Origins of the Cat

Bubatis: Ancient city of Per Bast (and) (in Egyptian) that the Greeks later named Boubastis. Located in the Nile Delta, 80 km northeast of Cairo, the city is known for having hosted a sanctuary of the goddess Bastet, to whom the cat owes its apogee, in the 4th millennium before our era.

A very large number of mummified cats testify to the cult that was dedicated to this animal. Many celebrations were regularly held there during which men and women arrived by boat to honour their deceased cats with dancing and music. Families mourning their pets shaved their eyebrows as a tribute to their cats.

An animal appreciated for its gentleness and grace, the cat was originally associated with the symbol of crop and human protection, it was at the height of its influence as the incarnation of the goddess Bastet in Egypt.

Each temple had its own cats and a "guardian of the cats”; (an important position transmitted hereditarily) was in charge of them. The cat, like other sacred animals, had a special status in Egyptian society. Thus it was forbidden to kill or even mistreat cats, under penalty of severe penalties that could go as far as death.

The expression “miou”, used by the ancient Egyptians to designate the cat, later gave birth to the verb mewing.