Ra, the Great Tomcat

sun the following morning. Numerous paintings have been found showing Ra, the “Great Tomcat,” using a knife to slay Apophis.

Cats in dreams

ancient Egypt. If you dreamed about a cat, it was a good omen but not related to sex. It was a sign of prosperity to come—specifically, a go...

Sacred and four-legged

Travelers to ancient Egypt got the impression that the Egyptians literally worshipped cats. Did they? Aside from the love they showed to the...

The cat charm

sound made by cats, but also meant “to see.”

Snake hunters

rodent killers . Various types of poisonous snakes live in Egypt, notably the infamous asp (the species Cleopatra used to kill herself). Tru...

The oldest cat art

Precisely when the ancient Egyptians began domesticating cats is in dispute, but the oldest artwork depicting a cat dates from around 1950 B...

Deep mourning

ancient Egyptians did when a pet cat died. The whole family would go into mourning and, as an obvious outward sign of grief, shave off thei...