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Cat mummy. (Justin Ennis / Flickr)

Cat Mummies Were a Big Thing in Ancient Egypt (Video)

In ancient Egypt, cat mummies held a special place in the religious practices of the time. The practice of mummifying cats and other animals was considered sacred . However, not all cat tombs were...
Representational image of a cat in front of the Egyptian pyramids. Source: Matheus / Adobe Stock

Ancient Egyptians Shaved Off Their Eyebrows When Their Cats Died

While perusing Herodotus’s captivating Histories , which explore the cultures of the ancient world, you may come across a curious mourning ritual. While discussing the veneration of animals by the...
A very close up detailed portrait of a Scottish wildcat snarling and showing its teeth. Source: alan1951 / Adobe Stock

Wild Twist in the Story of Cat Domestication

A study has revealed new information about the ancient migration and domestication of cats in Europe following the arrival of their wild ancestors in Europe from the Near East (the modern Middle East...
Did Pope Gregory IV really start a war on cats in the 13th century? Source: SlothAstronaut / Adobe Stock

The Cat-Quisition: Pope Gregory IX Started a War on— Wait for It—Cats

Anyone with a thing against cats may get some satisfaction from a weird history “fact” circulating on the internet. Used as widespread clickbait, a frequently repeated story claims that in the 13th...
How Agnes Bowker Gave Birth to a Cat and the Wild Trial

How Agnes Bowker Gave Birth to a Cat and the Wild Trial

On January 17 th , 1569, the simple, unwed house servant Agnes Bowker of Market Harborough, England, was in the throes of giving birth to a secret child. By her side were the midwives Margaret Roose...
Mummified lion cub unearthed beneath the Saqqara necropolis. Credit: Ministry of Antiquities

Ancient Mummified Lion Cubs Discovered in Egyptian Tomb

Egyptian authorities have announced the rare discovery of mummified lion cubs, big cats, cobras and crocodiles near Saqqara necropolis which date back around 2,600 years. The cache of ancient...
Mummified cat found in Egyptian tomb

Mummified Mice, Cats and Falcons Discovered In Long Lost Ancient Egyptian Tomb

Archaeologists unwittingly following the trail of an ancient Egyptian Pied Piper have uncovered dozens of mummified mice among a stash of around 50 animals laid to rest in an ancient tomb. Mostafa...
The remains of a sarcophagus containing mummified cats. Credit: Ministry of Antiquities

Egyptian Tomb Yields Sarcophagi Filled with Mummified Cats and Beetles Plus Sealed Door Yet to be Opened

Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a fascinating tomb complex with rare finds in Saqqara. Within the complex they found dozens of mummified cats and an extremely rare collection of mummified...
Some of the remains of ancient Egyptian pets unearthed in Berenike.

2,000-Year-Old Ancient Egyptian Cemetery Containing Dozens of Pets Unearthed in Berenike

A team of archaeologists have discovered a nearly 2,000-year-old pet cemetery holding the remains of dogs, monkeys and scores of cats at the site of Berenike, an Egyptian town on the Red Sea that...
DNA Analysis Suggests Cats Chose to Be Domesticated

DNA Analysis Suggests Cats Chose to Be Domesticated

According to an extensive DNA analysis of cat genes the domestic cat is descended from wild cats that were tamed twice; once in the Near East and then in Egypt. The study suggests that cats lived for...
How (Most) Humans Lost Their Tails - From Fish to Tetrapods to Apes to Homo Sapiens

How (Most) Humans Lost Their Tails - From Fish to Tetrapods to Apes to Homo Sapiens

Did you know that human embryos early in development have tails that later fail to grow for a lack of signaling from the genes? We end up with the coccyx at the end of our spines that protrudes a bit...
The Cat Came Back: A More Than Magical History – Part II

The Cat Came Back: A More Than Magical History – Part II

Cats have been on the human scene for 9,000 years. We came out of the caves, and they were there with us. Ever since, cats have been immortalized in art. They have been painted in fresco, sculpted in...
The Cat Came Back: A More Than Mythical History – Part I

The Cat Came Back: A More Than Mythical History – Part I

Cats have been on the human scene for 9,000 years. We came out of the caves, and they were there with us. Ever since, cats have been immortalized in art. They have been painted in fresco, sculpted in...
Dogs of War: Ancient History of Animals in Warfare

Dogs of War: Ancient History of Animals in Warfare

Man and beast have partnered for various reasons over tens of thousands of years—almost always for food or protection. The dirty history of animals in warfare is sometimes inspiring, sometimes...
Paranormal animals of North America.

Hair-Raising Tales of Paranormal Animals that Possess Humans, See Death, and Act as Messengers of the Gods

Throughout time, numerous people have declared that they had witnessed strange and inexplicable occurrences involving the ghosts of the deceased, fantastic creatures, demons, and other similar things...
La Peste (1695) wax sculpture, Gaetano Zumbo, Museum of Specola, Florence

The Black Death: the Plague that Sowed Terror and Death in Medieval Europe - Part 2

Read Part 1 Science had to wait until the nineteenth century to banish the idea of ​​a supposed supernatural origin of the plague. The fear of a pandemic on a global scale persisted for four...
The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat

The Veneration and Worship of Felines in Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians revered and worshipped many animals, just as the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Norse did, but none were worshipped as reverently as the cat. It was not until the Pre-dynastic...
Ancient China - Cats

Chinese May Have Loved Cats before Ancient Egyptians

The Egyptians are well known for their love of cats . Not only were they praised for controlling vermin and snakes, but the cat was a symbol of grace and poise. The goddess Mafdet, the deification of...