On the probable genotype of domestic cats in ancient Egypt

Genetic and archaeological evidence suggests that the majority of mummified ritual cats (Felis libyca subsp.) in ancient Egypt carried the t⁺ allele and exhibited the striped tabby phenotype. A few of these ritual cats, however, appear to be F. chaus subsp., most likely carried the T^a allele and were characterized by the Abyssinian phenotype. Several types of evidence suggest that the T^a allele first became fixed in a Felis sp. population in either southeast Asia or northeast Africa. A number of Felis subspecies appear to be plausible candidates for the population of T^a origin.