This June 19th article from National Geographic reports “In a new comprehensive study of the spread of domesticated cats, DNA analysis suggests that cats lived for thousands of years alongside humans before they were domesticated. During that time, their genes have changed little from those of wildcats, apart from picking up one recent tweak: the distinctive stripes and dots of the tabby cat.” – http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/domesticated-cats-dna-genetics-pets-science/