In ancient Egypt, they were worshiped divinely. In modern Europe, their meat was considered a real delicacy. Thousands died at the stake during the witch hunts. Currently, they can cause an international scandal. Here are 10 facts from the history of cats that you may not have heard of.
As always, all positions in TOP10 are based on articles published by us.
This time they were texts devoted to the history of cats.
You probably didn't know that…
 | 10. | The term cat's music it did not come from the noises of pug puppies. In fact, it was related to the game on the so-called cat organs. This macabre "instrument" caused great suffering to the quadrupeds locked in it, which manifested it with a terrifying meow (read more on this topic). |
 | 9. | In the United States, the cat Morris II has competed twice for a spot in the White House. He was a true icon of pop culture. He owed his fame to appearances in commercials for cat food. In both cases, he lost in the pre-election by the minimum number of votes (read more on this). |
 | 8. | In 19th century Belgium, cat racing was the national sport. This discipline was very popular. The owners let their pets out on the outskirts of the city. The first cat to reach home was the winner (read more about this). |
 | 7. | The Indians of Thiruvananthapuram burnt a statue of George W. Bush because of the cat's name . All because the US president named his quadruped India. As a result, to stave off the international scandal, Bush had to issue a special statement explaining that his kitty was named after baseball player Rubén Sierra, also known as "El Indio" (read more on this). |
 | 6. | During the witch hunt period, there was a superstition that witches could turn into black cats. Therefore they were subject to persecution. It was believed that a cat with a broken leg, a cut tail or a tanned or torn fur loses power and cannot participate in the coven (read more about this). |
 | 5. | In the second half of the 19th century, the British used cat mummies as fertilizer. For this purpose, tens of thousands of mummified feline bodies were brought from Egypt. A ton of cat mummies cost the Islanders £ 4 (read more on that). |
 | 4. | In the Middle Ages, cats were made into clothes. The French loved wearing cat hats and caftans. Cat products and “cats in a sack” ready to be skinned were sold at fairs. Cat rugs and cat-trimmed pillows (read more on this topic) broke records of popularity. |
 | 3. | In France, for centuries it was believed that smoking cats was lucky. It was connected with the celebration of St. John the Baptist. In the hope of success, the French threw into the fire everything that they thought had magical properties - mainly cats. They were burned at piles by dozens or tied to decorative poles and also set on fire (read more on this). |
 | 2. | In modern Europe, cat meat was a real delicacy. Its taste was compared to that of a rabbit and served at the most exquisite feasts. It was especially popular in the Iberian Peninsula (read more about it). |
 | 1. | In ancient Egypt, cats were sacrificed in blood sacrifices. This was because they were considered powerful symbols of life. Their embalmed corpses made them intermediaries between the worlds of men and gods. During religious rituals, Egyptian priests killed millions of cats (read more on this). |