The cats history goes back to even before Egyptian times. However, the Egyptians were the first documented cat worshipers. This worship of cats became well known outside Egypt and was seen as rather ridiculous.
The cats history was even involved in a famous battle between the Egyptians and the Persians in 525 B.C. The story is told that the Persian commander strategically positioned cats in his front line. The Egyptians refused to attack for fear of harming the animals and so lost the battle against the Persians.
Sure the story seems highly unlikely, but it does provide some insight about how the Egyptians worshiped and loved the cat. Egyptian art also featured this animal in a humorous vein in much the same way as modern greeting cards. An Egyptian cat statue is said to bring peace to the household that displays it. Maybe it’s not true but it couldn’t hurt to try it?
Scraps of papyrus and limestone found at ancient Egyptian sites include cartoon style drawings of cats in various unlikely roles. The cats history can also be traced back to ancient Greek times.
The Greeks identified cats with women and more importantly with the beloved goddess Venus. She was the goddess of farming as well as fertility. The cats history as represented by Greek art pales in comparison to the amount of cats that are noted in a Egyptian art.
This art work often shows the cat in a typical domestic setting. For example, sitting at the feet of the owner’s chair or on a woman’s lap or also in the hunting fields where they where used to flush out the wild game birds for the hunters.
Recent History of the Cat
Stories of the recent contribution to history include the felines unique ability to hunt small vermin like mice and rats. Early North American settlements relished the presence of cats to help protect the grain storage areas and other food storage areas from attack by local mice and rats.
The felines were nice to have around because they were not a direct competitor for the human food source and actually protected it from vermin. The cats extreme efficiency at ridding the settlements of unwanted vermin made them a welcomed and loved member of the community. The cats history is filled with stories of feline and humans working side-by-side for common goals.
A little known fact about cats is that their ability for hunting vermin stems from the ability to hear ultra high-pitched frequencies used by these rodents.
The human ear can’t hear the sounds made by mice and rats. Cats can not only hear at these high pitch levels of sound but have a tremendous directional sense of hearing. They can pinpoint the location of an undesired animal with extreme efficiency.
Cat History of Helping Public Health
In the mid-1700s the cats place in society was enhanced by a public health disaster. This was the chance for the domestic feline to prove how valuable there skill set was!
An evil visitor began to spread across Europe from Central Asia. It was the Brown rat that carried the Black plague. The plague broke out in Germany and in France by the mid-1700s at this time the cities of Europe and North America were growing at an alarming rate.
Building did not keep pace with population growth and the cities became overcrowded and disease ridden and filthy. This filth would attract the hated brown and black rats. Once again, the feline helped the human population by decimating the rat population.
Give this cat history page a bookmark or share with a friend.
Homepage for cat-health-behavior.com › Cat Facts › The Cats History
We have had some great feedback about our feline facts page from both cat lovers and haters. no one can dispute the fact that cats have been around a long time and may even out live humanity. Even people that don’t like cats will admit they are very good at entertaining us. See what I mean by watching some funny cat videos.