In this article, We Share the Top 10 Highly Diverse Ways of Depiction of Cats throughout the Ages. Don’t Waste time Let’s Start!!!!
Top 10 Highly Diverse Ways of Depiction of Cats throughout the Ages
Domestic Cats are small and furry animals that are great pets, provided one isn’t sensitive to their scent, which is a given. Cats are carnivores, and live an average lifespan of 14 years. They are elegant and acrobatic creatures. They maintain their cleanliness by licking dirt off their fur. Cats are kept as pets to provide companionship and to rid themselves of rodents and vermin. Cats have been around humans for a long time and the myriad ways depicted cats through time bear witness to this fact.
1. As a Pagan Goddess of Ancient Egypt, Bastet
Bastet was a revered and friendly goddess of domestic cats, and according to Herodotus her description, her name was “happy and benign Deity who brought good fortune, music, dance and joy to all.” Herodotus’ writings dating back to in the fifth century BC also mention Bastet’s temple Bastet (which is also known as Artemis) being the prettiest of temples, even though there were others which were more extensive and could be more expensive to construct. Bastet was believed to be akin to Sekhmet the deity of the lioness of war in her vile form. According to Herodotus the writings of her she was associated with Artemis the huntress who was virgin during the Greek period. She was protected by children, pregnancies, women and musicians, and any other kind of excess including sexual excessiveness. Other names for her included Bast, Ubust, Ubast etc.
2. As the Protagonist in an English Nursery Rhyme
The Pussy cat rhyme was sung as follows. The rhyme’s reference can be found in the book of James Orchard Halliwell-Philipps “The Nursery Rhymes of England” published in 1843. There are many other rhymes with cats like one where the pet cat is dumped into a well with a malicious intent by a young boy, but is saved by a different young boy.
3. As a Comic Strip Character
It was in 1978 that Jim Davis first introduced his original creation “Garfield” to the world through the comic strip with the identical name. The comic strip was populated by a lazy, fat and affectionate cat “Garfield and his master Jon Q. Arbuckle’, and Odie, the dog owned by Jon. Garfield quickly became a huge success all over the world in the world. Guinness World Records has declared GARFIELD as the most syndicated comic strip anywhere in the world. Garfield is a fan of sleeping and eating, and has a charming life. Garfield trades jokes with mice, but fights spiders. Jon plays jokes with Odie and is nice that the jokes usually bounce back at him. Jon is an unlucky loser in the sense that fair sex issue is involved. The subdued, uninterested humor of Jim Davis can be Jim Davis forte and the comic strip’s strengths.
4. As Omens of Ill-luck
Cats, particularly black cats, were the target of superstition across Europe in the Middle Ages and especially in England. Alley cats of England were usually provided by lonely, old ladies. Therefore, when these old widows who were lonely were thought to be witches, their connection to cats could have tarnished the animal as evil, and witches were witches’ consorts, specifically cats that were black. In the following years, many began believing that witches transform their bodies into black cat in the nighttime when they carried out their unholy deeds. Similar beliefs were prevalent among people during the Salem witch lynching in America. Even today, many people remain in awe of black cats. For instance, when a black cat crosses someone’s path is thought of as a negative sign or an indication of bad luck by certain people.
5. As an Inhabitant of Wonderland which mentors Alice
This is, naturally the smiling Cheshire cat that has the capacity to disappear or reappearance that Alice encounters at the end of Wonderland within the Lewis Carroll novel “Alice in Wonderland”. It gradually disappears upon the instruction of Alice and the only thing that is visible prior to it completely disappears is its grinning face. It is the Cheshire cat was a fictional cat. There have been numerous theories about what inspired Carroll to use his cat into the position that he played. Cheshire is located in England was famous for its cheeses that were made in various shapes, with one of them being the ‘grinning cat’. Since Carroll was born in Cheshire and raised in the Cheshire village, it’s likely that the shapes of cheese from that Carroll got his inspiration to design his famous cat.
