Egyptians believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them. To honor these treasured pets, wealthy families dressed them in jewels and fed them treats fit for royalty.
In ancient Egypt, cats were sacred animals. People dedicated mummified cats at the sanctuary of the cat goddess Bastet as offerings. The sanctuary was located in the city of Bubastis where the remains of numerous cat mummies and small cat sculptures have been found.
“Cats were not worshipped as gods themselves, but as vessels that the gods chose to inhabit, and whose likeness gods chose to adopt,” Skidmore explains. Through their ubiquitous presence in the art, fashion and home ornamentation of ancient Egypt, cats served as an everyday reminder of the power of the gods.
From the 22nd Dynasty at around the mid 950s BC onwards, the deity Bastet and her temple in the city of Bubastis grew in popularity. She is now shown only with a small cat head. Domestic cats (Felis catus) were increasingly worshiped and considered sacred.
Abyssinian, breed of domestic cat, probably of Egyptian origin, that has been considered to approximate the sacred cat of ancient Egypt more closely than any other living cat. The Abyssinian is a lithe cat with relatively slender legs and a long, tapering tail.
The cat symbolizes grace, intelligence, cunning, and independence. The cat is a fascinating animal that cultures around the world have long revered. They are agile and nimble, able to move with silence and stealth. At the same time, they are also fiercely independent, choosing to live on their own terms.
The original cat coat is the striped or 'mackerel' tabby, with the 'blotched' tabby pattern appearing later. Whether a cat shows their tabby pattern depends on whether they have inherited the recessive solid colour gene or not.
The cat culture continued for centuries, until 30 AD when Egypt became a part of the Roman empire. Several pagan rituals were banned by the Romans in the following centuries, thus cat worshipping and religion grew apart. Since then, the affection and significance for cats declined.
In old Egypt, the punishment for killing a cat was death.
Animals were mummified in the thousands in order to appease the gods and seek their favour. The object of worship was not the animals themselves, but the gods that took on their forms – animals acted as a kind of messenger between the people and the gods.
The ritual sacrifice, mummification, and burial of cats was extremely common for thousands of years in ancient Egypt, and the animals were bred for this specific purpose. These sacrificed kitties were likely a mass offering to the cat goddess Bastet.
Background. Cleopatra is the most beautiful woman in Egypt, she even had a pet cat named Cleocatra, and inside Cleopatra's house was the legendary puppy, Buddasi.
In Islam, cats are viewed as holy animals. Above all, they are admired for their cleanliness. They are thought to be ritually clean which is why they're allowed to enter homes and even mosques. According to authentic narrations, one may make ablution for prayer with the same water that a cat has drunk from.
Bastet is probably the best-known feline goddess from Egypt. Initially depicted as a lioness, Bastet assumed the image of a cat or a feline-headed woman in the 2nd millennium BCE. Although she combined both nurturing and violent qualities, her shielding and motherly aspects typically were emphasized.
Cats kept the vital crops safe from rodents, becoming an object of admiration. However, the cats did not just chow down on mice and rats. They also killed snakes (many of them venomous) and scorpions, keeping the people safe.
The ancient Egyptians mummified more than just human corpses. Animals were viewed not only as pets, but as incarnations of gods. As such, the Egyptians buried millions of mummified cats, birds, and other creatures at temples honoring their deities.
According to many hadith, the Islamic prophet Muhammad prohibited the persecution and killing of cats. One of prophet Muhammad's companions was known as Abu Hurairah ( lit. 'Father of the Kitten') for his attachment to cats.
Imhotep fears cats because "cats are the guardians of the Underworld". In Egyptian mythology, cats were associated with the goddesses Bastet (fertility, motherhood and protection) and Sekhmet (healing) and not the Underworld.
The Ancient Egyptians were reluctant to kill the cats. They feared the wrath of Goddess Bastet too much. So, they fled the battlefield and lost the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BC. Soon afterward, Egypt fell under the control of the Persians.
For centuries, black cats symbolized bad luck. But in cultures like Egypt, cats were respected partly due to their helpfulness and the fact that they were thought to bring good luck to those who owned them. Egyptians' respect for cats wasn't just metaphysical, however.
In one book of ancient dreams, it was said that if a man sees a cat in a dream, it means he will have a good harvest. In the late periods of Egyptian history, the popularity of the cat increased and a great many bronze cat statuettes were made; most were intended for shrines or funerary purposes.
However, history shows that even the mightiest empires can fall and after 1100 BCE, Egypt fell into decline. There were several reasons for this including a loss of military power, lack of natural resources, and political conflicts.
Long story short, the recessive gene in albino cats causes them to produce no melanin in their skin. This creates white fur and pink hues on body parts with less hair such as ears, nose and paws. Their eyes can also be red or very pale blue or green. Unfortunately, albino cats are prone to some health issues.
The most likely answer is that they see in a similar way to how a colour-blind person sees, which is in muted tones of blues, yellows, greens and greys. Reds and pinks can appear confusing and may look more like green, whereas purple may seem like another shade of blue.
While it is not deadly, lavender is toxic for cats. Lavender contains linalool and linalyl acetate, which cats cannot process in their livers. This means that consuming too much lavender can lead to liver damage.