Question

What are the cat’s closest relatives?

Answer 1

Cats are members of the Felidae family, which includes other species of wild cats such as lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs. They are also closely related to other members of the family, such as the domestic cat's closest relative, the African wildcat.

Answer 2

According to a recent study by Claudio Ottoni, cat domestication took place in two strains, but all domestic cats have a common ancestor: the North African / Southwest Asian wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica (Ottoni et al., 2017).