The cat is a beautiful, intelligent and amazingly intelligent creature. She is gentle, affectionate and devoted to her home and person. A cat is a clean, friendly and so calm animal that we sometimes forget that we are facing a real predator. The cat is my favorite animal.

In the order of carnivores there is a family of cats, which includes more than three dozen species. Conventionally, the cat family is divided into small (from the domestic cat to the puma) and large (lion, tiger, leopard) cats. The first ones are very different in size and color, and they can purr. And the latter are capable of growling.

The smallest in the cat family are our domestic cats: they usually weigh less than 4 kg. All small and little-known cats are similar to each other and to the giants of their family - lions, tigers and leopards - with a surprisingly graceful body build. As Leonardo da Vinci said several centuries ago, “even the smallest cat is a masterpiece.”

Evidence about the early domestication of cats is not entirely reliable. Therefore, more cautious scientists believe that the cat became a truly domestic animal approximately 4,000 years ago. And before that, there lived a cat near villages. She was catching mice. And people did not pursue her, but fed her, that is, they slowly tamed her. And this domestication, like no other domestic animal, lasted for a very long time - entire millennia. The cat has become a very popular and beloved animal.

A special, heavenly fate awaited the cat in Egypt: the priests promoted it to the rank of sacred animals.

In the mythology of the ancient Egyptians, the cat personified the goddess Bastet, who was considered the patroness of fertility and motherhood. She was depicted with the body of a woman and the head of a cat. Cats were under special protection: if a person accidentally killed a cat, it was punishable by death. In ancient Egypt, the cat was called "Mau" in imitation of its meow.

Domestic cats appeared in Babylon a very long time ago, in the second millennium BC. From here they were brought to India, and later to China. In China, the cat was called "Mao".

In Greece, on the island. In Crete, in the twelfth century BC there were already domestic cats. They were rare and highly valued. Having a cat was considered a luxury.

In the Middle Ages in Christian countries, domestic cats faced difficult trials. But in countries where Islam dominated, the cat enjoyed the same respect.

In Rus', from time immemorial, there was an opinion: the cat is the mistress of the house. There is a custom: the owner lets the cat in first into a new house or apartment. Many people still follow this custom.

And the word “cat” itself came to us from North Africa.

More than 400 million domestic cats live on our planet, and they are unevenly distributed. The most cats are in the USA. Every third person in Europe cares for one or more cats. Even museums dedicated to cats have sprung up.

Such a cute creature as a cat deserves love, care and protection.

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