Scientists from the University of Vienna, together with colleagues from the National Museum of Scotland, found that over the past 10 thousand years, the brain size of cats has decreased during domestication.
Experts came to this conclusion after comparing the skulls of 19 steppe cats Felis lybica. It was from this species that modern pets were separated. Experts also examined the bones of wild forest cats Felis silvestris and common pets.
As a result, the scientists found that the meowing animals that live near us have smaller skull volumes.
"Accordingly, their brains are also smaller than those of European wild cats and the wild ancestors of domestic cats, the African wild cats, which confirms the results obtained earlier," the authors of the new research project reported.
The experts noted that the main factor of natural selection during domestication was the ability to tame the animal.
The results of the study were published in the Royal Society Open Science.