Legend has it that cats would go out into the streets at night and light up the roads with their eyes. Their light is similar to that of the moon. Since ancient times, there has always been a certain relationship between cats and the moon.
Felines often attract attention because of their eyes and the way they stare. In ancient Egyptian culture, it was said that a cat's gaze sought the truth and that it saw beyond death. The eyes are a very important part of cats. They are their means of body-language communication. Depending on how they look at you, you can deduce what they feel or want.
Additionally, if you see a cat at night, its eyes will catch your attention because they light up. The reason they light up is the tapetum lucidum. The tapetum lucidum is a membrane made up of reflective cells located behind the retina. Technically speaking, it is a kind of mirror that allows more light to enter and increases light sensitivity. Dogs also have this membrane.
According to ophthalmologist Gerald Massey in his work The Natural Genesis (1883), “The cat's eye seems to follow the waxing and waning phases of the moon, and its orbits shine like two stars in the darkness of night.”
Do cats have a certain relationship with the moon?
Master William Salmon, in his work “Compleat English Physician,” wrote about the fascination men have with observing changes in cats' eyes. “Writers say that they shine at Night and see better at the New Moon and worse when it is waxing. They also say that their eyes vary with the Sun; the pupil becomes round at dawn and lengthens at midday; it is not noticeable throughout the night, but instead the entire eye shines in the darkness. I am sure that these variations in the cat's eyes are true, but I have never observed them to coincide with the hours of the day,” he argues.
Like Salmon, most ancient astrology books establish a certain connection between cats and the stars. This began with the theories of the Egyptians, who loved cats and considered them the incarnation of the goddess Isis, associated with fertility and the representation of sunrays and instrumental harmony.
Both people and animals are highly influenced by the phases of the moon, to the point that their moods may change. Cats in particular, characterized by being “crepuscular” and liking the night, may be more influenced by the lunar phases.
There is, in fact, no scientifically proven theory about the influence that lunar phases may have on cats. However, there are theories and anecdotes that felines are more unruly on nights with a full moon.
Does your ARISTOGATO behave differently during the lunar cycles? Tell us about it on social media