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The Feline: From Goddess to Pet

An Essay by Julie Coll

Photographs by Roger Sensenbaugh



This is an article about cats. For interesting information on cats, click here.

The cat has a history as fascinating and mysterious as the creature itself. The true beginnings of the domestic cat are unknown, but the cat may have first appeared around 3000 B.C. in a country called Nubia, which bordered Egypt. Egypt later conquered Nubia and by 2500 B.C. the cat was domesticated in Egypt. The cat's first name in Egypt was Myeo or Mau. The mau's status in Egypt grew rapidly; she was eventually considered guardian of the temple and was worshipped as a goddess. Ancient Egyptians believed the cat was the daughter of Isis and Goddess of the Sun and the Moon. They also believed that the glow from a cat's eyes held captive the light of the sun. The goddess Bast, who controlled the life-giving sun's heat, had the head of a cat. Besides being worshipped as goddesses cats also had a practical function: they kept mice and rats from overrunning the Egyptian grain storehouses. Ancient Egyptians carved wooden figures of cats and crafted furniture and jewelry in the shape of cats. Most of the larger art museums today have at least one life-size sculpture of a cat from ancient Egypt.

Killing a cat in ancient Egypt was a crime punishable by death. Cats were mummified when they died and saucers of milk along with mummified rats and mice were placed in the cats' tombs. Cat cemeteries existed along the Nile River and cat mummies have also been found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians.

Although law prevented exporting cats from Egypt, cats were frequently stolen by Phonecian traders and taken to Mediterranean countries. Egyptian soldiers were encouraged to take any cats they saw during their foreign travels and bring them back to Egypt, their true home.

When Persia attacked the Egyptian city of Pelusium, the Persian king was aware of the Egyptians' devotion and loyalty to the cat and he devised a plan: her ordered his soldiers to search the city and take any cat they found. During the next attack, his soldiers each held up a live cat as they came near the Egyptian borders. Rather than harm the cats, the Egyptians surrendered their city to Persia.

The Greeks were probably the first Europeans to recognize cats for their mouse-catching talents. When Egyptians refused to sell or trade any of their cats, the Greeks stole several of the Egyptian cats and sold the kittens of these stolen cats to Romans, Gauls, and Celts. The cat became the symbol of liberty in ancient Rome. Roman artists often showed Libertus, the Goddess of Liberty, with a cat lying at her feet.

Cats were domesticated in India and the Far East later than in Egypt, around 2000 B.C. People in India and China praised cats for their ability to catch rats and mice. Ancient Chinese believed that cats brought good fortune and that the glow from a cat's eyes frightened away evil spirits.

In Burma and Siam it was believed that the souls of departed people lived in the bodies of sacred cats before moving on to the next life. Cats lived in the temples and palaces of Siam (which is now Thailand). In Japan religious ceremonies were sometimes held for the souls of departed cats. Cats in Japan were required to be kept on leashes until 1602; a law was then passed to set the cats free to kill the rats which were hurting the silkworms.

By the end of the eleventh century cats were popular among sailors because of their rat-catching skills. Sailors admired cats because they destroyed disease-infested rats which lived on ships. Many sailors believed that cats possessed special powers that could protect them at sea.

Although the cat was held in high regard and fancied during ancient times, the cat didn't fare well in Europe during the Middle Ages. Leaders of the Christian church began a campaign against cats. They were slaughtered in masses in just about all of Europe, which led to the near extinction of cats in Europe by 1400. Cats were associated with evil, witchcraft, voodoo, and black magic. Many people believed that witches regularly transformed themselves into cats. Men and women were tortured or even killed for helping a sick or injured cat. During the witch hunts in Europe many innocent people were accused of witchcraft simply because they owned cats. Black cats were especially feared.

Why were cats persecuted during Europe's Middle Ages? Possibly because they travelled at night, and often bonded with elderly women living alone who were frequently victims of witchcraft accusations by suspicious neighbors. The aloofness and independent nature of cats may have added to the belief that they were evil. This terrible period of persecution of cats lasted about 400 years, but never spread to India or the Middle and Far East. By the eighteenth century, cats were once again looked upon favorably. In 1835, a law was passed in England forbidding the mistreatment of any animals.

Traders from the Orient, explorers, and colonists brought cats to the Americas in the 1700's. Cats even travelled to North America with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Most of these immigrant cats are ancestors of cats living here today.

Cats have lived with kings as well as presidents. White cats were popular among royalty, like Louis XV of France. Japanese and Chinese emperors owned white cats. zCats lived with Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Napoleon may have hated cats but his conqueror, the Duke of Wellington, was a cat lover, as was Queen Victoria. France's Cardinal Richelieu provided for the future care of his fourteen cats in his will. In India today the Hindu religion urges followers to provide food and shelter for at least one cat.

Some legends and superstitions about cats exist today, like that about the nine lives of cats. Another legend that survived from Europe's Middle Ages into the present states that on every black cat there is a single hair that is white. If you remove it without the cat scratching, this white hair will bring you wealth or luck in love. One superstition states that a black cat crossing one's path brings bad luck, but in Great Britain black cats are thought to bring good luck.

Today the elegant, graceful cat has become a popular housepet throughout the world. The cat is one of the smartest of tame animals. They are independent and harder to train. Cats are valued for their gentle, affectionate natures. They have good memories; they remember who treats them well and who treats them badly. A cat's loyalty is earned; a cat won't stay where it is mistreated. They respond to loving owners with loyalty, affection, and respect.

Cats are noted for their keen senses: their sharp hearing, sense of smell, and ability to see in near darkness. Not only are the cat's eyes beautiful but these eyes are the largest in proportion to body size when compared to other animals. Cats are clean and have been praised for their mysterious, exotic looks. Perhaps Leonardo DaVinci summed it up best when he referred to the cat as "Nature's Masterpiece."

Bibliography

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