Feline curiosities

After the accendental death of my cat, Zoe a few months back, for whatever reasons, i began researching more into felines in ancient myth, beliefs and cultures..their purpose for domestication both for 'logical' reasons as well as spiritually. Having always been a 'cat person' i have always held great affection and respect for them, not strange in itself as i love all animals and often hold more respect for them than many humans i've met in life! But its a very different respect when it comes to cats of all breeds and sizes..


It is estimated that early feline species began to come to human settlements around 2000 BC, drawn to human dwellings for rodents, food scraps and warmth from fires, the Felis silvestris lybica- commons.wikimedia.org...:Felis_silvestris_lybica
is said to be the ancestor of all domesticated cats known today.
Initially, these smaller species of African wild cats were encouraged to come to the settlements by the people when they came to understand their hunting abilities, to hunt pests jeopardising grain supplies such as mice and rats who often stole from the supplies as well as contaminating the food with their urine and feces, thus spreading diseases such as Leptospirosis (Weils Disease), Tularemia, Hantavirus, Lassa Fever and fever with renal syndromes, and of course the widely known Black Plague for some examples.. www.cdc.gov...
So in this sense, cats became quite invaluable with their 'mousing skills', and often helped in keeping poisionous snakes away..
It has been said in cat myths that the tabby cats 'M' mark most have on their foreheads came from Mary Magdalene in thanks to a stray tabby who kept the baby jesus warm in the stables..(I am not Christian however, and this is just one of many, many examples of feline lore)..
As many know, cats appear in most every cultures folk stories and myths of old.. various superstitions have been around for a very long time -such as a pure black cat crossing ones path being bad luck or an omen of sorts, a kitten born in may is said to be a witches cat, and as many know, cats have been associated with witches and the Occult for centuries now, by the mid to late 1500s they began to be thought of by the average people as familiars to aid a witch in their magickal workings, rituals, spell castings, shape shifting and so on.. Black cats have been seen by some throughout history to be the 'devil' himself..and so the distrust and superstitions of cats started to form.. but not all views of cats were or are negative, In Italian lore, anyone who hears a cat sneeze is meant to have good luck.. while in Scotland, a strange (stray or unknown) cat on ones doorstep is to bring prosperity to that household, and dreaming of a white cat is also meant to be a good omen..
As many know, the Ancient Egyptians were feline enthusiasts, so to say, throughout history..So much so that if anyone were to be seen by another to kill a cat either on purpose or by pure accident was immediately put to death, They were defeated in war, supposedly so an old story goes, when their rivals came to the battlefield with cats strapped to their shields (alive) and in fear of killing or injuring a single one of the creatures, laid down their weapons. True or not, i found the mental imagery of this most amusing lol..
Tomb scenes began to show cats in everyday life during the 'New Kingdom' period in Egypt from 1540-1069 BC. They also would take their cats on hunting excursions with them, usually to marsh lands where the cats were trained to hunt fowl and fish.. The Ancient Egyptians name for felines big and small, was Miut or Miu (meaning he or she that muews) and they often used the term Miut or Mit as an endearment towards, usually, girl rather than boy children.
Throughout histories and folk lores world wide, cats are depicted and spoke of in writings/texts of old as being held in high regards..and by some, outright worshipped. The earliest known feline cat Goddesses recorded, started with Mafdet, spoken of in the Pyramid Texts as a Serpent killer -en.wikipedia.org... Then came the very popular and well known of Bastet (Ubasti) en.wikipedia.org... then, Bastets counterpart, Lion Headed (some believe, her evil counterpart) Sekhmet en.wikipedia.org...
Due to the Ancient Egyptians love for Bastet, she became their household Goddess..watching over and protecting the home, women and childbirth.
My main point to this thread, is that throughout decades upon decades, felines have been highly revered by some, extremely feared by others, and by yet others, held in high esteem for their grace, beauty and mysteriousness..and that last part is where my curiousity is presently.. there is no doubt that cats are peculiar beings in themselves, each with their own persona and traits, but an over all mystery of cats lingers to this day. I would be interested in anyones thoughts on these gorgeous and delightful (in my opinion anyway)! companions..as well as stories.. 'oddities', happenings and experiences of your own with cats, spiritually, in a paranormal sense, or whatever you wish to share..a number of people accept that animals in general are able to see and understand things that humans can not see or grasp, often cats are seen as spiritual guardians, and in some mythologies appear as gate guardians for alternate realms and the underworld.. The topic of the known Alien race of Felines-The Lion People, is a whole other thread of its own, but feel free to speak of them here
Thanks for reading! I will check back when i can

