Rise of the Cat Goddess Bastet and the Domestication of the Ancient Egyptian Cat and

In Ancient Egypt, the cat was known as mau andfeline form, often with gold or jewel-encrusted ear and
played a significant role in the society and mythologynose rings.
of Ancient Egypt.  Even feral and untamed, the catThe Pharaoh Shoshenq I built Bubastic, a center of
served a useful purpose for the farmers in Ancientworship for the Goddess Bastet east of the Nile Delta
Egypt by protecting their crops from vermin.  Cats(50 miles Northeast of Cairo) into an important cultural
protected the grainaries of Egypt from rats and mice,city where thousands would travel each year to
and earned respect from the human population ofcelebrate the cult of the cat.  In the marketplace,
Egypt for their ability to battle and kill Cobras and othermerchants and artists peddled bronze sculptures and
snakes.  Two breeds of cats populated the region atjewelry festooned with the image of Bastet or of a
the time, the jungle cat (Felis chaus) and the Africanmother cat with her kittens, popular with women
wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica).  attempting to conceive a child.  Their prayers to
The African wildcat was more docile and possessedBastet would often ask that they be granted the
a demeanor that was more conducive tosame number of children as kittens depicted on the
domestication.  A mutually beneficial existence whereamulet they had purchased in the market.  The fifth
the cats controlled the vermin and the humanscentury Greek historian Herodotus described the
tolerated and provided protection from other predatorspilgrimage to Bubastis as a carnival-like scene wild with
who avoided humans, helped to push along themusic and drink to celebrate the Cat Goddess, Bastet.
domestication process.  Another influence onIn death, the cat was often treated with the respect
domestication was the practice of raising kittensextended a human family member.  Family members
caught in the wild as pets, a fashionable practicewould grieve their loss deeply and in many cases, the
amongst Ancient Egypt's wealthiest citizens.  Evolvingcat's body would receive the full mummification
beyond mere tolerance, the Egyptian people began totreatment.  Their is ample evidence that the burial of
embrace the newly domesticated creature as aa cat was frequently treated with much the same
symbol of grace and elegance.  revelry as his human counterpart, including the
Ancient Egyptian was deeply influenced by the animalceremonial burial with provisions for the afterlife such
world and worship of animals was common.  Mafdet,as dishes of milk and even mummified mice.  In the
the deity associated with justice and execution, waslate 1800s at the temple of Bast, a huge tomb holding
depicted as a fierce lion-headed goddess and themore than 19 tons of mummified cat remains was
earliest representations of Bastet from around thediscovered.  Along with the mummies were the
Second Dynasty show a fierce lion-like warriorpopular bronze statues of the goddess Bast in cat
goddess.  Over centuries as cats became moreform.  It's suspected that most were already stolen
domesticated and placid, the cat goddess Bastet orby thieves before the discovery as the image remains
Bast, rose in popularity to become the deity a popular with collectors of rare antiquities.  
representing fertility, motherhood and protection. While the popularity of the cat in Egypt has waned
Statues from later periods depict the goddess with theand they are probably celebrated more in the United
head of a domesticated cat and often accompaniedStates today, statues of the goddess Bastet remain a
by her kittens, a more representative depiction of herpopular decorating choice for cat-lovers or those who
nurturer role and the domestication of the cat inappreciate the feline representation of nurturing
Egypt.  Bastet was frequently depicted in her fullmotherhood.