When People Think Cats
by theSVK on Nov 02, 2009 with 8 Comments
Cats are not only the passion of the so called "old cat ladies". Cats have been drawn, painted, written about, animated many times by many people. They have been worshiped and they have been seen as the sign of danger. This is a page dedicated to "the cat in human culture".
Queen Elizabeth and the Pussy Cat
Is there anyone who has not read the nursery rhyme about the Pussy Cat who visited the Queen? I guess not.
“Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?”
“I’ve been to London to visit the Queen.”
“Pussycat, pussycat, what did you there?”
“I frightened a little mouse under her chair”
Pussy Cat Pussy Cat, Where have you been? : Image Credit – Gutenburg.org
The queen being referred to here is Queen Elizabeth I of England. It has been said that someone in Queen Elizabeth’s close quarters had a pussy cat who used to roam around. Oneday the cat went under the throne and apparently it brushed the Queen’s feet and startled the Queen! She however took this in good humor and agreed to let the cat visit the throne room provided that it kept the mice away!
Old Cat Ladies
There is something about old ladies and cats. They have been referred to in numerous stories, books, poems, movies and other forms of arts. They love their cats and this sometimes leads to some kind of a trouble. Please note that this is an entirely personal opinion but I have read quite a few times in the newspapers and also on the internet that someone complained to the police about an old lady in their neighbourhood and when the police came they found many cats, sometimes more than ten cats loitering around.
Who’s the most famous cat of them all?
This question is quite easy to answer. Tom. Off course. He is perhaps the most talked about cat in history along with his partner and life-enemy Jerry who is similarly the most talked about mouse in history. Hannah and Barbera’s eternal creation Tom and Jerry is one of the most popular cartoon shows of all times. Tom ‘Thomas’ Cat in his never ending attempts to get Jerry Mouse invariable ends up losing the comically bloody battles.
Tom and Jerry : Image Credit – Flickr
Cats in Theology
Cats had a huge role in the daily lives of the ancient Egyptians. They were so reverred in Egypt that they started worshiiping it as their solar and war Goddess bastet. It is said that Prophet Muhammad also loved cats very much and had a beloved cat of his own. Ancient Hindu scriptures of the Mahabharata and Ramayana also gave high importance to cats.
Cat Goddess Bastet of Ancient Egypt : Image Credit – Wikipedia.org
The Black Cat Crossing the Road
It is not always that the cat is loved. In many places, the cat crossing the road is considered to be the sign of imminent danger. I have personally been in many such situations in the dead of night where the driver of a bus or the car in which we are going would abruptly stop when a black cat would cross the road.
The sight of the black cat crossing the road in the dark, then stopping and turning towards the car to have look, its eyes glowing in the car’s headlight and then again slowly walking past is not pleasant. Not at all. And people across cultures have thought this to be a bad omen for centuries.
Some Great Cat Paintings and Photographs
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Published in: Pets
Vikram Chhabra | Nov 2, 2009 | Reply
Very well researched article my friend. It was a learning exposure for me into the feline world!
Sourav | Nov 2, 2009 | Reply
Really a good write!
Christine Ramsay | Nov 2, 2009 | Reply
I have never got on with cats, because we used to have a vicious one when I was a child and it used to jump on me and scratch, but I know they are much loved by other people. This is a good and very well presented article.
Christine
martie | Nov 2, 2009 | Reply
I always thought Sylvester was the most well known cartoon cat!
Ruby Hawk | Nov 2, 2009 | Reply
I’m not a cat person but don’t you just love the way their eyes glow in the dark?
theSVK | Nov 3, 2009 | Reply
@Martie – I don\’t know but Tom and Jerry has been around since the 1940s while Sylvester and Tweety was first aired in 1995 (most probably)
Deepshikha Goyal | Nov 4, 2009 | Reply
though i dont like cats,i liked d article
PhoenixRox | Nov 9, 2009 | Reply
Loved how you got together all those kitty ideas in one place.. LOL