are you familiar with winged cats? very unusual but there are a few well documented cases.
I had an Abyssinian that was the most loyal loving friend I will ever have until she passed from an unknown ailment after a long and happy life, the day she died I had taken her to the vet who basically said that he didn't know what was wrong and sent her home with me.
That night I was lying in bed when I heard her come into the room and I knew that she had come to say goodbye. She climbed up into bed and started pawing me and nosing my face to make sure I was awake then she just curled up next to my head and purred quietly as I stroked her, about an hour later she passed on peacefully in her sleep. It was one of the most moving things I have ever experienced as cats supposedly will often seek out a secluded spot to die alone. In the morning I found a sunny clearing in the forest and buried her there. I will always remember that cat and although it sounds stupid I still feel like she's watching out for me sometimes.

reply to post by Arkady

Wow.. thank you for sharing this, that had to have been extremely moving for you..tearing up here just having read it!, as you say,cats normally hole themselves up before death..it sounds as though she loved and cared for you dearly as you did for her..i dont believe the being (or soul if one prefers) of cats forget either, and it doesnt sound at all silly, its very likely she is watching out for you, especially with the bond it sounds like you both had while she was in this life. I've not actually looked into the Winged Cats you mentioned, though have heard of them a long time ago, i will be doing some research on them for sure

reply to post by Arkady


I had a similar experience with my Russian Blue years ago. We had problems with him a few months earlier. His kidneys were shutting down but the Vet managed to save him and told us it wasn't a permanent cure and he wasn't sure how long my cat had left. We were basically told to go home and just enjoy our time with him.

One evening I was playing a few computer games in my room. I had the door closed because my cat would come in and sit on my lap and make it near impossible to play. He cried at my door to come in like I'd never heard him cry before. A few hours later he had passed away.

It's my belief that he wanted to come in and say goodbye to me because we were very close for all those years. I have regretted that decision and held a lot of guilt ever since. I get very sad to think about what he may have been thinking and how abandoned he must have felt not being able to say goodbye and be comforted on my lap in his final hours. It's actually gut wrenching.

I guess the moral of the story is to never take one moment for granted.


IRM

[edit on 30/3/10 by InfaRedMan]

sorry to hear that, I had adopted a 13 year old cat long ago from the animal shelter.

I wasn't looking for a pet but I heard from someone that she was on death row so to speak, she had a week left.

First day she was already sleeping next to my bed.

Every night she slept in the same room, but one day she didn't wake up, she was 16 when she died and I am glad she lived her last few years happy.

I might get a new cat this summer.

Of all animals I like cats the most, I think their character originates from the time they were still worshiped in Egypt.

edit to say, my signature speaks for itself.

GM

[edit on 30-3-2010 by Grey Magic]

About 14 years ago, I was just a teenager at the time... My mum bought home a kitten, we called her Kitty(not very original but it was in memory of another we had that went missing several years earlier). A friend of mine saw the cat and wanted one so he asked his Mum if they could get one too.

They did get a kitten but he was smelly and didn't clean himself properly. He was also very skinny, I don't think he had been treated very well by the petshop they purchased him from. I guess you could say he was a runt.

Anyway, ashamed of their smelly cat they were going to get rid of him. My family offered to take the smelly cat off their hands and give him a good home where he wouldn't be thought of in shame.

