Only in recent history has the cat been reintroduced into domestic life. Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome honored cats. Sacred to the Egyptians, revered by the Greeks and worshipped in Rome, the sanctified form of the cat symbolized goddesses, such as the Egyptian priestess Bast, or became mascots on royal chariots. As guardians of granaries and enemy to snakes and vermin, cats were considered with respect and importance in the Ancient world.
The Cats’ History in Europe
During the witch hunts which took place over various periods of time between the 1400s and 1700s in Europe, there was an attempt to eradicate customs of witchcraft and magic which had been at their peak in the Middle Ages. Europeans equated the nocturnal lifestyle of cats to that of the moon: the changeability of cats’ eyes and the unpredictability of the moon prompted the belief that cats were offspring of the devil. Superstition grew and the ignorant and fearful considered the cat a dreaded and wretched familiar of Satan.
Many of the people still kept some of their old pagan beliefs, causing a struggle between the Church and the population. Trials, conviction and executions to stop the practice of witchcraft took place in large numbers throughout these years. Evidence of heresy, in the witch hunts of those times, proved difficult for the church to confirm, so that any sign of witchcraft would suffice to burn a heretic. It was believed that the devil supplied an attendant known as a familiar or spirit, to all his witches. The familiar took the form of a cat and proved any owner of such a creature a witch. The cat was the essence of evil.
The Witch Trials of the Inquisitions
At the trials, while many denied they were connected to witchcraft, some women admitted to being witches, confessing that their cats were the devil’s familiars. Thus unable to keep witchery a secret, “letting the cat out of the bag” proved guilt of witchcraft. A resulting horrendous death, other than burning, involved witches and their cats tied in a bag together, and flung into a river. Sinking would ascertain a witch’s guilt and surfacing, her innocence. No doubt, no-one ever survived such a tortuous end.
Superstitions Thrive Today
Superstitions, which still exist today, maintain that black cats crossing one’s path bring bad luck, and cats “creeping into cradles” suck the breath of young babies. These absurdities, sometimes still believed in our modern, educated world, manifested themselves from the Middle Ages onwards. Historically, another myth was that cats were also thought to have stolen souls from dead people and evolved into vampires.
English Idioms Using Cats as the Topic
Many words and idioms in the English language reflect the cruel injustices against cats. An abundance of expressions and idioms inferring positive or negative qualities describing derogatory and mysterious aspects of the cats’ character and history, appear in literature. The word “catting”, for example, means “going after the opposite sex”, and reflects the promiscuous life of the feline world. To be “cattish” implies someone seemingly unkind and spiteful.
Idioms such as “to let the cat out of the bag” propounds a secret someone has let slip, and “to grin like a Cheshire cat” intimates a wide, constant, possibly irritating smile. These sayings, though unkind, enrich the language and appeal to a reader’s imagination.
T.S.Eliot wrote poetry about cats in his “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”. He believed that the cat is a majestic and splendid creature. His words are very complimentary as he describes the positive aspects of the cat’s personality. Today, prized for their beautiful coats and nimble build, cat admirers all over the world see this creature as a distinguished, proud animal, faithful and loving, and very independent.
Interesting information can be found in the following books on the topic of cats:
Man, Myth & Magic. The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Mythology, Religion and the Unknown. London. Marshall Cavendish (1985) Volume 2
Sayer Angela. Portrait of Cats London: Hamlyn (1975)
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