Civilizations & cultures4–5 · 6–8
Cats in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptians loved cats very much!
Why?
Ancient Egyptians loved cats! At first, cats were helpers: they chased mice, rats and snakes out of people’s homes. Over time, they became pets and best friends, and many homes had a cat, or even more than one!
Egyptians respected cats so much that they linked them with one of their goddesses, Bastet. She was often shown as a cat, or as a woman with a cat’s head, and stood for protection, like a mother cat looking after her kittens.
Try it
Draw an Egyptian cat 🐈 sitting tall and proud. Give it a pretty collar, then decorate the background with lotus flowers like the walls in old Egyptian homes. What name will you give your cat?
Ask Mum & Dad
How can we be kind to the cats we see in the street?