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The Cat in History
A Pathfinder
by Janet Kiernan, Librarian
No other animal has evoked such strong emotions as the cat. Enigmatic and fiercely independent, cats have interacted with humans throughout history, both hated and revered. Its physical traits and super senses have fascinated some and repelled others to such an extent that the animal has been the subject of art, poetry, and sculpture as well as legend and folklore.
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Books
Databases
Websites
Associations
Encyclopedia Americana
The Encyclopedia of the Cat, by Bruce Fogle. [Introduction: Chapters 1-2. Short overview.]
The New Encyclopedia of the Cat, by Bruce Fogle.
Legacy of the Cat, by Gloria Stephens. [pp. 4-8.]
When Cats Reigned Like Kings: On the Trail of the Sacred Cats, by Georgie Ann Geyer. McMeel Pub., 2004.
Curiosity about the ancestors of her own two cats led the author to the East to search out the human-feline role of cats in ancient cultures.
The Classical Cats: the Rise and Fall of the Sacred Cat, by Donald Engels. Routledge, 1999.
[Not available at OCPL - if interested, try our Interlibrary Loan option.]
Author traces history of cat’s exalted status in ancient Egypt, through the Middle Ages, and into the 19th century. He pays closer attention to neglected period 500 B.C.- 500 AD.
Cats Ancient and Modern, by Frederick Cameron Sillar. Viking Press, 1966. Through a historical perspective the author portrays the cat in fiction, fact, religion and supposition in illustration of its appeal.
The Cat in Ancient Egypt, by Jaromir Malek. British Museum Press, 1993.
[Not available at OCPL - if interested, try our Interlibrary Loan option.]
Main source of the cat’s early domestication is revealed in art and sculpture. Its role as an accepted member of the household and as a religious object is evident.
For articles about cats in history, see OCPL’s Online Databases. Here you can access magazine and journal articles, newspapers, and reference books 24 hours a day using your OCPL library card.
For in-library use of the online databases, please see a librarian.
Ebscohost & Masterfile Select [Search Cats + History]
"The Feline Immigrants." (Source: Animals, Sept/Oct’94,v.127, issue 5,p.24, 5p.)
Cats arrive in New England as pets of European settlers. A Symbiotic relationship existed between cats and owners.
"Feline Forecasters." (Source: Weatherwise, Jun/Jul.’92, issue 5, p.17, 4p.)
Colonial ancestors considered cats good predictors of weather. Their sensitivity to minute physical changes may have contributed to their reputation.
"Pussycat Queen of the Nile." (Source: Hopscotch, Feb/Mr, 95, v.6, issue 5,p.144, 2p)
Traces history of the domestication of cats. Cat killing was a crime, punishable by death. Mummification was practiced by wealthy Egyptians.
Gale General Reference Center Gold [Search Cats + Religion]
"Kitty Kings Rule Hearts." Washington Times, Dec.17, 2004.
Writer studies the roles of cats throughout history.
Cats in the Middle Ages from Storm Tidings
Cats in the World Almanac for Kids
CFA Breeds—Cat Fanciers Association
See Egyptian Mau
See Birman