Two new research efforts propose that cats likely became human companions for the first time following large-scale ritual sacrifices of these animals in ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt is widely recognized as a cradle of civilization where both the domestication and veneration of cats were common.Evidence such as mummified cat remains and deities like the goddess Bastet indicates that felines and humans coexisted closely in this region.

Yet,the precise circumstances that led to cats becoming companions remained unclear.A key breakthrough came in 2001,when scientists uncovered a 9,500-year-old grave in Cyprus containing the remains of a human and a cat,suggesting that domestication may have begun on this Mediterranean island.