the African Wild Cat

The African wild cat (Felissilvestrislybica), also known as the desert cat, is a subspecies of the wild cat (F. silvestris). They seem to have branched off from another subspecies 131 million years ago [2]. Some wild cats were domesticated in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, and these wild cats became the ancestors of domestic cats. As early as 9,500 years ago in Cyprus, domestic cats were released into human cemeteries for burial.