Giorgia Burzachechi The FELIX project studies the age-old relationship between cats and humans, analyzing over 800 archaeological samples to understand how domestication influenced the genome and eating habits of cats.
@Canva
The enduring relationship between humans and cats began in the Neolithic period, around the 9th millennium BCE.
Cats first approached early human communities, drawn to the food scraps left behind. Egyptian iconography and archaeological evidence from as early as 1700 BCE suggest a second center of domestication, further strengthening this unique relationship.
The human-cat bond has always been intense, but it remains enigmatic and captivating. This relationship has recently become the subject of an in-depth study by a research team at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”.
FELIX: a project to explore the genetic and dietary history of cats
The FELIX project, “Genomes, Food, and Microorganisms in the (Pre)History of Cat-Human Interactions,” has received €2 million in funding from the European Union to conduct its research.
“The project FELIX focuses on analyzing over 800 archaeological cat samples (bones, teeth, and even Egyptian mummy samples) dating from as far back as 10,000 years ago to more recent historical periods (18th-19th centuries). The samples come from archaeological sites in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa,”
explained Claudio Ottoni, a molecular biologist and one of the 17 Italian researchers awarded this type of grant at national universities or research centers. Only 30 other Italian researchers working abroad have received similar grants.
Understanding the Impact of Domestication on Cats’ Evolution
FELIX is diving deep into the human-cat connection, investigating how domestication has shaped the cat’s genome and dietary habits. The project aims to reveal how coexistence with humans has influenced the cat’s evolution and its adaptation to human-populated ecosystems. This research also examines the cat’s role in zoonotic disease transmission dynamics—diseases that move from animals to humans—offering a unique perspective on our shared history, based on three critical factors: genome, diet, and microorganisms within the cats’ bodies.
Ancient routes and modern felines
A prior study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution in 2017, showed that cats followed two main paths throughout history: a land route, which saw them spread across the Middle East and Anatolia around 10,000 years ago when humans began farming, and a maritime route, spreading through trade routes from ancient Egypt to various European ports as far as the North Sea between the 8th and 11th centuries.
So far, research indicates that today’s cats are not vastly different from those ancient cats. Only a few characteristics have changed, mainly due to human-driven selection for aesthetic reasons.
As we await the conclusion of this five-year research project, we look forward to uncovering, alongside researchers, the fascinating secrets behind this ancient companionship between humans and cats.
Source: ERCFelix
