"A cat is a cat is a cat," wrote the American poet E.E. Cummings, and history seems to agree. The earliest signs of cat domestication date back 8,000 years, when evidence was found on the island of Cyprus of cats, mice, and humans being buried together. Apparently, our early human ancestors brought cats—and likely some stowaway mice—to Cyprus.
The lineage of cats can be traced back to ancient Cyprus and Egypt. Unlike dogs, which were domesticated due to their inherent cooperative nature, cats were domesticated in a more indirect way, around 4,000 years ago.
A long time ago, the nomadic people of Upper Egypt settled in the fertile soil of the Nile Valley. Farming became a way of life, not just for Egyptians but also for tribes across Africa and the Southwest Asian regions where cats were eventually found. Since crops could only be harvested once or twice a year, the challenge was to store the grain without rodents and other pests eating it. Soon, people noticed that local cats would eat mice, which was a very good thing.
To control the rodent population, humans welcomed cats into their communities. Thus began a perfect ecological relationship: farmers wanted to protect their crops, rodents needed grain, and cats needed rodents.
Farmers encouraged cats to stay around by leaving bits of bread soaked in milk, fish heads, and other scraps. Cats found a steady food source and affection from humans, creating a unique relationship between Egyptians and cats.
In those days, cats could roam freely throughout the land, coming and going as they pleased. Egyptians respected cats so much that they even created laws to protect them. With cats' high status, the worship of cats and cat deities developed over two thousand years. The cat goddess Bastet, depicted with a woman's body and a cat's head, became one of the most revered figures. Bastet's grand temple in Bubastis was associated with fertility, motherhood, grace, and beauty. In ancient Egypt, the word for cat was "mau," which resembles the common sound "meow."
During the reign of the Pharaohs, killing or harming a cat was considered a capital offense, even if the cat's death was accidental. If a house caught fire, the rule was simple: save the cats first, then the people. If a cat died naturally, the family would mourn it with wailing and chest-thumping. The cat's body would be wrapped in linen and taken to priests for examination to confirm it died naturally.
Cat bodies were mummified and buried in special cemeteries or temples. Thousands of cat mummies were stored in the enormous temple in Bubastis. Some mummified mice were also found in tombs, ensuring the cats had food in the afterlife. Egyptians loved their cats so much that the number of cat mummies outnumbered human mummies. In one excavation at Beni Hasan in the 19th century, over 300,000 cat mummies were uncovered.
Because Egyptians valued their feline companions, strict laws prohibited exporting cats. However, cats were excellent at catching rodents and soon found their way onto ships on the Nile, becoming trusted mousers and companions for captains and sailors.
Cats eventually traveled on ships bound for Mediterranean countries, including Greece and Italy. Gradually, cats made their way to India, China, and Japan, where they became pets and admired rodent-hunters.
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