Welcome to Catland! We hope that you will enjoy your visit. The Catland series starts with a brief history of the cat and includes 2 more pages of entertaining legends, folklore and fables... and a collection of informative, unusual and useful little known cat facts. While our pages are entertaining and contain a lot of cat fantasy, our mission throughout this site is to stress the sad state of affairs that surround the cat, and many of earth's creatures. We must all do our part to insure a safe future for the animals.

A BRIEF HISTORY ... AN URGENT PLEA

Scientists believe that the earliest cat was probably an animal called Miacis which lived about 55 Million years ago. Fossils indicate that the Miacis looked somewhat like a weasel. The cat's grace and beauty have inspired artists since ancient times. About 4,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians carved wooden figures, furniture and jewelry in the shape of cats. They were probably responsible for taming the first cats that lived with man. They called their cats "miaw" and adorned them with jewels and gold earrings. They worshipped cats as Gods and believed that the Godess Bast represented the life-giving heat of the sun. If someone killed a cat, the punishment was usually death. When a pet cat died, its Egyptian master shaved off his eyebrows as a sign of mourning. The Egyptians mummified their dead cats and buried them along with mummified mice and saucers of milk in special cemeteries. In the 13th century, the first witchcraft trials were held, and Egypt's beloved cat suffered greatly. The pagan religions held that witches turned into cats. Cats were blamed for everything from souring the beer to spreading disease. It was commonly believed that their teeth contained venom and that their breath caused disease and infection. Any cat that was seen in the company of an old woman was assumed to be a witch's associate. Hundreds of unfortunate cats were burned alive by people who believed they did the work of the devil. By the 17th century, the cat once again gained favor by virtually saving Europe from the ravages of the great plague by controlling the rat population. Much has evolved since then. But the question is "where does Egypt's beloved cat stand today?" It is estimated that today there are over 60 million cats in America, alone. More than 70,000 cats and dogs are born each day due to uncontrolled breeding. Many cats have never experienced the luxury of a warm lap and lead hard, cruel and short, tortured lives as strays. Of cats placed in shelters, 75% are euthanized because there is no room or funds to care for them. Maybe they are the lucky ones in light of animal abuse and laboratory experiments that take a toll on countless numbers of cat lives and inflict pain and suffering beyond our comprehension. While we cannot guess at the fate of the cat a thousand years from now, perhaps we can aid in shaping their future world.

While you are reading these pages, thousands of cats are being euthanized across the United States because no one wants them and there isn't enough money for the shelters to care for them. Many of these cats once enjoyed a home and were someone's adored pet... just like yours. Spaying and neutering your pets is the most important thing you can do to end the suffering and to save lives.

Click on the next button to continue to Catland II