Egyptian Cats in History

Thanks to genetics, science has affirmed the Fertile Crescent as the origin point of domestic cats.

- By Candilee Jackson

This region of the Middle East-encompassing modern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and parts of Kuwait, Turkey and Iran-is often known as the "cradle of civilization." However, "one country had more influence on the genes of modern cats than any other." History shows us that Egypt, a bit further away from felines" "point zero," played the most dominant role in feline development Four thousand years ago, "nearly every cat in the world looked like a tabby. The mackerel tabby was the original wild-type' version of a cat's coat," 3 giving it better camouflage in its desert environment.³

Obsession Leads to Godliness

The ancient Egyptians had a real obsession for cats. Not only were they revered as a deities, but cats were also "the most popular and highly venerated because of their utilitarian as well as metaphysical values." The first images of cats appeared in Egyptian hieroglyphs approximately four thousand years ago. Found on wall carvings and paintings, the cat was shown as a goddess as well as living closely within human households.?

Egyptians believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them. "Prosperous and royal families dressed their cats in jewels and fed them treats fit for royalty. When the cats died, they were mummified. As a sign of mourning, the cat owners shaved off their eyebrows, and continued to mourn until their eyebrows grew back. Cats were so special that those who killed them, even by accident, were sentenced to death."2