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The domestic cat in Britain today is evolved from the African
Wildcat that first came into contact with human settlements along
the fertile floodplains of the Nile in Egypt around 4,000BC. The
Wildcats living in the area were attracted to the settlements as
granaries and silos attracted rodents. The settlements also offered
the cats shelter and safety from larger predators.
The Wildcats gradually evolved into the domestic cat. They became more
placid, their brains became smaller and their gastrointestinal system
changed. Coat patterns and colour mutations that would not have survived
in the wild were perpetuated in the domestic cat.
By 2,000 BC cats were well established in Egypt. Between 330 – 30
BC cat worship had reached its peak. Felines were seen as having
a protective role because of their rodent control powers and ability
to hunt poisonous snakes. |
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Egyptians developed a deep understanding
of, and respect for cats, and created symbols of cat deities. Within
a few hundred years, Egyptian cats had moved beyond being just useful
servants and were firmly established as companion animals, sharing
house and hearth, especially in richer families. The New Kingdom,
which began around 1550 BC, was a time of great wealth and power.
Domesticated pets became common in households that could afford them.
Considerable evidence shows that some cats, at least, had a pretty
soft time of it.
It is believed that cats reached India in around 300 – 500 BC and
China and South-east Asia between 2,000 BC and 400 AD. They arrived relatively
late in Europe but with the decline of the Egyptian empire and the expanding
Roman empire, the cat travelled rapidly north across Europe. By around
500 AD felines were being freely traded throughout most of Europe. |
| Domestic cats first went to the New World in
the fifteenth century when French Jesuits took them to Quebec. A
cat accompanied the Pilgrims when they sailed to America in 1620
and appeared in larger numbers in Pennsylvania in the 1700’s
when settlers imported them for rodent control purposes. Cats also
sailed to Australia on convict transporters in the 1800’s. |
| Over the centuries, many religions
have incorporated cat worship. Domestic cats symbolised more feminine
virtues, especially fertility, which was linked to felines’ nocturnal
inclination. The cat also came to be seen as the guardian of the
night and sometimes death’s companion which led to their association
with the devil. The spread of Christianity meant that the Church
had an ambivalent attitude to cats because of the many roles felines
had played in the old religions. Some Christian churches such as
the Russian Orthodox Church continued to respect cats whilst others
ignored their presence. |
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Any vestiges of cat
worship dramatically ended in Europe in 1484 when Pope Innocent VIII
decreed that witches worshipped Satan and took on the form of their
animal helpers, or "familiars". The usual familiar was
a cat. The Church turned against felines and they were persecuted
for thousands of years.
Discrimination against cats can, however, be traced back a further two
thousand years to the twelfth century went it was believed that heretics
worshipped the devil in the form of a black cat. During the plague of the
thirteenth century, the Lord Mayor of London ordered all cats to be destroyed
thereby unwittingly removing the greatest barrier to the spread of the
disease. |
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Ages, people were tortured and killed because they owned a cat. A
lack of understanding about cat behaviour perpetuated the myths.
It was believed that cats were nocturnal creatures in order to guide
evil spirits. These beliefs soon spread from Europe to North America.
Witchcraft laws were abolished in 1736, thereby lessening the Catholic
Church’s antipathy towards cats. This was the dawn of the Age
of Reason – theological beliefs were waning and the associations
between cats and spiritual life, both good and evil, were reducing. |
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Cat numbers in Britain began to increase. They lived feral or
semi-feral lives, surviving on rats and mice and scavenging in
growing urban sprawls. Their lot did not really improve as, during
the eighteenth century, they were often the subject of cruel entertainment.
Even in Victorian times, antipathy towards, and dislike of, cats
was still common. Feral cat shooting on large estates and elsewhere
was common. This lead to an increase in numbers of brown rats.
However, it was during Victorian times that some individuals became
determined to raise the status of cats. The country’s first
cat show took place at Crystal Palace in 1871. It was organised
by Harrison Weir, who wanted to both improve the appearance of
cats, as well as raise felines’ lot. His efforts led to a
growth in interest in pedigree cat breeding. |
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Louis Wain helped immensely in developing the changing attitude
towards the cat. As a cat breeder and judge and successor to Harrison
Weir as president of the National Cat Club in 1890, Wain was also
a cat artist extraordinaire.
It is only in the last 100 years that cats have become popular pets and
only in the last 50 – 60 years that they have become true companion
animals. Their integration as companion animals has been slower than
that of dogs, as felines have traditionally been used for their rodent
control capabilities. Perhaps their independence, as opposed to a dog’s
pack animal nature, has also been a factor in their slower assimilation
into the role of popular household pet.
Increased affluence in society, the widespread availability of feline
neutering, improved veterinary care and changing attitudes towards animal
welfare are all factors which have helped to increasingly establish cats
as highly popular pets over the past few decades. |
| Cats are now the nation’s favourite pet.
Their low-maintenance lifestyle, coupled with their winning personality
blend of independence and affection, makes them the ideal companion
animal for young and old. |
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