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The History of Cats: From Worship to Diabolical Comparisons.
The history of cats is as old as time itself. In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was punishable by death, yet in the Middle Ages, cats were considered messengers of the devil. Nowadays, these furry companions are the heroes of memes and irreplaceable friends in many households.
The ancestor of the domestic cat is the Nubian cat, originating from North Africa and the Middle East. The issue of cat domestication remains disputed. Some sources point to occurrences as far back as 9500 years ago (in Cyprus) or 8000 years ago (in Western Asia). However, domestication of cats in ancient Egypt is estimated to have occurred around 4000 years ago. It was there that they were revered and surrounded by a cult.
Did the Egyptians worship cats?
For the Egyptians, cats were domestic companions and were even given a place in temples. According to tradition, Egyptian gods were depicted in animal form, and many of them were endowed with feline attributes. In the First Dynasty, protecting the pharaoh’s house from snakes, the goddess Mafdet was represented as a lynx or an ocelot. It was also believed that the Sun god Ra transformed into a cat at night to battle the lord of darkness, Apophis. Symbolizing fertility and caring for humans, the goddess Bastet had a cat’s head and sometimes a full…
