The House Tiger

 Cats have been living with humans for a very long time, at least 4,000 years. No one knows for sure when people first had the company of “domestic cats” (now there’s an oxymoron, wouldn’t you say?), but many historians attribute that distinction to the Egyptians. The Egyptians not only had cats, but worshipped them as well. Apparently, it was the cat’s choice to join with humans; not a case of humans attempting to domesticate another animal such as horses or dogs. The cat figured out that humans had lots of grain (especially the Egyptians at the time) and that mean lots of vermin. A predator’s paradise.

 There are many legends surrounding the ancient Egyptian cat. One such legend is that although local authorities prevented exporting cats from Egypt, cats were frequently stolen by the Phoenician traders and taken to Mediterranean countries. Egyptian soldiers were encouraged to take any cats they saw during their foreign travels and bring them back to Egypt, their true home. When Persia attacked the Egyptian city of Pelusium, the Persian king was aware of the Egyptians' devotion and loyalty to the cat and he devised a plan: he ordered his soldiers to search the city and take any cat they found. During the next attack, his soldiers each held up a live cat as they came near the Egyptian borders. Rather than harm the cats, the Egyptians surrendered their city to Persia, at least, according to the legend.

 Asian peoples have long revered the cat as well. In one ancient Chinese account, they were known as House tigers and believed to be a good luck charm. Even in Japan today, a white cat is a familiar sign of good luck. “House tiger” seems like an appropriate name if there ever were one.

 Since Egyptians and some Asian cultures traveled the trade routes, vermin and therefore cats came along for the ride. Starting somewhere around 200 B.C. the cat spread through Europe and Asia, and were found from Ireland to Japan. From about 1400A.D. on to the present, cats traveled even further on ships and crossed the oceans. Colonization led to the cat’s introduction to North America, Australia and so on. Now, cats can be found anywhere there are humans.

 Obviously, other peoples like South American natives once worshipped wild cats, such as the jaguar and puma. Most European cultures have myths and folklore (both good and bad) concerning the feline. In Russia, the “Russian Blue” or “Archangel Cat” is considered a lucky charm. It received the name “Archangel” from where it was discovered, near the Port of Archangel near Moscow.

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