You may or may not know that the Ancient Egyptians used to workship cats. They even had a deity entirely dedicated to their favoured felines, the goddess Bastet. Cats played a huge role in Egyptian society as a whole, beginning as feral creatures that were useful for controlling the vermin population. This was especially useful during crop season and harvests and due to the close contact between cats and humans, they learnt to trust each other and coexist.
Due to their ability to kill agressive and poisonous snakes like cobras, the cat was considered to be a symbol of grace and poise. There was originally a cult surrounding the lion-headed goddess Mafdet, but Bastet’s image later replaced this, becoming the deity of protection, fertility and motherhood. Due to their revered status, some cats were even mummified after death and given to Bastet as a sacrifice. In the late 19th century one farmer even discovered a large tomb containing the mummified bodies of cats and kittens.
The Egyptians were in fact so protective of their cats that should there be a fire, it was guarded so as cats would not run into the flames. Even worse, if one should accidentally kill a cat, this would incurr the death penalty! According to Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, the chariot of a Roman soldier once accidentally ran over an Egyptian cat, enraging onlookers, who formed a mob, surrounded him and, despite pleas from Pharoah Ptolemy XII, murdered the soldier out of revenge!
Though cats are still popular pets today, we’re sensible about the treatment of our animals. All of our pets deserve to be cared for, so if you have a pampered puss in need of some cat treats, a new cat bed or cat toy, take a look at adflyer’s huge selection of cat and kitten accessories.
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