History of Cats. From Egyptian Gods to Modern Sofas

Over millennia, cats have undergone an incredible metamorphosis in human eyes. From the worshiped deities of ancient Egypt, through medieval persecution as creatures of Satan, to their contemporary position as the most popular domestic animals.

Prehistory and the Beginnings of Domestication

The evolution of felines began long before humans even appeared on Earth. Around 25 million years ago, Proailurus lemanensis lived in European forests, the oldest known ancestor of modern cats. This prehistoric creature gave rise to a large family of predators that eventually spread across the entire world.

A pivotal moment in the history of the relationship between humans and cats was domestication. This occurred in two distant places almost simultaneously. On Cyprus, people began keeping cats around 9,500 years ago, while in the Middle East region, this process started approximately ten thousand years back.

The ancestor of today’s domestic cats was the Nubian cat inhabiting North Africa and the Middle East territories. These wild animals caught the attention of early farmers for a prosaic reason. Crop storage sites became a paradise for rodents that destroyed harvests and threatened the survival of communities. Cats proved to be natural and effective hunters that helped protect food supplies.

The oldest archaeological evidence of a close bond between humans and cats comes from Cyprus. There, a grave from 9,500 years ago was discovered where a person was buried together with a cat. This joint burial testifies to the exceptional relationship and significance these animals already had for people of the Neolithic era.

The Golden Age in Ancient Egypt

In no culture did cats enjoy as much respect as in ancient Egypt. There they became not only useful domestic animals but also sacred creatures surrounded by religious worship. Egyptians saw in cats living incarnations of divine powers, symbols of wisdom, fertility, and vital energy.

Killing a cat in Egypt constituted one of the gravest crimes, punishable by death. This law applied even when the animal’s death occurred accidentally. When a cat died a natural death, owners plunged into mourning comparable to the loss of a family member.

Cats were mummified with the same care as humans, later offered to the goddess Bastet. This deity with a feline head was one of the most popular objects of worship in the Egyptian pantheon. Archaeologists have discovered entire necropolises filled with mummified cats, showing the scale of this phenomenon.

Egyptian law also prohibited the export of cats beyond state borders under threat of the severest penalties. Rulers feared that other peoples might use these animals for their own purposes. Despite restrictions, cats gradually spread throughout the world, mainly thanks to merchants and travelers.

Expansion Across the Ancient World

From Egypt, cats reached many Mediterranean and Asian cultures. Phoenician merchants transported them on their ships, appreciating their ability to eliminate rodents on board. Thus these animals reached distant trading ports.

Cats arrived in Rome with legions returning from Egyptian military campaigns. Romans, like Greeks, valued them primarily as effective hunters. Unlike Egyptians, however, they did not surround them with religious worship, treating them more pragmatically.

In Islamic culture, cats occupied a privileged position. Tradition states that the Prophet Muhammad held them in special affection and advised believers to treat these animals humanely. It was believed they brought blessings and positive energies to homes.

In China and Japan as well, cats enjoyed respect. In the Middle Kingdom, they were considered symbols of luck and prosperity. The Japanese aristocracy treated cats as valuable pets, and their possession was a sign of high social status.

The Dark Middle Ages

The advent of the Middle Ages brought a dramatic change in how European societies perceived cats. What for millennia had been an object of worship or at least respect suddenly became a symbol of evil. The Roman Catholic Church played a key role in this transformation, spreading the belief in the diabolical nature of cats.

Black cats in particular were considered incarnations of satanic powers. People believed they were demons taking animal form or witches’ companions helping to cast evil spells. In Slavic folklore, the cat was identified with the demon Wargin, a sinister spirit bringing misfortune.

Pope Innocent VIII officially designated cats as pagan animals, providing religious justification for persecution. They were accused of cooperating with dark forces and metamorphosing into mythical creatures called changelings. This hysterical atmosphere led to unimaginable cruelty.

Between the tenth and twelfth centuries, mass killing of cats became common practice. Animals were burned alive at stakes, nailed to crosses, drowned in rivers, and walled up in building walls. It was believed that a cat with a mutilated body lost its sorcerous powers.

Bestial Tortures and Mass Executions

Church holidays paradoxically became times of the cruelest practices toward cats. During Easter and Shrovetide, mass executions of these animals were organized. Town carnivals and festivals included public torture of cats as a form of entertainment for crowds.

In 1547 in Brussels, a macabre device called cat organs was constructed. Unfortunate animals were placed in boxes, and their tails tied to a mechanism. Pulling strings caused pain, and cats meowed in agony, creating a grotesque parody of music.

In folk medicine, superstitious beliefs developed about the healing properties of cat body parts. Trade in such remains was widespread, further fueling hunts for these animals. These superstitions had no rational justification but were deeply rooted in social consciousness.

Even in Poland, where cats were valued for their ability to eliminate rodents, dark superstitions persisted. People believed in their connections with unclean forces, though simultaneously a social taboo existed against killing cats. A killer of such an animal could face community condemnation.

Return to Favor and Modernity

The plague epidemic in the fourteenth century contributed to the partial rehabilitation of cats. People remembered their irreplaceable role in controlling rat populations, the main carriers of pestilence. Persecution temporarily weakened, though later intensified again.

The real turning point came only in the seventeenth century, when cats became fashionable among European aristocracy. Writers, artists, and members of higher circles began keeping them as elegant companions. In the nineteenth century, cat shows were organized and fancier clubs established in Europe and the United States.

During World War II, cats worked in public institutions as official mouse hunters. Some served as military mascots, others were used to detect poison gas. In the Third Reich, the Jewish population could not keep domestic animals, constituting another element of dehumanization.

In the twentieth century, cats finally achieved the status of popular domestic animals, equaling dogs. Literature and film presented them in diverse roles, from mysterious and demonic characters to sympathetic, positive heroines. Today they constitute an integral part of life for millions of families worldwide, enjoying the love and respect that for centuries they were denied.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

• https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/zoology/item/how-did-cats-become-domesticated/
• https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/2001/05/01/cat-mummies/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440312001987
• https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/cats-in-ancient-egypt/
• https://www.science.org/content/article/ancient-egyptians-may-have-given-cats-personality-conquer-world
• https://www.worldhistory.org/article/466/cats-in-the-ancient-world/