History of domestic cats

  The cat became an important part of Egyptian life, and around 1500 B.C. became sacred. One who kille

Domestic cats first came about in Egypt around 4000 B.C. The Egyptians had to store their grain, but rodents would get into the stores. . The nearby wildcats, not afraid of humans, saw this as an easy chance for food. Gradually, the Egyptians realized that these wildcats protected their supplies of grain. To attract wildcats to their homes, the Egyptians would leave scraps of meat out. The wildcats would eat the meat, and go into the houses to find more. Once inside, they would find rodents to eat. The Egyptians would pet their feline helpers, and the wildcats would sense this as a sign of affection. No predators lived in the Egyptian villages, so the wildcats returned more and more often. Soon, the wildcats had dropped their wild nature and became the first domestic cats.

The cat became an important part of Egyptian life, and around 1500 B.C. became sacred. One who killed a cat was put to death. Taking cats out of the country was prohibited. If a cat dies, the proper thing to do was shave your eyebrows in mourning. Cats were even said to be physical embodiments of gods and goddesses. The Egyptian cat population grew very high, so the restriction on taking cats out of the country was lifted. Cats became very popular in Europe and Asia.

The cat fell from favor in Europe in 1300s A.D. Their glowing eyes, stealthy prowl, and ability to survive falls gave them a demonic look. Many cats were killed, which led to a massive soar in the rodent population. These same rodents carried the bubonic “black death" plague, which killed about ¼ Europeans.

The cat remained unpopular until the 1600s, when they were used as rodent hunters. Spanish explorers brought cats to the Aztecs. Many settlers brought cats to North America to repel the rodents there. Most of the cats in North America are descendants from these cats. The general opinion of cats improved, but the superstition of black cats being bad luck has remained to this day.

About the author:
James Redstone



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