The exact time of appearance of the first cat, on Earth is not known to man. It is believed to be a descendant of an animal, resembling the modern-day weasel called the Miacis, an extinct carnivore, whose fossils were recovered dating back to 65.5 million years, is also considered to be the ancestor of modern canids; the dogs, coyotes, wolves, jackals and the bear, raccoon and weasel families as well. Cats are known to have existed long before the first dog. The earliest known cat is probably the Smilodon, most popularly called the saber-tooth, a fierce hunter. However, domestication of the felines did not happen for several centuries after the domestication of dogs.
About 5000 years ago, domesticated cats were documented to me a part of the Egyptian household in the valley of the Nile, Upper Egypt. It was here that the domestic feline gained its god status.
[...] With this came the belief that the cats could influence the health, fortunes, marriage and other aspects of life. They were elevated to the status of a god. The cat goddess Bastet, also referred to as Bast, pasht and many other names considered to be the goddess of life and family, was depicted as having the head of a cat and the body of a woman. All of Egypt began to worship the sacred bast and all cats. The cat was now held as being more important than a human being. [...]
[...] Adaptation was seen to a great extent in the cats that conformed to the human ways and were comfortable with human contact, love and affection. The once shy creatures were now domestic! The Cat, a Demi-God The once ancient Egyptian villages governed by the village shamans, had evolved into a complex structure of gods, goddesses, rituals and also had morphed into a hierarchical society, with the priest class, the royals, and the worker classes. Royalty claimed the right to rule, claiming to abide by gods and goddesses. [...]
[...] The goddess Freya was linked to the cat eventually and worship of Freya involved a whole lot of rituals mostly cat-related. Many cults dedicated to cat worship were also seen during these times. The churches now began to brand the worship of Freya as demon worship, and cats naturally became manifestations of the devil. With this came the belief in witchcraft and witches and cats were considered partners in crime. The cat was now evil and for over a thousand years to follow the cats were killed in large numbers along with those who possessed these cats, as they were branded witches. [...]
[...] Cats outside of Europe had gained mystical and in some places even religious significance. Cats would spring from trees and jump down from heights unharmed. This caused the people to believe it has nine lives. Nine was considered a mystical number. The Japanese have the good fortune cat, Mi-ke. The British believe that if a black cat, crosses your path, you are in for some good luck. Cats were used in Asian temples to get rid of the mice that would nibble into scrolls and fabric. [...]
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