35. Ancient Egyptians Might Not Exactly Have Loved Cats The Way We Think They Did
If there is one animal that the people most commonly associated with in ancient Egypt, it is probably cats. And for good reason: there are thousands of cat statues all over the place, and millions of mummified cats. Indeed, so common were mummified cats, that archaeologists in the 19th and early 20th centuries frequently observed Egyptian farmers crushing and using them as fertilizers. However, recent discoveries and research indicate that while cats were popular in ancient Egypt, the reason for that popularity was nothing like the reason for cats’ popularity today.
In a nutshell, most ancient Egyptians did not see cats like we do, as pets and cute companions. Instead, they viewed cats as religious sacrifices, to be killed in order to please one of their gods. Those millions of mummified cats? They were not dear pets, lovingly preserved by their saddened owners after their demise. Instead, they were bred by the millions near temples, and soon as they got big enough – usually about 5 or 6 months old, but sometimes as young as 2 to 4 months old – they were sold to worshipers as offerings, to sacrifice at the temple. So while ancient Egyptians esteemed cats, it was a different kind of esteem than what most people assume.