In medieval times a labourer earned 2 pence per day. That’s about £300 in today’s money. An adult cat mouser was worth about 4 pence or two day’s wages. In today’s money: around £600. This is for a standard moggie. The value is not hugely dissimilar to that of purebred cats today at about double the price. Today domestic cats are largely for company, friendship and entertainment. In medieval times they were far more utilitarian by which I mean working cats in line with their original relationship when the wild cat was first domesticated. Mousing was their purpose. I won’t say much more because it is all said in the infographic.
You can view this infographic on Canva by clicking on this link where you can share it and download it if you wish.
The source of the information is: Medieval Cats by Kathleen Walker-Meike.
The medieval era is also referred to as the Middle Ages (500-1500 AD). Domestic cats were first introduced into Britain by the Romans around 200 AD as I recall. So, they had been in England for around 1000 years in mid-medieval times. Well established in other words.
Below are some more articles on cat history.
