Throughout history, cats have played a fundamental role in households and cultures. So much so that they were exalted and honored by their ARISTOPARENTS. Today, we propose taking a brief journey into the past to champion the role of kitties in the world's major ancient cultures.
Egypt
By 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, cats had already been domesticated in Ancient Egypt. They were idolized by the court and society in general. Initially, they were associated with protecting the granaries and the wheat they contained (a vital resource for this people), but they also kept rats and vipers at bay, which led the Egyptians to believe that they were an earthly representation of the goddess Bastet.
Bastet was the protective goddess of the home, but she was also associated with the night, the moon, and its mysteries. She watched over the souls of the dead and made both humans and animals highly fertile. That is why she was depicted with a cat's head. And, most importantly, that is why cats were defended tooth and nail. Any attack against an ARISTOCAT was punishable by death. And speaking of dying, when cats passed away, they were mummified, and their owners shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning. We already told you more about this in this article.
Japan
Cats have been present in Japanese households for more than 1,000 years. Whether as life companions, in symbolically charged representations such as maneki-neko (to which we dedicated a post that you can read here), or as beings deserving of offerings (on the island of Tashirojima, there is an altar dedicated to these felines, built to celebrate the fact that cats there hunt the rats that, in turn, feed on the area's main commercial product: silkworms).
ARISTOCATS are also very present in Japanese literature. Two great novels are good examples: I Am a Cat, by Natsume Sōseki, and The Cat That Came from the Sky, by Takashi Hiraide.
Islamic tradition
Love and respect for cats are rooted in the foundations of Islam. In fact, Muhammad is said to have been very fond of cats. His favorite cat was called Muezza. Legend has it that one day he was about to go out to pray, and his animal had fallen asleep on his robe. To avoid waking it, the prophet cut off the part of the garment occupied by his feline... and let it continue sleeping.
In addition, they are considered inherently clean animals under religious hygiene laws. That is why they can enter homes and even mosques. In this documentary, you can see how cats are part of life in one of the great Islamic capitals: Istanbul.
China
In China, the goddess Li Shou was responsible for fertility and pest extermination. She was depicted as a cat and was very popular. This was partly due to another myth recorded during the time of Confucius (551 BC-479 BC), which explained that when the world was new, the gods chose cats as supervisors of their creation. They therefore gave them the ability to speak to facilitate communication among them. Despite their popularity throughout the centuries, cats were especially loved, admired, and respected during the Song dynasty (960–1279).
We hope you enjoyed this historical and cultural journey through the lives of cats and their presence in our societies.