In Ancient Egypt cats were held in the highest esteem. “Egyptians thought that cats were magical creatures capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them” (Balit 1). They also thought that “seeing a cat in your dream would mean you would have good harvest for the year” (Hill 2). Cats earned their place in town by killing mice, snakes, and other pests.
Egyptians worshiped a half feline, half woman goddess named Bastet. Most Egyptian Gods have the power to turn into an animal. Bastet is the only God that has the power to turn into a cat. Bastet is the daughter of Ra the sun god. A woman’s body with a domesticated cat’s head is a representation of Bastet. Egyptians would celebrate Bastet’s Feast, and worship cats to show their love and respect for her. That is why cats were so amazing and special.
Since cats were so important to the Egyptians the penalties for harming or killing a cat were severe. When a cat died the family would have to shave
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Domesticated cats were housed and treated like royalty. They were dressed like a king with hieroglyphic necklaces and gold earrings. The Cats were fed treaties and drank milk. There was not only the domesticated cat, but there were also wild cats. There were two kinds of wild cats, Jungle Cats and African Cats. When a wild cat came into a village, and a was a fire going, the men would stand around the fire to make sure the cats didn’t run into the flame. “People called cats Miu, which means he/she who meows” (Hart 15). This comes from the sound cats make, “Meow!”
Cats were one of the most recognizable species in Egypt. Domesticated cats are the cats we know today. “After being domesticated, cats became more colorful, their bodies became less muscled, and their brains became smaller” (Hill 3) The domesticated cats are the only cats we know of but the egyptian cats were stronger, smarter and less colorful. They were still domesticated just a little bit