Cats in Ancient Egypt

November 7, 6:21 PMSan Jose Museum ExaminerSharon Cathcart

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Bastet

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Today is a sad day in our house.  We lost our beloved 14-week-old kitten, Gigi, to a viral illness that was most likely feline infectious peritonitis.  So it is that our house is in mourning.

Ancient Egyptians loved their cats just as much as we modern folk.  The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum has many images of cats from throughout Egyptian history, and even some cat mummies.  Cats were important members of the household and were mourned upon death (household members shaved their eyebrows as a sign of their sadness).

The Rosicrucian Egyptian museum provides a great fact sheet about cats in ancient and modern Egypt.  There are lots of interesting things to see and learn about at the museum; knowing that people from long ago loved their pets just as much as we do nowadays brings history closer to home.