Although the cat as we know it today first appeared on the scene about 10 million years ago, it took another two thousand years to establish a healthy interaction with humans. Cats protected the farmer’s grain from mice and other rodents and the farmer protected and gave shelter to an otherwise feral cat population. Although cats are represented (although rarely) in some prehistoric cave paintings, they seemed to have made their artistic debut in murals found on the palace walls of Minoan Crete. Many animals are depicted among lush vegetation, and in one fragment a cat can be seen behind a bush, stalking a pheasant that appears unaware of its impending fate.
In ancient Egypt, the cat was sacred to the goddess, Bast, and cemeteries dating back to around 600 BCE have been found containing the bodies of mummified cats as well as bronze cat statues. Cats were considered members of Egyptian households by 1600 BC, although they were not deified until much later. In the finest homes of the Roman Empire, mosaic tiles of cats as well as other animals adorned walls and floors. The above picture of a cat and his catch was discovered during excavations at Pompeii.
In the religious paintings of the Middle Ages, the cat symbolized both laziness and lust. It was also a common belief at this time that the devil took the form of a black cat. Terrible fates often befell anyone who befriended or showed attention to any cat, but particularly a black one. The Black Plague in Europe changed the reputation of the cat to super hero, courageous destroyer of vermin. An early European woodcut depicts a Venetian doctor visiting a plague patient while a cat appears to sit guard in the room, keeping those little beasties away.
Have YOU seen ancient paintings of cats? Please share.