The cat is one of the most well known domesticated animals in the world. They were first domesticated by the Egyptians who believed that cats held immortal power. However, felines have not been domesticated for so long that they have lost their feral roots. Cats are notoriously independent, limber, and uninterested in learning tricks. The myth that each cat has nine lives comes from the cat's inborn ability to use quickness and flexibility to escape life threatening situations. Cats also have an innate ability to automatically twist their bodies when falling so that they land on their feet.
Many ancient religions and societies revered the domesticated cat as all knowing companions or guides for the human owners. The Egyptian goddess Bast watched over the home and took the form a cat. So it was considered good luck to have a pet cat living in your home. In Japan, the Maneki Neko (or the Beckoning Cat) is a cat that is a symbol of good fortune and the inspiration for common Japanese sculptures. The cat is seen sitting on his back legs with one paw raised. Freyja, the Norse goddess of love, beauty andfertility rides a chariot driven by cats. And although the cat is not sacred in Islam, its founder Mohammed had a favorite cat and he loved cats so much that he would rather dowithout his cloak rather than disturb one that was sleeping on it.
There are also negative connotations about the cat, though mostly the black variety. The black cat became known as a witch's familiar or servant during the Middle Ages. Thecat's natural tendency to slink about only fueled the notion that the cat would sneak around doing the witch's bidding. The belief that a black cat crossing your path brings bad luckis a direct result of its link to witches and witchcraft. Black cats also hold an association with anarchist ideology.
Those who wear cat tattoos hope to emulate the spirit of the cat: independence, quick recovery and freedom of thought. Cat tattoos often incorporate elements of the moon orstars, symbols also associated with paganism or witchcraft. The tattoos may also have Egyptian imagery in reference to the origins of the domesticated cat.