We called him Fester and after seeing how Kitty groomed herself all the time he started to learn. After a while he was no longer smelly, he put on lots of weight and became probably the most handsome cat on the street. He was ALPHA in our parts, kicking ass and taking names.

Kitty was always jealous of Fester because before he came along, she got all the attention so there was always a kind of hostility directed at him but we knew she loved him really

Anyways ON TOPIC of paranormal.

At about the age of ten Fester sadly passed away in our back yard, when we discovered his body Kitty walked up sniffed it and casually walked on by like nothing had happened.

It wasn't untill a couple of days later she started sitting on the sill next to the door. Like she was wondering where he was, she sat there for a Month only going outside to do her business. It seemed she was waiting for him to comeback through the catflap but he never did.

Yet she had seen and sniffed the body so why didn't she know he was gone?

It was almost as if because his soul had gone from his body she didn't recognise him!

That's what my family and I think about it anyway. Do cats see peoples/other cats spirits? Like they see an ora?

Just a thought. Please tell me what you think?

reply to post by Grey Magic


Your sig is awesome Mark Twain sure was a smart bloke, I need to read more about him. Cats are my favourite animals too

reply to post by InfaRedMan


I would ge gutted by that too mate.

Originally posted by Wide-Eyes
Do cats see peoples/other cats spirits? Like they see an ora?

Just a thought. Please tell me what you think?

I'm not sure what cats do and don't see or perceive but there seems to be a consensus that Cats have a certain spirituality or 'knowing' to them. I think us humans sense that there is more to cats than meets the eye!

Here's my mate Winston (Oriental Blue).
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/49c288fc072d.jpg[/atsimg]

Winston is now 14 and in tip top health. Handsome too! He has been a 100% indoor cat for the second half of his life and much better for it. The Vets say they wouldn't be surprised if he lived to 20 or so. I believe they are right!

IRM

Gotta love cats, especially friendly ones. Well, maybe one doesn't "gotta" love nasty cats. I have no use for them

Five years ago I went to the animal shelter and sought the oldest cat and found Chica, 10 yrs old. She was quite charming; actually, too charming.
You see, Chica liked to talk. This cat had about a 70-80 word vocabulary, I swear. Intonation, inflection,pause (no pun intended),tone, volume; she used them all. I couldn't sleep!! I ended up taking her back to the shelter and found out later she was adopted again within the week.

Loved ya Chica,,,,,ya just reminded me too much of my ex-wife!!

Jason

Back in 2000 my wife's kids were moving to North Bay and their stepmother didn't think Ben would survive the 7 hour trip. Her decision was to take Ben to the vet and......

Well, ya see, Ben had quite the personality and I thought quite the vitality, too for a 16 yr old cat. So we took him and enjoyed another 2.5 years with him before his kidney's shut down. Patti and I took him to the vet and he died peacefully. We buried him in his favourite spot amongst the tiger lillies under the maple tree.

I posted, back a few months ago, about Ben's demise in a thread about Monsanto. Ben walked through some Round-Up mist and didn't last long aftterward. This was the poison in the bottle with the extreme fine print on the under side of the "pull back" flap explaining that, and I paraphrase, "you're gonna die if you use this stuff!"

Jason

reply to post by InfaRedMan


That is really sad, i am sorry for how it happened.. i too would have been gutted..but the best one can think of their beloved cat is that they had a good life and were truly loved and cared for.. i think over all that matters the most.. I understand your moral to the story..after Zoe passed away (she was hit by a car in front of the house last autumn) all i could do was hold her for ages, thankfully a neighbor had seen what happened and came to get me..she was gone by the time i got to her, but at least she hadnt disgracefully been left for awhile to be hit again.. and she was buried in her favorite spot in the garden.. i had told her off for something earlier that day before she went outside and i have not forgiven the timing of that. But i do feel her here, see her out of the corner of my eye and hear her at times..

Originally posted by Wide-Eyes
Do cats see peoples/other cats spirits? Like they see an ora?
Just a thought. Please tell me what you think?

