Bedtime Story: Reasons behind Cat Royalty in Ancient Egypt

The history of Egypt is full of magnificent art and culture. A lot of what the ancient Egyptians used to do is shared among our modern society, this actually includes the love of house cats. Our feline buddies have always had a higher status in the society of Ancient Egypt. Cats were more than just pets; they were seen as similar to specific deities who had the same attitude and behavior. Many tales claim that the Ancient Egyptians love to cats was actually beyond regular adoration for seeing them as means to protect the house from mice. They were always welcomed to enter the house and leave as they please. It is also said that cats were icons of the motherhood goddess Bastet. They said she used to change into a cat form. In the Egyptian myth, there is a tale about cat royalty in Egypt.

“The story is about the Sun God of Ancient Egypt, Re. It narrates that God "Re" developed anger against humanity and sought to punish them for committing heinous crimes. Thus, he had his daughter Sakhmet to assist him through his punishment process. Sakhmet had the head of a lion; she was naturally violent and embarked on her father’s vengeance with fury and anger. Later, Re realized his mistake and wanted to reverse what he had done. He tried to pacify his wild daughter by giving her red beer as a hypnotic substitute for the blood she craved. She took of the drink as much as she felt satisfied until she eventually curled up and fell asleep. In that state, she turned from a furious lioness into a peaceful cat.”

It is obvious that the cat was a symbol of peacefulness in the story. Other reasons that involve cats beings regarded as royalty include the portrayal of Mafdet. She was among the primary gods who had a form of woman-cat deity. This deity was revered and respected by the Egyptian people because she was a protector of the home and the kingdom itself. Due to her feline characteristics, she was capable of fighting back venomous animals such as snakes and scorpions.