How Wild Cats Became Domesticated as Pets

In a Ted Ed Lesson animated by Chintis Lundgren, genetics researcher Eva-Marie Geigl explains the history of how cats were first domesticated from their wild, solitary roots. Geigl looks at how cats were viewed, the use they provided to humans and how the cats responded to being in the company of humans.

In ancient times, wildcats were fierce carnivorous hunters. And unlike dogs, who have undergone centuries of selective breeding, modern cats are genetically very similar to ancient cats. How did these solitary, fierce predators become our sofa sidekicks? Eva-Maria Geigl traces the domestication of the modern house cat.