6. As the Fourth House Representative in the Vietnamese Zodiac
The Korean and Chinese Zodiacs are similar, but they differ in the Vietnamese Zodiac differs from the Chinese in the animals that reside in the fourth and second houses in which the Ox and the Rabbit are replaced by two animals: the Water Buffalo and the Cat as well. The cat’s years have been 1963, 1965 1999, 1987, and 2011, and the next year of the cat in 2023. The Vietnamese replacement of the cat could be due to the cat guards the farmer’s crop from pests like rodents and vermin while the ‘rabbit’ has nothing of any practical benefit to them. Cats are sensitive, flexible, and gentle. But a person born in the year that is the year of cats may not divulge all they know about a specific topic, but they will keep certain information that they might reveal in the future. They love keeping secrets and are naturally secretive.
7. As the Subject of a Quantum Theory ‘Thought Experiment’
It was in 1935 that Ernest Schrodinger, Austrian scientist who was also a Nobel Prize winner, proposed his own thought experiment on his Quantum Theory of Superposition. Schrodinger uses a cat to put it inside into an Iron chamber. The chamber also contains the glass vial filled with hydrocyanic acid which is a radioactive element, as well as the mechanism for triggering a relay. The relay is set by means of such that the glass vial is broken at the moment the decay of just one electron of the radioactive element occurs, and the cyanide fumes kill the cat. Thus, once the box is shut the viewer is unable to determine the rate of decay inside. The cat could have passed away when one atom decayed in the course of the test, but it is breathing even though the decay process is not fully completed. Thus, in Quantum Theory, the cat is in a state of being dead and alive to a viewer.
8. As Angels or Divine Messengers
A lot of people believe that cats who strong bonds with their mistresses and masters are able to be reincarnated from their afterlife to assist their masters spiritually and encourage them to be more. Penelope Smith in her book “Animals in Spirit: Our Faithful Companions’ Transition to the Afterlife” states that pets can inspire us and help us understand joy and love, therefore when a cat is as a spirit, they’re just trying to accomplish the tasks they were unable to have failed to complete when they are living with their masters. Allan And Linda Anderson in their bestseller “Angel Cats: Divine Messengers of Comfort” promises that the interaction and observation of cats throughout our daily lives is enough to gain spiritual motivation to live our lives to the fullest.
9. As the theme of a Musical “Cats”
“Cats the musical” is an adaptation of T.S. Elliot’s novel “Old Possum’s book of Practical Cats”. The composer of the musical will be Andrew Lloyd Webber who has composed music for such famous musicals like Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera and more. and many more. This musical is about group of cats from alleys and the action is performed on the stage that revolves, revealing an enormous garbage dump. The actors portray various Cats each with a distinct name and a personality of its unique. Like humans there are moments of joy and sadness from the feline’s viewpoint and this is depicted in the musical. “Cats” first premiered in London Theatre on 11th May 1981, and it is still being staged, making it the longest-running musical on the planet until today.
10. As a Super-Hero who started off as a Thief
Selina Kyle also known as Cat woman, is an DC superhero who is a resident of Gotham city. She is first introduced as an armed burglar within DC Comics but then becomes an aide to Batman. Then, in Hollywood, Cat woman makes her first appearance of significance in the film “Batman Returns” of 1992. In this film, Selina Kyle is played by Michelle Pfeiffer. She is the secretary of Shrek and is believed to be in a shady alliance with Batman’s nemesis “Penguin’. A few days later, Selina comes to know about the evil plans of Shrek and he hurls her out of the office’s window and falls to the streets below. The group of felines revives Kyle and she draws the energy of nature transforms into “Cat Woman,” the most hated of male ruffians that she takes off with glee and laughs according to the DC Style. Anne Hathaway plays ‘Cat Woman in the most recent Hollywood Batman movie, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Batman Rises’.
