Cat lovers in Britain have the Roman Army to thank for their feline friends, evidently… interesting study!
The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago | Science:
European samples that cluster with domestic cats only appear in the 1st century CE, suggesting a later dispersal of domestic cats than previously thought. Although broader sampling is needed, this study shows the complexity of population dynamics that is often revealed when looking beyond mitochondrial DNA