The Cattiness of Cat Stereotypes

Trigger Warning: This post touches upon animal cruelty and may be disturbing to some readers.

Compared to most of our domesticated furry friends, cats seem to have a pretty poor reputation. Black cats are bad luck, cats steal the breath of babies, cats are untrainable. The list of their supposed vices goes on and on. Yet, "cats" is one of the most searched for terms on the internet today and their videos account for the lion's share of views on Youtube. So why, if societies around the globe are more obsessed than ever with cats, do the stereotypes continue? And how did their notoriety begin?

4,000 years ago, in the heyday of Egyptian dynasty, because of the benefits of pest control they brought to farms and cities, cats were revered as a friend to civilization and were considered sacred creatures. Even after the dynasty fell, felines began to thrive around Asia, Africa and Europe due to the benefits of their company on board trade ships and in camps; however, their reputation deteriorated in the Middle Ages in Europe when a Pope declared them to be pawns of the devil. After that infamous papal declaration, a historic cat purge began among the superstitious communities of the ages. Some believe the Black Plague that ravaged Europe occurred since there were no cats to kill disease carrying rats, however, this claim has not been substantiated.

Over a thousand years later, the superstition instilled by the Pope still exists to some capacity. In the USA alone, over 500,000 cats and kittens are euthanized each year in shelters. But as social media captures the lovability of these animals, it will help to dissolve misinformation attached to this kooky species while spreading awareness of the damages of stereotyping.