Why Pugs Looks Like a Persian Cat: Shocking Study Reveals ‘Copy-Cat’ Evolution

Ever noticed how pugs kind of resembles a Persian cat? Turns out, that’s not just your imagination—or a cute coincidence.

A jaw-dropping new study from Cornell University and Washington University, published April 28 in PNAS, reveals that selective breeding has pushed certain dogs and cats to evolve nearly identical skull shapes. Yes, your smush-faced pup and your flat-nosed feline have more in common than most of their own species.

Researchers found that breeds like pugs, bulldogs, and Pekingese dogs, along with Persian, Himalayan, and Burmese cats, have undergone extreme evolutionary convergence—a process where unrelated species evolve similar traits when subjected to the same pressures. In this case, the pressure wasn’t nature. It was us.

“We’ve basically made dogs and cats evolve to look like each other,” said Abby Drake, senior lecturer at Cornell and coauthor of the study. “Despite coming from completely different evolutionary paths, they ended up with nearly identical skulls because of how we’ve bred them.”

By analyzing 3D CT scans of skulls from domestic and wild cats and dogs—plus other species like weasels and walruses—the team discovered a remarkable pattern: some flat-faced dogs and cats are more similar to each other than to their own wild ancestors. That’s right—your Pekingese may have more in common with a Himalayan cat than with a wolf.

It’s the first time scientists have documented this level of interspecies convergence in domesticated animals. And it didn’t take millions of years. Humans pulled this off in just a few centuries by repeatedly selecting for the “cute” flat-faced look.

But there's a dark side to this adorable evolution. Drake warns that the same features we find endearing—short muzzles, pushed-in noses, upturned faces—can cause serious health issues. Brachycephalic breeds often struggle with breathing, eating, and even giving birth. “They wouldn’t survive in the wild,” she said.

Still, the study opens a fascinating window into just how powerful artificial selection can be. Dogs, for instance, are now more morphologically diverse than the entire order of Carnivora (which includes everything from foxes to bears). Cats, too, have evolved faster and further than their entire family tree would suggest.

“They start off in different places,” said Drake, “but because humans applied the same selection pressures, they evolved to look almost identical.”

So next time your pug snuggles up to your Persian, just know: science says they really are two peas in a smushy little pod.