Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-07-06
ar Is THE CAT.
History of Cats-HOw They Mi
grated From Egypt Through
Syria and Rome TO Europe, and
Thence to America.
London Saturday Review.

A dog, which, like poor dog Tray in
the poem, lis uncommon good at
cats, is our favorite companion. We
do not weary of contrasting the ster-
ling merits and straightforward char
acter of the dog with the slyandslinking
habits of the cat. But as age draws
on we begin to see redeeming features
in the quiet undemonstrative cat. We
admire the sagacity with which it
passes double lile-a sleek domestic
favorite all day, wild animal Of un-
bridled impulse in the darkness Of the
night. II the cat is not robustious
animal like the New foundland or bull
terrier, it is not an unaffected one. |
does not wag its tail at every chance
conner, but purrs only when it has
good reason to be pleased. The unde-
monstrative cat takes human inter
est in her own comfort, disturbs no
one Except occasionally at night, and
really deserves protection from the
worse than Bulgarian atrocities of
tends in the shape of boys.
This animal so essentially hypocritical
and civilized, has a country and
folk lore OF her own, which we now
propose to examine.
In the new number of the Gentle
mans MAGAZINE Mr.. Thisletou Dyer
tells us few things about the history
and folk lore Of the harmless, persecu-
ted cat He remarks that the chariots
Of the Goddess Freya "Teutonic We
nus, was drawn by cats, and for his
authority he refers us to Kelly's Indo-
European Folk Lore. But this does
not advance US much, as we wish to
know whence Kelly derived his inlor-
nation. But he who asks for first
hand references is born to be disap.
pointed. 1t is not easy to see
how Ffeya's car came to
be drawn by cats, if cats were
introduced into Europe till the Mid
die Age, by which time Freya had
ceased to be adored. Probably Freyas
we're the tall, brindled wild cats which
thirty years ago were common enough
in the West Highlands. This wild
cat, NJ. NJ. Lenormant says was hunted
and even eaten 1--WE regret to learn) by
the dwellers in the Swiss lake cities
in the age of stone. NJ. Lenormant is
convinced that not Egypt, but Africa
further south, is the cradle Of the cat
as a domesticated animal. The Egyp-
tian wild fowl hunter in the monu-
ments takes his cats with him in his
boat, and the cat acted as a retriever.
Cats, as a rule, dislike cold water, but
they are fond Of fish, and there used to
be a cat in mill on the Yarrow or
Ettrick 1--WE forget which) which
would dive after trout and seize them
even in deep pools. This cat did not
illustrate the Latin proverb, "Catus
amat pices sed aquas intrare recusas. "
The Egyptian cats iondness for birds
doubtless enabled him to overcome
his aversion to wetting his feet. All the
world knows through Berodotus how
the Egyptians worshiped the cat,
though, indeed, there was sea cely any
animal which some of them did not
ignorantly worship. The remarks of
Herodotus about the personal habits
of the cat seem to prove almost to
demonstration that the domesticated
animal was no more known in Greece
in his time than in the country where
Dick Wilmington introduced it. Ga
this topic, some years ago, Mr.. Mabaf-
fey entered into controversy; Mr.
Mahafey believing in Greek cats,
while Mr.. A. 8. Murray was sceptical
about their existence. If any Egyp.
tiau voluntarily slew sacred animal.
death was his punishment; and Diodo-
rus tells us that Roman soldier who
accidentally killed cat scarcely es
capped the fury Of the people. Yet the
Egyptians had probably still higher
respect Tor dogs, When cat died in
a house the people shaved their eye
brows; but when a dog died they
shaved the whole head and all the
body. Dead cats were embalmed and
buried in the city of Oombastis, the
sacred city of Bast, or Pasht, the
divine cat. N. Lenormant finds that
the Egyptians still respect cats, and
in Cairo serve up copious banquet
every day to the cats of each-quarter
''in the court of the house of the
cadi. la one Of the picture galleries
was lately exhibited study of cats on
pilgrimage in Egypt; they had
camel all to themselves, under the d.
rection of an old pilgrim, and were
perched most comfortably on the ami
malls shoulders.
The cat, like so many other animals,
played a considerable part in Egyptian
religion. Buff M. Lenormant is right,
cat worship is comparatively late in
Egypt. He finds no trace OF the ami.
NAL among all the many monuments
of the ancient Empire. Under those
early dynasties the cat goddess, Bast
or Pasht, was lioness goddess, Net
till the twelfth dynasty, and the con-
quests in lie paws de Kousch does the
cat come to the front in Egypt. We
may therefore regard the cat as a
Uushite animal, derived from the fells
maniculsta, found wild in Upper NJ
bia and the Soudan. Our cat, on the
other hand, is thought to be descended
from the fells catus, the wild cat
which gave a name to Clan Cha tan,
and to the Duchess OF Sutherland a
Gaelic title, said to mean, "The great
lady OF the cat" The Spanish cat is
regarded as a hybrid dating from the
Arab ilyssions,
The late introduction ofdomestica-
ted cats among Semitic people seems
to be proved by the absence Of cats in
the Bible. We do not remember .
single mention of cats in Holy Writ.
The Assyrians and the Babylenians
are said to have been equally ignorant