Day 5

Explaining roles of cats in history

 

Today we decided to look at the cats in different cultures, and how people cared about them throughout the history, and how it changed in modern times. Each group researched one aspect of cats in history, and then they presented their finding to others.

For example, did you know cats also had a big religious role in Islam? Prophet Muhammad was tender and kind towards cats. He appreciated cats as a cat once saved his life. Hazrat Muhammad's  favourite cat was called Muezza. There is a well-known story regarding the Prophet and Muezza. Even to this day cats are the only animals allowed in mosques. 

Cats have always had big importance in history. In Egypt, where they were viewed as guardians of the underworld. Cats can be also frequently found in ancient Greece. For example famous superstition about black cats being seen as omen of death comes from Greece - in ancient times black cats were thought to be an omen of death because of their connection with Hecate, goddess of magic and necromancy. Interesting comparison with old British mythology, where white cat that is viewed as bad omen. Greece also introduced one of the first concepts of animal protection and rights. Famous philosopher Pythagoras added concept of animal rights into philosophy, and all his life fought for protection of their rights, often contradicting Aristotle who said animals were inferior to human and are there to only serve our needs. 

In Japan, cat Maneki Neko is a symbol of good fortune. Have you heard about cat island in Japan, inhabited by hundredths of cats? The island Aoshima, is famous for being cat domain. Small fishing village is literally surrounded by cats, they outnumber humans six to one on the island.

 

However, taking care of the animals doesn't have have only bright side. One of the main tasks today was to tackle the issue of animal rights and cruelty against animals. Participants researched how people cared for animals in history compared to modern times in different countries. In group work, participants were asked to explore the questions about responsible ownership or how religion in countries made difference towards treatment of animals. For example, Arabic countries have stronger law considering treatment of cats than Christian countries in Europe where animal right were a bit benevolent. However, UK still poses as a great example in animal right protection.