Thank you for your reply, it is lovely to know the poor stinky kitty got a good home and showed the neighbors a big 'ha'! people, i tell ya ..
As to your question, i have no real idea..but i have always just assumed they can, they are able to tell a good person from a not so good one, they can sense many things around them i think, that humans havent a clue are even there! I have also always believed them to be highly telepathic amongst each other, and sometimes with humans that can connect that way... i think there is a great deal more to felines than just cute and cuddly (which they are indeed that too)!

reply to post by hthjason

Wow that is scary...not suprising, but scary and sad as well.. goodness knows what the stuff does when actually ingested through the plants!!!

reply to post by Grey Magic


lol.. thats a great thought, and it very well could be why they have a certain..superiority to them, they havent forgotten the worship they once had from the human race.. rather, they dont let us forget it!

I was a dog person for years, until for my b-day seven years ago when I was given my boy Roswell.


He is a very personable cat except for one thing. He is a talker! It's funny but I get the gist of what he is trying to tell me. "Whats wrong boy, have the aliens landed?" He rules the house and everyone in it must give tribute in the form of scritches and belly rubs or lose their chair when they get up! A few years back A friend was staying at my place after a really bad break up. She would listen to jazz to unwind, Roz would slink up and do what only could be a dance to the music! It used to get quite the laugh out of us seeing him get up from a cat nap and stretch and roll around to the music! He has personality in spades!

Nice thread! As a cat lover, I've always had cats myself. Or better said: my mother always had cats, and still has. These creatures can be quite scary sometimes, lol. I remember several instances of our cat looking scared at a certain (empty!) spot in our living room. Also, he sometimes seems to track something with his eyes and avoiding the spot for a couple of hours. Quite irritating, as it often happens in the evening or late at night

Well then I must have some lazy ass cats. We have 2 rats then come into our house, hang around on the fence, and travel to the neighbors house. We have 4 stray cats and they have not even tried to catch the rats. Most cats may be fun and loving animals, but my cats lazy!

I absolutely love cats. I have a 5 yr. old Manx and a 15 yr. old--both jet black. The older one always seems "thrown off" a bit by the tailless Manx (Chico). Anyway Chico has a way of know just the right time to come up a nuzzle my face--it seems he know when I could use the reminder that I am loved. Plus he always knows an hour or two before thunderstorms hit.
The older one used to be quite the hunter. She would protect my old apartment from the brown recluses that infested the darn place. Other "bugs" she left alone--she just killed the poisonous threat.
Anyways always like your threads....

reply to post by -Thom-


Thank you And ohhhh yes thats creepy beyond words when cats do that!.. they are obviously seeing something that you cant, huge eyes, frozen in position, very intent..it will always make my skin creep a bit lol..but in a way thats what also makes me feel secure with having them in the house, sort of like an alarm system for any roaming dimensional beings, if something is around that i cant see, i know my cats will call attention to it.. or, at least the empty space its in at the time lol..

great thread !
here is a good paranormal story from my pops.
My father does exorcisms, not sure if thats what you call it since he is not catholic, but he clears houses. he has always hated cats, and I have yet to see a cat that likes him. a few years back he was clearing a house that some friends had just moved into. they were having doors slam, footsteps, lights go on and off, the usual paranormal. their cat would act aggressive for no reason as well. so when my dad gets there to start clearing the house. as soon as he begins the cat starts hissing. the cat followed him to every room like it was defending whatever was in the house. when he finished the cat walked up and rubbed on his leg. when he goes to leave, there was another neighborhood cat sitting on the step outside like it was waiting for him. first time I had ever seen a cat be nice to him.

he always told me that some cats are like open doors to stuff that you do not want around. some are strong enough to protect, and some are not. they can see things we cannot, such as spirits. needless to say I had him check my cat when I got her. he said she had good energy.

don't get me wrong I still think my dad is crazy. but sometimes I wonder......