Cats in Ancient Egypt

The friendship between cats and humans was established long ago in history, about 4000 years ago. It all started when the cats were domesticated in Egypt where they were held in the most admiration and respect.

The cat in ancient Egypt, or miw (to see), was a sacred and respected animal, but it was not until around 2000 BC that the fully domesticated cat was taken into the houses of Egyptians.

The first domesticated Egyptian cats were used for hunting snakes and rodents. Slowly though, the cat became more to the Egyptians than just a normal animal, the cat became a god. Bastet was the most famous cat goddesses in the world. She was the god of fertility, the protector of children and the protector of all cats.

During the New Kingdom (1540 to 1069 BC), there were many tomb scenes that started showing cats as part of everyday life. The ancient Egyptians took their cats on hunting excursions instead of dogs, the most popular excursions being the marshes where cats may have been trained to retrieve fowl and fish. Another very common scene in tomb paintings was the picturing of a cat seated underneath a woman's chair. Statues of cats were placed outside the house to protect the inhabitants and to ward off evil spirits. This showed scientists that the cat had become an integral part of the ancient Egyptian family life. (inspired from http://www.mnsu.edu/)

Loads of cats lived in Bastet temples. They were taken care of and served all their lives and when they died, the cats were mummified and given as offerings to Bastet. When a cat died their former owners and occupants of the house would go into deep mourning and shave their eyebrows as a sign of grief.

The cats in Ancient Egypt were protected by everybody including by law, so if anybody killed a cat with or without intention, that person was put to death too.

The cats had an important place in the history of Egypt. The cat was a protector and a Goddess and people warshiped them.