Cats in Acient Egypt
The history of cats in ancient Egypt goes back to Bastet, a feline warrior goddess who was depicted as being half cat and half woman. She was entrusted with no lesser duty than to protect her country. This idea of cats as protectors was built on with the legend of Mafdet, who warded off danger by taking out a devious serpent with the use of her claws, while Sekhmet was a fearsome lion-headed goddess whom ancient Egyptians had to appease before she wreaked havoc and destroyed all of humanity. (So, sort of like a cat left alone with a fresh roll of toilet paper.)
Cats in Acient Japan
Maneki-nekoOne day a nobleman, Ii Naotaka, was returning home from a hunt when a thunderstorm blew up. He found shelter under a tree near the temple. While waiting for the storm to pass, he noticed a cat sitting in front of the temple waving. It surprised him to see the kitty beckoning him with a raised paw and he moved towards the feline. Just then a lightning bolt struck the tree where he had been standing.
Cats in Acient India
I just found out about thisFurther folklore shenanigans took place in 4th century India. Cats were initially appreciated for their ability to ward off vermin and snakes, but in the Mahābhārata (a famous 100,000-verse epic poem), a feline called Lomasa teams up with a mouse named Palita to both escape from death while philosophizing about the nature of power. The god Indra also donned a feline disguise to escape from the husband of a maid whom he successfully put the moves on.
There’s a theory that the tale Puss in Boots might have been adapted from an ancient Indian folk story.
Cats in Acient Arabia
Okay, that's cuteThe greatest kitty moment in the history of cats involves felines in Islam, where Muhammad was a prototype cat guy who outlawed the harming and killing of felines. His cat of choice was Muezza, who had a habit of sleeping on his prayer robe. So smitten was Muhammad with Muezza, that he cut off the sleeve of his robe rather than wake the cat when she decided to take a nap on it.
