The Ancient Secret of Cats: From Gods to Inseparable Companions

Money Explainers

Discover how cats conquered the world, from Ancient Egypt to your sofa.
A fascinating journey through the domestication and mystery of our felines.
Did you know cats were worshipped as gods? Their history will surprise you.
#FelineMysteries #AncientCats #FelineHistory

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Animales

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00:00The hidden history of our cats. Welcome to a journey through time, where we will unravel

00:05the enigmatic history of one of the most beloved and mysterious animals on the planet, the domestic

00:11cat. Their relationship with humanity is much older than we imagine, a bond forged not in

00:18palaces, but at the dawn of civilization. For a long time, it was believed that the domestication

00:24of cats began in ancient Egypt, around the 3rd millennium BC. However, an archaeological

00:30discovery in Cyprus in 2004 rewrote this narrative. The remains of a cat found alongside a human

00:37burial, dated between 7,500 and 7,000 BC, revealed a much earlier cohabitation. This feline morphologically

00:47similar to the African wildcat, suggests an initial familiarity. Not full domestication,

00:53but the beginning of a relationship. The true spark of this coexistence was ignited

00:59by agriculture, around 8 to 10,000 years ago, in the Fertile Crescent. The storage of cereals

01:07attracted rodents, which, in turn, attracted wildcats. It was a mutually beneficial alliance.

01:13The cats found an easy food source, and the humans, a natural form of pest control. Genetic

01:19studies on nearly 1,000 cats have confirmed this region as the epicenter of domestication,

01:25identifying up to five distinct domestication events of the desert cat. But it was in ancient

01:31Egypt that the cat achieved an unprecedented status. Known as Mew, these felines were not

01:37only appreciated for their sweetness and grace, but, crucially, for their protective role. They

01:44safeguarded grain silos from rodents and eliminated rats' vectors of disease and venomous snakes.

01:51This practical utility elevated them to a sacred level. They were associated with the goddess

01:56Bastet, a symbol of fertility and protection, often depicted with a cat's head.

02:03Pharaoh's laws were strict. Killing a cat was punishable by death. It's said that a Roman dignitary

02:10was lynched by the population of Alexandria after accidentally killing a cat.

02:16Despite the pharaoh's attempts to calm the crowd, cats were mummified with honors, even

02:21with embalmed mice for the afterlife. In 1890, over 300,000 feline mummies were discovered

02:29in Tel, Basta. The Egyptian respect for cats was even a weakness exploited in war. In 525 BC,

02:37Cambysi, Cambysi's two tied cats to his soldiers. Shields during the siege of Pelusium, preventing

02:43the Egyptians from counterattacking for fear of harming them, leading to the city's fall. However,

02:48the cult of Bastet declined and disappeared with the prohibition of pagan cults in 390 AD from Egypt.

02:55Cats expanded across the world. Legend has it that the Greeks stole at least six pairs of cats,

03:02taking them to Greece and from there to the Mediterranean. In Greece and Rome,

03:07while their hunting ability was recognized, they were not deified. Other animals like weasels and

03:13ferrets were the main rodent controllers. The Greeks, in fact, preferred dogs as companions.

03:21In Asia, cats arrived in China through trade during the Hellenistic period,

03:25where they were warmly received for their beauty and their gift for hunting mice. They became a symbol of

03:30peace, fortune, and family serenity, believed to attract good luck and ward off demons.

03:37In Japan, they arrived with Buddhism in the sixth century, evolving to be considered bearers of good

03:43fortune, like the famous Manekineko. Today, there are cat islands where they outnumber humans and are

03:50very well cared for. In India, the cat was also honored and the goddess of fertility, sometimes

03:57adopted its appearance. But the cat's reputation in Europe suffered a drastic decline during the late

04:03Middle Ages, despite their usefulness in rodent control. The Catholic Church associated them with

04:09pagan cults and demonic forces, especially black cats. This perception led to widespread persecution and

04:17sacrifices at popular festivals under the Inquisition. This systematic extermination had a devastating

04:25consequence. It directly contributed to the proliferation of rodents, which in turn exacerbated

04:31the spread of the Black Death in the 14th century. Paradoxically, the ravages of the Black Death contributed

04:38to the cat's rehabilitation. Beginning in the 17th century, it started to be considered a family pet.

04:44Scientific discoveries of the 19th century demonstrated its hygiene, and the Romantic

04:51movement helped consolidate its positive image. In the 18th century, affection and esteem for the cat

04:58grew, and the idea of respectful treatment of animals became widespread. The concept of breeds of cats as

05:05we know them today is a relatively modern phenomenon. Although Linnaeus made a first inventory in 1758,

05:12it was in the 19th century that cat lovers began to select and breed felines with particular traits to

05:18create luxury breeds. Exhibitions and shows, such as the first modern cat show at the Crystal Palace in

05:25London in 1871, were crucial. The number of recognized breeds has increased significantly,

05:32from eight in 1900 to almost 100 at the beginning of the 21st century. Thus, the cat has traveled an

05:39extraordinary path from wild predator to deity, from demon to unconditional companion. Its history is a

05:47reflection of our own, a testament to how coexistence, culture, and science have shaped the destiny of

05:54these fascinating felines. Money Explainers.

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