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Some of our favorite cats . . .
Cats have become the most popular pet in America, but the cat's significance goes far beyond mere popularity. Few people realize the cultural significance of the cat and the role the cat has played in world history. Following are some examples of the cat's importance.
Religious Cats Cats were worshiped in ancient Egypt. Paintings in the tombs of several pharaohs' depict cats as beloved pets of the royal family. A painting of the mother of the Pharaoh Akhnaton shows her at a dinner party, slipping scraps of food to a large, furry tabby sitting under her chair. Grieving Egyptian cat lovers mummified and buried their dead pets with care. The Egyptian goddess, Bastet, took the form of a cat. Bastet was the goddess of love and fertility, and Egyptians held a major festival in the spring to honor Bastet. The prophet Mohammed also loved cats. The story is told that one day when he was being called to pray, he noticed his cat, Muezza, sleeping on the folds of his sleeve. Rather than disturb the sleeping cat, Mohammed cut off the sleeve.
Scientific Cats Sir Isaac Newton, the scientist who first described the principle of gravity, also invented the swinging cat door for the convenience of his many cats. Newton took great pleasure in watching his cats play during his leisure hours.
Artistic Cats The French artists Renoir and Monet loved cats and put them in several paintings. Victor Hugo, considered the greatest author in the history of French literature, wrote fondly in his diary about his cats.
Literary Cats Although Edgar Allan Poe used cats as sinister symbols in several of his stories, he himself owned and loved cats. Mark Twain, was also a cat lover, as was Irish poet William Butler Yeats. The Nobel Prize-winning British poet, playwright, and cat lover, T.S. Eliot, wrote an entire book of poems about cats. His "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" was set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and became the long-running musical, "Cats." Dr. Samuel Johnson, the compiler of the first dictionary, had a pet cat named Hodge, whom Johnson fed oysters and other luxurious treats. The poet Petrarch was said to have been even more devoted to his cat than to the memory of his great love, Laura.
Political Cats Abraham Lincoln's cat, Tabby, was the first of several White House cats. The first Siamese cat brought to the United States was a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes. Theodore Roosevelt had a cat named Slippers. And of course everyone knows about Socks, the current "First Cat" of the Clinton family. Sir Winston Churchill commissioned a painting of his favorite orange tabby cat.
For those who don't understand the cat, and are not willing to accept the cat on its terms -- the cat will forever remain a mystery. The true cat lover realizes that cats are not really pets, but tenants, who, in exchange for room and board, offer their gracious presence. For more information on cats, adopting cats and information about keeping your cat healthy, visit www.aspca.org , www.purina.com and www.catfancy.com.
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