From ancient Egyptian deity to present day domestic feline, the cat has a very long and rich history. As the story goes, a cat wondered into Egypt one day and began killing the mice which were eating the wheat grain that the Egyptians had stored away for the coming year. Because famine was such a serious problem, the Egyptians welcomed these felines, believing them to be sacred. The capital city of Am-Khent in Lower Egypt was named Bubastis – in honor of the cat goddess Bast or Bastet. In Egyptian mythology, Bast was the daughter of Ra & Isis and she was the goddess of music, dancing and fun! People revered their cats as family members and when they died, they would mummify them and adorn them with various gemstones and jewels! Even today, cats are sacred in Turkey. Harming them in any way is against the law.
During the Middle Ages; however, cats endured the most horrific of atrocities! Due to the ignorance of the religious leaders of the time who believed that cats, especially black cats, were linked to witches and the devil, these beautiful creatures were killed in any way possible by the masses. In effect, allowing the bubonic plague to spread. Since this disease was carried by the rats, rats which would have normally been killed by the cats, it is believed that 25 million people died as a result.
Fortunately for us, cats still live among us - gracing us with their love, loyalty and exquisite presence! There is absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do for my kitties. They are my best friends and I would be extremely lost without them. As long as I live, I will always have a cat (or two, or three) in my life!
We have been studying ancient Egypt and talking a lot about the roles of cats. You know we love our kitties, too!!
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