The establishment of the Columbus Australian Rules Football Club traces back to the late 2000s when Matt Reiss, a fullback for the Cincinnati Dockers, relocated to central Ohio. Around the same time, Chet Ridenour was invited to play with the Dockers in 2007 by another player. Ridenour joined with Reiss and they initially began recruiting to train in Columbus as part of the Dockers. This effort was boosted by a half-dozen players from a local movement years earlier known as the Columbus Lighthorse, including Aussie and future club legend, Scott “Scoota” Matheson. 

As their numbers grew, they decided to challenge the Dockers to a scrimmage in Cinci, and after winning that first match, they decided to establish a club in their hometown, leading to the formation of the Columbus Jackaroos in 2008. Two years later, Ridenour and Matheson, along with strong support from Alan Gardner and Eric Politz led the charge to establish the women’s team, the Jillaroos.

The team continued to develop and under the leadership of former Marine, John Fisher, who became head coach in 2011, the team adopted a style emphasizing hard running and handball. This approach led to significant victories, including wins over the Nashville Kangaroos and the North Carolina Tigers. In 2012, the Jackaroos reached the Division Three grand final at the USAFL Nationals but narrowly lost to the Chicago Swans under controversial circumstances.

The following year, the team channeled their determination into an impressive season, culminating in winning the Division Two National Championship in 2013. They defeated teams such as Baltimore/Washington, Minnesota, and New York, and triumphed over the Los Angeles Dragons in the grand final, marking a significant achievement in the club's history. 

In 2018, the club went through a rebrand and changed to the Columbus Cats to consolidate the men’s and women’s names and align with AFL club Geelong for additional support.