Cat History

It is believed that the first domestic cats, in and around the Mediterranean (which includes Cyprus and Egypt of course), were then exported through the movement of people initially to Rome⁷ and then beyond. The Romans through their armies were good travellers. The domestic cat in England originates in importations by the Romans and is not a domesticated Scottish Wild cat. Although as mentioned there are now numerous wild cat hybrids in Scotland.

After an uneventful period from around 55 BC when the Romans arrived in Britain to the dreaded Middle Ages or medieval Britain not much seems to have happened except for the steady progress of the domestic cat in Europe and as far as Asia by the 10th century. I have written about the genetic make-up of the various cat breeds in reference to their origins (in the Meditteranean) on this page: Cat Genetics — the cat breeds.

There are documents from the tenth century in Wales (part of the United Kingdom or UK) referring to domestic cats indicating that the cat companion was becoming more common in Europe. Although they must have been relatively scarse judging by the price put on a domestic cat by the King of Wales in AD 945.

The cat had a value and was respected for its utility. During this period in Europe the cat’s mousing abilities were recognised (as they had been earlier in Egypt), which lead to the now well-known ship’s cat. As a result, there are a number of sailing terms centered around the word “cat”, such as cat of nine tails, catwalk etc.. The cat was carried far and wide. Perhaps the most famous ships cat is Simon, who was awarded the Dickin Medal. Ruth, a valued visitor to PoC has written and performed a Simon’s Song in hs memory.

Superstition is still a part of life today but in the Middle Ages it appears there was more of it and the humble cat bore the brunt of it sometimes. It was thought that the tortoiseshell cat could predict storms and, staying on the theme of weather, in Indonesia cats were employed as rain makers. This superstition became a point of persecution of the cat in the Middle Ages in Europe, which lasted 300 years.

In the days of the Middle Ages from the 5th century through to the 16th century, witches were very real and the poor cat was thought of a witches familiar, meaning an intimate companion. The black cat was the most persecuted and even today the black cat is the least popular in rescue centers, apparently. I feel that the fear of cats is a major factor in this superstition (Ailurophobia).

During the Middle Ages, particularly toward the 14th century⁸, it was believed by some that witches, who were portrayed as old, ugly women, had a nipple that delivered blood and milk to feed the black cat! Witches were tortured as they were thought to be able to cause harm to people. The witches cat companion was likewise victimised. Women deemed to be witches were hanged as late as 1692 in the United States.

The first trial for witchcraft took place in 1566⁹. The women and her daughter were hanged. The phrase a cat has nine lives is linked to witchcraft and superstition. The cat was persecuted at this time. Abuse of cats was considered amusing – it still is by some people, incidentally (at Jan 2010). In the late 17th century our relationship with the cat started to return to one that was more normal. This may in part be attributed to Cardinal Richelieu who had dozens of cats it seems.

There are many cat haters today, a legacy of the superstitious past. Research indicates that there are 7 times more cat haters than dog haters. This is a also a legacy of the past, plus the fear of cats, plus the potential to be allergic to cats and of course the independence of the cat over the dogs obedience (Cats vs Dogs).

The rise in the domestic cat brought with it an explosion in the number of cat breeds from the late 19th century to the present (2010). The most active time for cat breed creation was the 1950s (see chart below).

I wonder if the cat fancy should be rebooted and reset to default? This is just a slightly provocative thought. But what is the default position? Probably sometime in the early part of the 20th century. It could be argued that two many cat breeds were “created”, which harmed the cat fancy and it could also be argued that the purity of some breeds and the integrity of other breeds regarding health have been compromised throughout the 20th century by less than meticulous cat breeding. See for example: Siamese cat health problems and Genetic Diseases in Purebred Cats.