Whether you think of your cat as your pet or as your cat as your owner, it is important to know just how long cats have been loved and adored by our society. Cat depictions and drawings have been found in the Fertile Crescent which are over 9,500 years old. No one can be sure when cats and humans began being buddies, but one thing for sure is it has been a long term relationship between species.
As far back as 4,000 years ago, cats were being domesticated to keep stores and homes free of nasty rodents. Today’s barn cats must be direct descendants of these kitties who were so vital to commerce in the times of Ancient Egypt.
As most people know, cats were very revered by the Ancient Egyptians. There was even a law against killing cats, imagine the growth of the cat population! Cats would even be mummified before burial, a luxury that not all humans even got to enjoy. Eventually domestic cats were introduced to Western Europe, such as Italy, and before long kitties became a household favorite.
Cats aren’t only correlated with cuddly hugs and purring however. For example, black cats have been a sign of bad luck or worse, death, for centuries. Gruesomely enough, a legend in Western Europe was that cats would suck the life from newborn infants who died young. Fortunately cats have been able to overthrow such stereotypes with an ongoing public relations effort which includes catching mice, involving themselves in adorable Disney films and more.