Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Pets Cats in History

It can be debated whether man domesticated cats, or if cats domesticated man, but either way, archaeological excavations on the island of Cyprus suggest that cats may have been living with man for almost 8,000 years.

No one knows for sure where the first domesticated cat came from, but it is likely that it all began in Africa with a breed of small, yellow, wild cats. These cats are thought to have looked something like miniature lions due to their yellow coloring. Documented cat history did not begin until their domestication in Ancient Egypt.

• The Egyptians considered cats sacred, and would not allow them to be transported out of the country. This did not prevent traders, and later on, conquers, from sneaking a few out now and again. From there, they rapidly spread throughout Western Europe and went east with sailors and overland traders.
• Egyptian cats are thought to have first been brought to Europe by Phoenician traders around 900 B.C.
• The Egyptian cats, which were brought to Europe, are thought to have crossed with the European Wildcat, producing the forerunner of the modern domestic cat.
• Modern day African Wildcats look so much like domesticated cats that they can be hard to tell apart.

Cats were considered sacred to the Egyptians, and thousands were mummified upon their deaths. The goddess Bast was often depicted as a cat, or a woman with a cat's head. Cats were kept in many Egyptian temples kept special cats. These cats would be closely watched and predictions were made based upon their actions.

• In Egypt, the punishment for killing a cat was death.

• In the late 1800's, 24 tons worth of mummified cats were shipped to England and used as fertilizer.

Modern day Abyssinian cats are thought to be similar to the type of cats present in ancient Egypt.

During the Middle Ages, cats became associated with the devil, and witchcraft. This in turn gave rise to a mass slaughter of cats, in the belief that if all the cats were killed the devil would no longer have a medium through which to work. This attempt at cat mass-murder is thought to have contributed to the spread of the Bubonic Plague. Without a sufficient cat population to keep the rodents under control, they multiplied profusely and were more effective in spreading the fleas that gave the plague to man.

• Throughout the Middle Ages, cats where routinely burned, in mass, at religious ceremonies.
• They were tortured for entertainment.
• For humans, being friendly with a cat, especially a black cat, could mean death – for it indicated that you were in league with the devil.
• In part, the western belief that cats are evil may have begun with the early Christian church's desire to root out all remaining elements of paganism. A popular goddess in northern Europe was Freya, who was closely associated with cats. Cats pulled her chariot and many of the rituals by which she was worship revolved around cats. When the church demonized her, cats where also demonized, due to their connection with her.

In modern times, as in ancient, cats are revered in many areas of Asia. In others, cats are considered a culinary delicacy.

• Cats are thought to act as guardians at Buddhist temples and many religious practices surround cats.

• To this day, in Japan, cats are thought to bring good luck, and statutes and amulets of cats abound. Legends about people being saved by cats are also popular.

Ancient, domesticated, cats were not like today's spoiled house pets. In the ancient worlds, most cats lived a semi-wild life, forced to hunt mice and other vermin to earn their keep.

It was not until the early 19^th century that modern breeding practices were used on cats. Consequently, many modern breeds of cats did not even exist 100 years ago!

• Cats are currently the most popular pets found in urban areas.

Cats have not only wended their way into our hearts and our homes, but their presence is also felt in our literature, and mythology.

• Consider, T.S. Eliot's beloved book of rhyming cat poems, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The long running musical Cats was based upon this book. Do you suppose that this musical would have been as popular if the main characters had been dogs?