Cats in History

Archaeologists have found cat bones dating back 6,000-8,500 years among the ruins of ancient towns in Israel, Syria and Pakistan. It is unlikely that these bones belonged to pets. Instead, the cats probably roamed the streets as wild animals. These alley cats must have been popular because they caught the rats and mice that raided grain and other food stores.
Egyptian Idols: The first people to tame cats were the ancient Egyptians, about 3,000-4,000 years ago. Cats were extremely important in Ancient Egyptian society. When cats died, their owners would shave off their their eyebrows as a sign of respect. The bodies of dead cats were preserved by mummification and buried together in vast tombs. One tomb explored in the nineteenth century contained 300,000 mummified cats. The Ancient Egyptians worshiped several cat gods, including Sekhmet and Bastet, which had cats' faces and women's bodies. The famous Great Sphinx that still stands at Giza, near Cairo, is a craved stone monument with the head of a pharaoh and the body of a big cat- the lion.
During the Roman Empire( 510 BC-476BC), cats spread throughout Europe. They were highly valued for their mouse-catching skills and soon became a familiar sight. Merchants also took cats to Asia and the Far East, where they were popular in palaces and monasteries. In China and Japan, cats became a symbol of well being.
Oriental cats remained slender, like their Egyptian ancestors. In the West, however, they gradually developed the stockier build and rounder heads of most common breeds today.
In medieval Europe, priests declared that cats had magical powers and worked for witches or the devil. they were accused of being lazy and greedy, and many were beaten or killed.
In some parts of the world, black cats are still thought to be bad omen- but in the UK they are symbols of good luck.
In 1871, the first ever cat show took place in London. It triggered an interest in different coat types and colors, and people began to develop the first cat breeds. cats