The History of Cats Part II
Two great written stories of ancient India mention cats. The Mahabharata (5 BC) and Ramayana (4 BC). Mahabharata has a famous passage about the cat Lomasa and the mouse Palita, who would help one another to escape from death and it also discusses at length the nature of relationships, particularly those in which one of the parties is stronger or more powerful than the other as the cat and mouse.
In the Ramayana, the god Indra disguises himself as a cat after seducing the beautiful Ahalya as a means to escape from her husband.
Everywhere else, cats in India were found to be particularly useful in controlling the populations of less desirable creatures like mice, rats, and snakes and so were honored in the homes, farms, and palaces throughout the land.
Also the cat was seen as more than just a method of pest control as was shown by the deep respect given to cats in the literature of India. The famous story of Puss in Boots (better recognized by the French version by Charles Perrault, 1628-1703 AD) is taken from a much older Indian folk tale in the Panchatantra from 5 BC. The respect in which cats were held is also evident in the Indian cat goddess, Shashthi, who served much the same role as the goddess Bastet of Egypt.
Shashthi is often pictured as a motherly figure riding a cat with one or more infants.
Now, the Persian’s tale claims the cat was created magically. Rustum, the great Persian hero, who was out on a series of military operations, saved a magician from a band of thieves. Rustum offered the older man the comfort of his tent, and they sat outside under the stars, enjoying the warmth of a fire.
The magician asked Rustum what he wanted as a gift for saving his life. Rustum told the magician that there was nothing he desired since he had everything he could ever want. He already had the warmth and comfort of the fire, the scent of the smoke and the beauty of the stars overhead.
The magician then took a handful of smoke and flame, then brought down two of the brightest stars. He then blended them together in his hands while blowing on them. When he opened his hands, Rustum saw a small, smoke-grey kitten with eyes bright as the stars and a tiny tongue which darted out like the flame from the fire. This was the first Persian cat which was created as a token of gratitude to Rustum.
The prophet Muhammed was also very fond of cats. According to the legend, the letter `M’ design you see on the forehead of the tabby cat was made when the prophet blessed his favorite cat by placing his hand on its head.
This cat, Meuzza, was also featured in another famous story in which Muhammed was called to prayer and found the cat asleep on the sleeves of his prayer robe. Rather than disturb the cat, he cut the sleeve from his robe and left Meuzza to sleep on his robe sleeves. The status of the cat, therefore, was further enhanced by its association with a figure of divinity.
We will continue to learn more about the history of cats in China, Japan, Greece, and Rome. So stay tuned to Kitty Village News and the History of Cats.
Thank you for reading Kitty Village News.
S&B