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The Timlessness of Cats in Culture

Cats have always known how to captivate us throughout history as iconic figures.

 


Throughout history, cats have created a graceful and mysterious meaning for themselves. They have so many different ideologies tied to them. Whether its divine protectors, bad omens, or just adorable companions. Across our history of art, literature, and pop culture, cats have always remained significant and hold a quiet confidence that makes us love them even more. Cats are independent while also affectionate, and can be gentle beings while also strong, showing that they share and reflect parts of what we also exhibit as human beings.

 

Sacred Symbols to Everyday Companions

     


In ancient Egypt, cats were deeply admired. There was a lioness goddess known as Bastet, who was the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health. She had the body of a female with the head of a cat. Cats were extremely important not only for being demi-deities, but also because they helped stop the spread of disease by killing rodents and keeping crops safe.

According to an article by National Geographic, “Cats were so special that those who killed them, even by accident, were sentenced to death.” Egyptians believed that cats brought balance through keeping away pests and bad spirits since cats were the physical form of Bastet. The protection of Bastet is believed by some to still be cast over today’s modern cats.

 

Medieval manuscripts taught us that in the Middle Ages, cats were unfairly tied to paganism

and witchcraft, leading to suspicious treatment of them by some. Cats with black fur were linked to Satan, and it was thought that killing a black cat would have the power to break spells, resulting in the innocent death of many black cats that still hold that unfortunate reputation for some to this day. However, their symbolism has endured as they remain creatures full of beauty and intriguing confidence. Even through these misinterpretations of their characters, cats have continued to represent power and individuality on their own terms, which makes them the special beings they are.

 


Artisans in Japan in the Edo period (1615 – 1868) began making the Maneki Neko, or more commonly known as the “beckoning cat,” which served as a symbol of good fortune. You’ve probably seen these lucky objects in store windows and for sale at local stores. The cat is positioned and colored in various ways to represent different kinds of fortune. The left paw is an effort to bring good luck and good fortune to a business, while the right paw invites good fortune, health, and happiness into one’s home. We see here that across cultures, cats hold a special kind of power not just because of their actions, but through what they represent as a whole.

 

With writers, too, we have seen the draw to cats. In literature, they can appear in so many different ways. In 1843, Edgar Allen Poe released “The Black Cat,” which dives darkly into cats as a mirror to human emotions through guilt and stubbornness. In 1865, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has the Cheshire Cat that plays a vital role of wisdom, mischief, and mystery as it appears and disappears in times of teaching Alice different perspectives on life. The different literatures on cats remind us that cats are not one-dimensional. They are mysterious while also familiar at the same time, which helps us understand their companionship through finding balance and meaning in their characters.

 

Cats as the Modern Muse



In society today, cats dominate the internet. They are incorporated through viral memes or even animated characters in shows/content. They have transformed before our eyes from ancient history in temples to the screens on our digital devices. Even online cats serve an appeal to audiences that still admire their confidence, independence, and unapologetic personalities that make them uniquely their own.

 


They remain icons that remind us that it’s okay to protect our boundaries, be mysterious, and follow our own path on our own terms. This might just be why their image has never grown old to the human eye. Their qualities shape and embody what we as humans aspire to be ourselves.

 

Through our art, writing, humor, and homes, we reflect that cats have always stood for grace, comfort, balance, and curiosity. Their presence in society and on our couches reminds us just how deeply connected we as humans have always been with these beautiful creatures. They have endured a long history because of the freedom they crave and the love they carry deeply, serving as living proof that gracefulness and strength do coexist through the quiet confidence they embody. And inevitably, this is why we are still, after centuries, captivated by cats.

 


Join the Catversation!

Do you have any favorite portrayals of cats in art, books, or throughout history? Whether it’s a cute piece of art you recently picked up with cat symbols or a fun fact you know, we want to hear. Share your thoughts in the community page!

 

References:

“Bastet (Bast).” Explore Deities of Ancient Egypt, egyptianmuseum.org/deities-Bastet. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.



Killacky, Madeleine. “Cats in the Middle Ages: What Medieval Manuscripts Teach Us about Our Ancestors’ Pets.” Bangor University, www.bangor.ac.uk/news/2022-12-23-cats-in-the-middle-ages-what-medieval-manuscripts-teach-us-about-our-ancestors-pets. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.


“Maneki Neko: Japan’s Beckoning Cat.” Maneki Neko: Japan’s Beckoning Cat | SFO Museum, www.sfomuseum.org/exhibitions/maneki-neko-japans-beckoning-cat. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.


Trasser, Sidney. “News.” Mount St. Joseph University, www.msj.edu/news/2024/02/the-power-of-black-cats.html. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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