If you go through the archives of Ancient Egypt, you would notice that most of the pictures include the tiny fuzzy creature that we refer to today as˗ the cat.

Cats were definitely the Egyptians’ favorites when it came to animals. But you might wonder, what was so special about them? What has made cats so loveable and appreciated back then?

There are many interesting reasons as to why cats were so exceptional back then for Ancient Egyptians. Here are some of them:

Pest Control

According to archaeologists, humans and cats started to coexist in the same house between 4000-2000BC. It is believed that the reason for that is that cats have proved to be linked to rodent-free environments before.

Ancient Egypt relied greatly on farming grains and keeping them in storage buildings called “granaries”. The storage spaces where cats were present have proved to contain less rodents because cats used to hunt them down.

Since this industry was very important to the Ancient Egyptians, they were driven to treat cats kindly until they started bringing them into their own homes as well around 2000 BC. People had a special relationship with cats. This was evident to archaeologists who often found the tombs of cats next to humans which means that they intended to bury cats next to them because they considered them part of the family.

Protection

Snakes were another issue that Ancient Egypt suffered from. It was very common for people to get poisoned because of snakes.

Cats proved their ability to hunt down snakes and kill them, which made humans perceive them as their protectors.

When cats were present around the house, people were not threatened with the possibility of being poisoned. They knew that having this special creature would save them from harm by attacking and hunting any animal that poses danger on their wellbeing.

This protective nature in addition to the cats’ ability to reproduce in numbers had driven Ancient Egyptians to look at cats as a symbol of home, women, and fertility. People simply looked up to cats!

This is very interesting because it helps us make sense of the pictures we often see of Ancient Egypt. If you look closely, you will notice that cats are almost always present with women in paintings, mostly under their chairs.

Religion

According to Egyptian mythology, gods and goddesses often appeared among them in the form of animals. This is why, when they saw the characteristics of cats and their value in their communities, they started attributing them to different gods and goddesses.

According to Ancient Egyptians, cats are mystic beings that bring good fortune to their house when they domesticate them.

One of the first most common deitiesthat was admired by Ancient Egyptians was the goddess Mafdet.Mafdet was highly looked up when it came to seeking protection against venomous creatures such as snakes and rodents. Mafdet was regarded as the protector of the home and you might see many painting with her shown as a woman with a lion’s or house cat’s head.

Later throughout history, Bastet replaced the goddess Mafdet as the goddess of choice. She was still looked up at when it came to house protection against danger. This was mostly the case because of the cats’ ability to kill snakes and venomous creatures.

The followers of Bastet used to call her the “Eye of Ra”, the sun god, and always had the belief that she protects Egypt against any kind of danger with fierce.

Those who followed Bastet used to treat their cats the way they would treat any valued family members. When the cat died, they used to mummify them, and grief their loss the same way they would if a family member passes away.

Can you believe that some of them even shaved their eyebrows as a way of mourning their dead cats?

Basically, cats were adored in Egypt for many reasons such as the fact that they protect large farm areas against rodents, they lessen the risk of poison in homes, and they are perceived as god-like.

It is very interesting how ancient civilizations used to view cats as magic creatures who have a great effect on their lives.

Do you think that cats are magic creatures? Tell us in the comment section below.