Talk:History of cats

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Contents 1 suggestions 2 Black Death 3 question 4 Kami Neko 5 Cat sacrifice

[edit] suggestions

A number of suggestions

(1) Rewrite the article so it starts with oldest dates down to present day
(2) References 
(3) Seperate the myths and legends stuff to a different section
(4) Compare with similar articles already about cats

--Davelane 19:21, 26 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Black Death

"The human killing of cats in the Middle Ages has also been cited as one of the reasons for the spread of bubonic plague - the Black Death, which was spread by the increased rodent population caused by the death of so many cats."

This passage is internally inconsistent with Wikipedia's own account of the Black Death. It states that the disease was equally virulent across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Middle Eastern and Asian culture did not stigmatize cats in the same way European culture did.

[edit] question

Does anyone have a source on the contribution of witch associated cat-killings to the onset of the Plague pandemic in Europe? I've seen it in a few places but not reliable enough that I would cite it here. Avi9505 18:18, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Kami Neko

An emperor one day passed by a cat, which seemed to wave to him. Taking the cat's motion as a sign, the emperor paused and went to it. Diverted from his journey, he realized that he had avoided a trap that had been laid for him just ahead. Since that time, cats have been considered wise and lucky spirits. Many Japanese shrines and homes include a figurine of a cat with one pay upraised as if waving-hence Kami Neko. Problem is, I don't know which emperor. Help? Chris 02:00, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cat sacrifice

" It is unclear why, but researchers theorize that some cats may have been sacrificed to honor Bast."

If that's the case, why was killing cats punishable by death? --DrBat 01:40, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. Added {fact} to statement Mon Vier 15:40, 5 February 2007 (UTC)