When I Think of Cats: A Haiku

When I think of cats

I am overcome by joy

They are part of me

Cats: a proud species

They should be revered by us

They are purrfection

Cat Experiments

My cat Laurel, hogging a place on the couch

Today cats are primarily regarded as pets. They are also regarded as excellent pest control, able to frighten away mice and rats with the smell of their urine. In the past, various cultures have deified the species. The most prominent case was the Egyptians. Just as Hindus regard cows as sacred today, the Egyptian thought of cats as sacred animals. This is reflected in their art, which depicts cats frequently. Bastet, a war goddess worshipped in Southern Egypt, bore the head of a cat.

Bastets and Sehkmets from Ancient Egypt

            Ancient Egypt was not the only culture where cats were considered divine beings. Many cultures in South America had some deity representing a feline. Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec god of Jaguars, was a prominent god in Aztec society. His festival was Toxcatl, which occurred in May. Lions have always received a great deal of respect. The Lion Gate at Mycenae suggests that the ancient Aegean culture had a healthy respect for the king of the beasts. The ancient Assyrians depicted their rulers engaged in lion hunts, with the triumph over the lion representing the power of the ruler. The Christians faced the lions in the Coliseum. More recently, the leader of Narnia, Aslan, is a lion with the voice of Liam Neeson, who is sacrificed and reborn much like Jesus Christ. Today, sports teams often use various cat relatives as their mascots. Ohio University students are considered to be “bobcats.” At least two high schools teams in the Southeast Ohio area, Marietta and Waverly, are “tigers.” I recently attended a soccer camp where the players are considered to be “cougars.”

            Author Terry Pratchett stated, “In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.” Although cats might not have the same fame and respect now as they once did, there is one cat that is still valued in Japan. Her name is Stationmaster Tama; and she was recently made a deity in Japan this past August due to her popularity. Tama was a stray cat that lived in Wakayama, Japan. Toshiko Koyama, a station manager in Kinokawa, took in Tama. Koyama and other railway officials named Tama as station master where she would greet passengers and be paid in fish. Tama then started to wear a station master’s cap. Tama boosted the amount of passengers by 17 percent. She was promoted to Operating Officer and was the first cat to become an executive in a rail road corporation.