Oldest Tiger-like Skull Yet - Hints Evolution Got It Right From Start   National Geographic - October 19, 2011
A tiger-like skull unearthed from 2.5-million-year-old rock is the oldest known complete specimen related to modern big cats, according to a new study. Representing a new species, the skull isn't that different from those of modern tigers, suggesting evolution hit on a winning formula early on and stuck with it.

Big cat fossil found in North Sea    BBC - November 19, 2008
The partial leg bone of a sabre-toothed cat has been dredged from the seabed by a trawler in the North Sea. The rare fossil, which is between one and two million years old and was found near the UK coast, is from a type of sabre-tooth called a scimitar cat.

Oldest Known Pet Cat? 9,500-Year-Old Burial Found on Cyprus    National Geographic - April 8, 2004
Dig discovery is oldest 'pet cat' BBC - April 8, 2004