How Cats Became Divine Symbols in Ancient Egypt

In the vibrant tapestry of ancient Egyptian civilization, cats emerged as far more than domesticated animals; they became potent symbols of divinity, protection, and fertility, their significance etched into the art, religion, and daily life of a society that flourished along the Nile for over 3,000 years. Initially valued for their prowess in controlling pests, cats ascended to a sacred status, their likenesses adorning tombs, temples, and jewelry, and their bodies mummified as offerings to gods like Bastet and Sekhmet. Published on August 17, 2021, and updated on March 2, 2025, Elizabeth Yuko’s article illuminates this extraordinary evolution, drawing on expertise from Egyptologists and anthropologists. This comprehensive analysis delves deeply into the multifaceted roles of cats in ancient Egypt, exploring their practical contributions, spiritual significance, and cultural legacy. Through royal patronage, religious rituals, and a thriving mummification industry, cats became enduring emblems of the divine, embodying the civilization’s intricate interplay of pragmatism, spirituality, and reverence for the natural world. This expanded narrative incorporates archaeological discoveries, comparative cultural perspectives, and detailed historical context to offer a definitive exploration of cats’ divine status in ancient Egypt. Bruce M. White, 2012/ Emory Photo

Cats as Guardians of Home and Harvest

Cats’ integration into ancient Egyptian society began with their practical utility in a land where agriculture underpinned survival. The Nile’s annual floods fostered fertile fields, but granaries attracted rodents, and households faced threats from venomous snakes and scorpions. “Cats might come inside when it was hot, and they in turn would chase away dangerous animals,” explains Julia Troche, an Egyptologist at Missouri State University and author of Death, Power, and Apotheosis in Ancient Egypt. Cats, likely domesticated from African wildcats (Felis lybica) around 4000 B.C., became indispensable allies, safeguarding food supplies and protecting families from harm.

Archaeological evidence supports this early bond. Excavations at Hierakonpolis, a Predynastic site, uncovered cat burials dating to 3700 B.C., suggesting deliberate human care. By the Old Kingdom (circa 2686–2181 B.C.), cats were common in households, as evidenced by skeletal remains with healed injuries, indicating they were nurtured. Tomb paintings from the New Kingdom (circa 1550–1070 B.C.) vividly depict this domestic harmony. A scene from the Tomb of Ipuy (circa 1295–1213 B.C.) shows a cat poised on a rooftop, hunting a rat, while another from the Tomb of Menna portrays a cat playfully chasing birds beneath a chair. These images highlight cats’ dual role as vigilant protectors and affectionate companions, endearing them to Egyptian families.

Beyond the home, cats held symbolic roles in religious texts. In the Book of the Dead, cats are depicted as defenders of Ra, the sun god, wielding daggers against Apopis, the chaos serpent threatening cosmic order. This mythological imagery elevated cats from earthly guardians to cosmic warriors, laying the groundwork for their divine associations and foreshadowing their sacred status in later periods.

Cats in the Afterlife: Eternal Bonds

The ancient Egyptians viewed death as a transition to an eternal existence, with tombs serving as posthumous homes adorned with scenes of family, achievements, and cherished activities. Cats frequently appear in these tableaus, reflecting their profound significance in both life and death. “The tomb was one’s posthumous house for eternity,” Troche notes. “To see cats included in these tableaus speaks to their importance both in the daily lives of ancient Egyptians and in their hope that they continued with them into the Hereafter.”British Museum EA6758

A celebrated example is a painting from the Tomb of Nebamun (circa 1350 B.C.), now at the British Museum. It depicts Nebamun hunting birds in the papyrus marshes, accompanied by a cat that seizes three birds—one in its mouth, two in its claws. The cat’s eye, gilded with gold leaf, is a rare feature in Theban tomb chapels, signifying its sacred status. Similar scenes appear in the Tomb of Nakht, where a cat is shown eating fish, and the Tomb of Sennedjem, where a cat lounges beneath a woman’s chair, symbolizing domestic tranquility. These artworks underscore the emotional bond between Egyptians and their cats, a connection they sought to preserve eternally.

Beyond iconography, cats were mummified and interred in human tombs, as documented by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Excavations at Beni Hasan and Saqqara reveal cat mummies alongside human remains, often wrapped in linen with painted faces to mimic living cats. Monique Skidmore, an anthropologist at Deakin University, explains that mummified cats served as funerary goods, enabling the deceased to inhabit the cat’s body in the afterlife, ensuring their companionship endured. This practice, which intensified in the Late Period (circa 664–332 B.C.), reflects cats’ role as spiritual conduits, bridging the mortal and divine realms in Egypt’s elaborate funerary culture.

Royal Patronage: Cats as Symbols of Power and Prestige

In ancient Egypt, pharaohs and the elite were cultural trendsetters, their preferences shaping societal norms from fashion to pet ownership. “Ancient Egyptians held cats in such high regard because of the practices and preferences of their gods, but also because their kings, the pharaohs, kept giant cats,” Skidmore says. Pharaohs like Amenhotep III (circa 1390–1352 B.C.) and Shoshenq I (circa 943–922 B.C.) kept cheetahs and lions, adorning them with gold collars and allowing them to dine from royal plates. Excavations at the royal necropolis of Tanis uncovered feline amulets and statues in royal tombs, suggesting cats symbolized divine favor and authority.

