Egyptians and their cats

Spoiler: they really liked cats.

Recorded and illustrated poetry from ancient Egypt is still studied today, lots of it about cats. There was this guy, Herodotus (he's Greek, and awesome, but that's not important quite yet), and he wrote an entire section of his epic poetry regarding Egyptian culture about how much the Egyptians liked cats (among other animals, but he really focused on the cats). This guy, way back when, told everyone (who could read Greek) of Egypt's cat obsession. And when I think of Ancient Egypt, next to the pharaoh I think of a tall, very poised, arrogant looking cat with a fancy beaded collar, so his work obviously took off. To ancient Egyptians cats were important for their mythological history, their ability to catch rats and vermin, and for their ability to ward off evil spirits and demons... Your cat is probably staring at you right now because you've never said thank you for their incredible hard work against the demons clawing at your threshold. Me? I don't have a cat, so I've never met that judgmental gaze. My dog, on the other hand, knows when dinner time is and doesn't forgive easy if I'm late to feed him. Cats were also known as good housemates and a great security system for their food stores.

Their importance is rooted in the Egyptian mythology which cites Mafdet as a cat-headed deity who protected the pharaoh from snakes and spirits. Further down the historical road, Bastet is introduced as a cat-goddess and a representation of protection of the hearth and a ward against spirits. Cats were revered and welcomed into homes as they reduced vermin crimes (breaking in and eating foods, then dying in said foods, therefore rendering them completely lost). It was also believed that cats could see more than the mortal plane and would effectively protect households from malicious spirits as a kindness to the people who cared for them. Herodotus also mentioned in his writings that domesticated cats were as good as family members. Cats were given their own funeral rites and mummified to be buried in cat cemeteries. Whole cemeteries were dedicated to cats, which is really quite sweet. I never in my life want to see a mummified cat, though.

Ancient Egypt also had the death penalty for killing a cat, even accidentally. The only way to kill a cat and not get killed yourself was to join a cult and sacrificially kill the cat. The cult of Bubastis in the 8th century BC actually encouraged the protection of so many cats that the city where it was centered in became overrun, and they had to start sacrificially killing the cats to do damage control. The cultists then mummified and sold the cats as relics to pilgrims for some extra shats (which was Ancient Egyptian currency, what else did you think? There was another name for it, too: deben. These were the weights of the copper, silver, and gold ingots used along with the barter system). The Roman empire actually banned the worship of cats in the late 4th century (it's pretty obvious they felt threatened).

Anyway, to get somewhat on topic. Cats were used in literature and art frequently in all manner of representation. They were carved into amulets and other jewelry that was said to provide protection to its wearer. Paintings of cats have been found very well preserved in tombs as a protection on the spirit's journey to the underworld. Art of cats was said to also promote fertility and encourage divine presences to provide protections. People wrote poetry about their cats, naming them esteemed members of the household, and gushed about how regal, and athletic, and fancy, and great their cats were. It was the first subreddit for cats. Much of the preserved poetry regarding cats follows the mythology of Mafdet and her journey defeating a snake (representing justice upheld).

Another neat fact: the Battle of Pelusium was a loss for Egypt in 525BCE because the Persian army held animals sacred to Egypt as hostages and released them on the battlefield and the Egyptian warriors stopped fighting so they wouldn't kill any of the animals. I just imagine a ton of angry cats let out of a crate fleeing and a bunch of warrior-looking guys throwing up their arms all wide-eyed. Probably not a fun walk home.