Cat videos are among the most popular and most viewed posts. The most followers on Instagram, nala_cat, currently has 4,4 million. Nala even has her own brand of cat food, with a wide range of flavors.
Even megastars like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Justin Bieber love to post photos with their pets.
Friendship from ancient times
Humans' love for these silent predators has lasted for more than 10.000 years. With the development of agriculture and the storage of grain, cats began to come closer to humans.
This happened around 9000 BC, in the Fertile Crescent (north of the Arabian Peninsula) in the Middle East. They soon began to follow ship crews, hunting mice and rats, and spread almost across the planet.
Today, cats can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
In almost all cultures, cats have been considered both useful and fascinating. They were excellent at pest control, but their untamed nature has always intrigued people.
Cats in cultural history: from Egypt to East Asia
In ancient Egypt, there was Bastet, a cat-shaped goddess who was considered a protector who protected the home from evil spirits and disease. The Egyptians attributed the same qualities to cats and deeply respected them.
According to the Greek historian Herodotus (490/480 – 424 BC), in the event of a fire, people would first rescue cats before trying to put out the fire. When a cat died, they would shave their eyebrows as a sign of mourning, embalm it, and bury it.
In East Asian cultures, cats also have a long and complex history – often associated with good luck, prosperity and protection. In China, domestic cats were used to protect silkworm farms and tea plantations from mice and birds as early as 1400 BC. In Japan, humans and cats did not meet until 1800 years later, and there it was long believed that cats had the power to transform into demons.
Maneki-Neko: The Japanese Waving Cat for Good Luck
Today, the Maneki-Neko, the Japanese “waving cat,” is present everywhere – not just in Japan. Its raised paw is supposed to invite luck and wealth. This always-smiling lucky cat, just like its real-life counterpart, has long since spread around the world. If it waves its right paw, it is considered to represent a male cat that brings wealth and luck. If it waves its left paw – it is a female cat that attracts guests and customers.
But cats were not universally beloved. In medieval Europe, they had to prove their endurance. They were often accused of spreading the plague. Pope Innocent VIII (1432–1492) was so afraid of cats that he declared them pagan animals in league with the devil. As a result, cats were tortured, burned, and killed.
Cats today: where they are most popular
Although cats are still frowned upon in some parts of the world, they are becoming increasingly popular as pets. In India, the number of cat owners is growing rapidly – in 2019, the number of cat adoptions doubled in the past five years.
The United States has the most cats in households - around 74 million, followed by China with 53 million.
But the biggest cat lovers live in Russia – every second household owns one or more cats. There are historical reasons for this: unlike the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church has from the beginning looked favorably on cats for their benefits, so they became a symbol of well-being and welcome members of households.
For centuries, dozens of cats, mostly males, have lived in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg to keep the basements of the vast museum free of rodents. Today, you can even adopt a certified "Hermitage cat." Their food and care are taken care of by animal lovers and donors - the state does not fund these cats.
But the immense love for cats in Russia could now also serve a political purpose: President Putin will appear in the popular animated series "Prostokvashino" as the partner of the main character, the cat Matroskin, in order to promote Russia and its culture, said the director of the production company Soyuzmultfilm, Yuliana Slashcheva. And cats, in accordance with their nature, will certainly not care.
Bonus video:
