Genetic Diff erentiation Between Domestic Cats and Wildcats

Abstract

The process of commensal domestication of cats from their ancestor wildcats Felis silvestris is not well understood To identify the genetic underpinnings of cat domestication we analyzed 46 whole genome sequences WGS comprising 3 wildcat species and 16 cat breeds documenting over 34 million single nucleotide polymorphisms SNPs We first showed clear evidence of genomic divergence of domestic cats and wildcats A genomic comparison between domestic cats and wildcats revealed evidence of genetic selection of underlying neurological functions nutrient metabolism and coat patterns mirroring their historical roles of domestic cats and morphological and behavioral diff erentiation from wild progenitors.