Teaching Cats

A Brief History of the Cat

The appearance of the first domesticated dog is a subject that is still being discussed and debated in the halls of academia, and in the living room of dog owners everywhere. While we’re still trying to work out Fido’s and Fifi’s origins, we seem to know exactly when and where our love affair with the cat began. The first feline wandered into human civilization more than 7,000 years ago, long after the first cities had been established. The African wildcat, forefather of all the Cats alive today, was a welcome guest, since it hunted and exterminated the rodents that competed with humans for the supplies of stored grain in the communities. But, the greatest influence on our long and somewhat ambivalent relationship with the cat was the ancient Egyptians.

Venerated and Vilified
In ancient Egypt, the old joke about felines thinking they are better than humans was taken seriously. Cats were so highly regarded that several members of the religious pantheon shared attributes with the animals. The goddess Bastet was often shown in art and statuary as a cat, or having the body of a woman and the head of a cat. Similarly, the goddess Sekhmet, protector of the pharaoh, was shown as a woman with a lion’s head. Laws carefully regulated taking cats out of the country, and the death of a cat was mourned with as much ceremony as that of a human family member. A number of mummified cat bodies have been discovered throughout Egypt, showing the great reverence held for the animals.

In addition to being worshiped, many cats were also being traded to nations living around Egypt. The first short-haired cats made their appearance in Italy more than 2,000 years ago, and gradually spread across the European continent until they landed in England around 1,900 years ago. Wherever they travelled, people welcomed the cat’s arrival as both a companion and a pest controller.

Unfortunately, dark days were in store for the felines. Their troubles started when religious leaders began to associate the animals with witches and the practice of witchcraft during the Middle Ages. The idea of guilt by association led to innumerable cats being killed. Ironically, in their quest to eliminate evil, people were actually destroying their own allies; by preying on rats, the felines were instrumental in helping to reduce the impact of the Black Plague on Europe. The cat’s fortunes were reversed as the Renaissance began, bringing with it enlightenment to many areas of life and learning. Once again, cats were seen as objects of affection and a benefit to humanity. When settlers set out to colonize the New World, they took their cats along with them.

Companionable Cats
With the development of a middle class, the role of cats in the home, as well as society in general, saw a change. Now that they were no longer needed as a form of pest control, it was company and companionship that humans looked for from the cat. They filled their new role admirably; so well, in fact, that over the last decade, they have taken the dog’s place as the most common animal comrade. But, because the evolution of our relationship with the cat took place without the need of a human participant, our overall attitude towards the animal remains uncertain. According to recent studies, many people still have the impression that cats can manage on their own and need only minimal attention from their owners. It is believed that this misguided attitude is the reason that many cats do not receive sufficient medical care, or proper identification tags or chips. Experts say that this has led to a dramatic increase in the number of stray and feral cats.

Like our more needy furry friend, the dog, the cat became a part of the lives of humans because of the work it was able to do for us. It is still on the job, although these days, a cat is more likely to capture your heart and imagination instead of a mouse or rat. Throughout the years, the relationship between people and cats has been both beneficial and detrimental to the animals. Still, countless people still seem willing to follow the advice of an ancient Irish proverb, cautioning us to be wary of those who don’t like a cat.

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