Cats have shared habitats with humans and coexisted with them since ancient times. Their existence is so familiar that they go beyond being mere pets, and have become symbols of various things throughout the ages and in the East and West. In some places, they were considered to be the working animals of the gods, and in others, they were the devil’s familiars. It was believed that they bring good luck, and in other places, they were the harbinger of misfortune. While cats themselves were regarded as monsters, at the same time, they were deified like gods. Dogs are also familiar animals, but they do not have such large fluctuations. Why?
The reason may only be known to cats or even Gods. However, based on my own experience, one of the reasons is that cats behave differently and it is difficult to understand what they are thinking. By heterogeneity, I mean that cats are essentially solitary animals, while humans are essentially group animals.
Because they are different from us, we can hate them so much that we don’t even want to see their faces, but we can also become so curious that we want to think about them all the time. If we can’t see, we will become desperate to do it again no matter what. It’s the same phenomenon as love.
It makes sense. From prehistoric times until today in the 21st century, humans have weaved stories, sung songs, created paintings and sculptures, and even brought them into science. There is no reason why these enthusiasms applied to humans should not be applied to cats which cause the same phenomenon as love. Never.
In this way, cats became the subject of songs, played not only the supporting role in the story but also the main roles, were featured in numerous paintings and sculptures, and even became motifs for designs. Even contribution to science is not zero. The numerous ideas, actions, and creations that are created in this way are shared and modified by groups of people who have something in common, such as region, religion, hobbies, and ideology. Then, these are inherited by new members who join the group. Generally, this is called culture.
Therefore, talking about various things related to cats is the same as talking about culture. Here, I’ll collect cultural pieces involving cats. That means cats which appear in stories, songs, pictures, idioms, people who associated with cats, places, customs, beliefs, and cats that have contributed to the development of science and technology. It’s just one perspective, so it won’t be full of cat stories. Sorry to cat addicts. Domestic cats are the main but also include the feline family because it is too hard to ignore animals such as tigers and lions from a cultural perspective.
Seeing or reading something like this doesn’t make it as if it never happened – such as the pile of bills in front of me or the terrible work mistake I made today. But at least it might be a distraction, and if we are lucky enough, it might give us the strength to survive on the tough days of our lives.
First posted date : December 12,2022