This royal affinity trickled down to the broader populace. While commoners couldn’t afford gold-adorned pets, they emulated the elite by crafting feline-inspired jewelry, such as faience amulets shaped like Bastet or Sekhmet. Papyrus records from Deir el-Medina, a workers’ village, document offerings to Bastet for household protection, indicating cats’ widespread cultural resonance. The veneration of cats evolved across dynasties, with the Middle Kingdom (circa 2055–1650 B.C.) marking a shift in Bastet’s iconography from a lioness to a domestic cat, reflecting changing ideals of femininity and domesticity. By the New Kingdom, Bastet’s cult in Bubastis drew thousands to annual festivals, as described by Herodotus, who noted the revelry and offerings of cat figurines, cementing felines as cultural icons.

Feline Deities: Bastet, Sekhmet, and Divine Attributes

Cats’ physical and behavioral traits—intelligence, agility, and predatory ferocity—aligned seamlessly with ancient Egyptian religious ideals, associating them with goddesses Bastet and Sekhmet. “Sekhmet was a lioness goddess who was a warrior and protector deity who kept at bay the enemies of the sun god Ra and who also kept away illness and sickness,” Troche explains. Sekhmet’s statues, often lion-headed, adorned temples like Karnak and Memphis, embodying raw power. In mythology, Sekhmet’s wrath nearly annihilated humanity, only halted by beer dyed red to mimic blood, a tale linking felines to cosmic balance and divine intervention.

Photo: Brooklyn Museum

Bastet, conversely, represented nurturing and protection, evolving from a lioness in the Old Kingdom to a domestic cat by the Middle Kingdom. Depicted with kittens, she symbolized motherhood and familial care, resonating in a society that equated fertility with prosperity. “They are often depicted sitting under women’s chairs, implying a connection to women, and perhaps fertility more broadly,” Troche notes, citing reliefs from the Tomb of Kheruef. Bastet’s temple at Bubastis, excavated in the 19th century by Édouard Naville, contained thousands of cat mummies and bronze statues, underscoring her popularity. Cats, as embodiments of these goddesses, bridged the earthly and divine, their presence in homes and temples reinforcing spiritual order and protection against chaos.Penn Museum E11522.

The association with fertility stemmed from cats’ prolific breeding, with litters of up to eight kittens mirroring Egypt’s agricultural abundance. This symbolism extended to amulets and spells invoking Bastet for safe childbirth, as seen in medical papyri like the Ebers Papyrus (circa 1550 B.C.). Cats’ dual nature—fierce yet nurturing—made them ideal vessels for divine embodiment, their qualities reflecting the balance Egyptians sought in their cosmology.

Cat Mummification: A Sacred Industry and Economy

The Egyptian belief that gods could inhabit animal forms fueled the practice of cat mummification, which became a significant industry by the Late Period. “These gods could not just appear with the head of a cat, for example, but could also inhabit the bodies of cats,” Skidmore says. Mummified cats served as votive offerings to Bastet, placed in temples to secure divine favor, or as afterlife companions in human tombs. The 2019 discovery at Saqqara’s necropolis revealed catacombs with thousands of mummified cats, alongside bronze statues and amulets, indicating a sophisticated system of breeding and mummification.

A mummified cat (Wikimedia Commons)

Killing cats was strictly forbidden, except for mummification, as Herodotus noted in the 5th century B.C., with violators facing execution. X-ray and CT scans of cat mummies, conducted by institutions like the Smithsonian, reveal that many were kittens, deliberately bred in temple catteries and killed young to meet demand. Sites like Bubastis and Beni Hasan housed vast cemeteries, with estimates suggesting millions of cats were mummified between 700 B.C. and 300 A.D. This industry employed priests, embalmers, and artisans, creating an economic ecosystem around Bastet’s cult. While some modern scholars critique the practice as exploitative, it reflects the depth of Egyptian religious devotion, with cats as sacred intermediaries between humans and gods.

Artistic and Cultural Legacy: Cats in Art and Ritual

Cats permeated ancient Egyptian art, from humble amulets to monumental sculptures, blending aesthetics with spirituality. The Gayer-Anderson Cat, a Late Period bronze statue now at the British Museum, exemplifies this, its inlaid scarab and protective amulet symbolizing Bastet’s guardianship. Feline motifs adorned jewelry, furniture, and temple reliefs, with faience amulets mass-produced for commoners. A 20th-century replica of a Theban tomb painting, housed at the Ashmolean Museum, depicts a cat eating fish, capturing their domestic charm, while reliefs from the Ptolemaic Period (circa 332–30 B.C.) show cats alongside deities in temple friezes.

Culturally, cats influenced social rituals and communal identity. Herodotus described Egyptians shaving their eyebrows to mourn deceased cats, a practice confirmed by funerary stelae from Saqqara. Bastet’s festivals in Bubastis, involving music, dance, and offerings, drew diverse crowds, fostering a shared reverence for felines. Papyrus records detail offerings of fish and milk to temple cats, believed to embody Bastet’s spirit. These rituals, blending piety and celebration, embedded cats in Egypt’s social fabric, their divine status uniting elites and commoners in a shared cultural narrative.

Cats as Timeless Emblems of Divinity

From their origins as pest controllers to their apotheosis as divine symbols, cats in ancient Egypt embodied the civilization’s reverence for the natural and supernatural. Their practical role in safeguarding homes and granaries evolved into a spiritual one, with tomb art and mummification ensuring their presence in the afterlife. Royal patronage democratized their veneration, while associations with Bastet and Sekhmet cast them as protectors and nurturers. The mummification industry, supported by vast catacombs at Saqqara and Bubastis, reflects their economic and religious significance, while their ubiquitous presence in art and ritual united Egyptian society across classes. Comparative perspectives and modern debates enrich our understanding, revealing cats’ unique status in Egypt’s animistic worldview. As guardians, companions, and vessels of the divine, cats left an indelible legacy, their story preserved in the statues, mummies, and tales that continue to captivate the modern world.