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As Christianity grew in Medieval times, the representations of cats as magical beings or related to past deities, did not work in their favour. With this shift they became pagan symbols (I’m sure they were surprised too). The 13th century marked the beginning of a few very unpleasant centuries for cats – a chapter of history which is difficult for the cat lovers of today to reflect on too deeply. There are records of ritual killings of cats in Cambridge(2) which progressed across Europe after Pope Gregory IX (not a cat person) associated our feline friends with Satan(1). Just as their abstract reputation in mythology affected feline lives in the real world; so it also rippled outwards to influence the human world and history.The mass killing of cats is thought to have contributed to the spread of the Black Plague, as it was carried by the fleas of a growing population of mice and rats. This link was not realised until much later, so cats, especially black cats, continued to suffer stigma and violence. Even in the 16th century, being fond of cats was a dangerous attribute. Today you may hear a jokey reference to a “crazy cat lady”, but then it was no laughing matter, with thousands of eccentric or elderly ladies who owned cats being accused of witchery and burned alive(4) across Europe.
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The Protestant Reformation and Age of Enlightenment gave new insight so that the power of reason could triumph over superstition. Cats had survived their darkest hour. In the Victorian age they rose again in popularity as pets, especially after Queen Victoria took an interest in cats and adopted her own(3). After that cats charmed their way forward, lounging on the desks of Charles Dickens, William Wordsworth, John Keats and Thomas Hardy.What a turbulent journey they have made through the ages, their evolution entwined with ours. It is no wonder that sometimes they treat us with disdain – they were once revered as gods. And no wonder they can be wary of us – we have not always been kind to them. Worshipped as deities and shunned as demons, they have known royalty and disdain perhaps more than any other animal. They have travelled far to reach their place by the fire and onto our laps – they are our cats