Brief History of Cats

Cats!

Yes, the adorable, furry, (or hairless, if you don't have a furred one! XP) domesticated animals we call cats.

Worshipped in ancient Egypt...

Well, it's common knowledge that cats were worshipped in Egypt, I won't lie!
In fact, When a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would mourn by shaving off their eyebrows. They also held elaborate funerals during which they drank wine and beat their breasts. The cat was embalmed with a sculpted wooden mask and the tiny mummy was placed in the family tomb or in a pet cemetery with tiny mummies of mice. (Assumedly so it would have something to catch and eat)





However, people often believe the Ancient Egyptians were the first to keep domesticated cats.
This was proven false, though, when the oldest known pet cat was discovered in a 9,500-year-old grave on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This grave pre-dates early Egyptian art depicting cats by 4,000 years or more!




However, things have not always been love and cuddles for our dear kitty-cat friends!


Reviled in the Middle Ages.


That's right. 
A lesser known fact is that, in the Middle Ages, cats were associated with witchcraft!
...and we all know what the reaction to witchcraft was back then... (If you don't.. Well, it wasn't very good.. To put it lightly.)

On St. John’s Day, people all over Europe would stuff cats of all shapes and sizes into sacks and toss the cats into bonfires... On 'holy' days, people celebrated by tossing cats from church towers. Yes. Wouldn't you say it was holy to destroy those related to witchcraft? Obviously it was back then!


And that's not the only time cat's fell prey to the species that once worshipped it. During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, Pope Innocent VIII condemned cats as evil and thousands of cats were burned. Unfortunately, the widespread killing of cats led to an explosion of the rat population, which exacerbated the effects of the Black Death! ...Perhaps he wasn't so innocent after all...



But don't worry too much, most of the population is, at the moment....

In love with cats again!

Well, cats are North America’s most popular pets: there are 73 million cats in homes there. and over 30% of households in North America own a cat! 
If you needed more proof that cats were "back in fashion" Just type "cat" into Google.
You'll find multitudes upon multitudes of adorable images of our furry (at the moment) friend.





(They're still eaten in Asia though! Nearly four million cats are eaten there per annum!)


Over and out.
...and if you have a cat, remember to give it a hug!
(or if it's not the huggy kind, some attention anyway! XP)