What is the name given to the earliest known cat?

Proailurus

The oldest fossil classified as being in the Family Felidae (the true cats) is called Proailurus. These fossils appear from 20-30 million years ago.

The next step in cat history is called Pseudaelurus. It appears in the fossil record from 20-30 million years ago.

Some time after that there was a split between what we call the Subfamily Machairodontinae (the saber-toothed cats) and the Subfamily Felinae (the conical-toothed cats).

All modern cats are in the Subfamily Felinae, the conical-toothed cats.

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