THE MYSTERY & MAGIC OF THE CAT

The people of ancient Egypt attributed magical powers to cats.  When a cat would die, the Egyptians honored the cat as any other member of the household.  Cat mummies have been discovered in ancient tombs.

 

The prophet Mohammed was said to love cats.  One time his cat fell asleep in the sleeve of Mohammed’s robe.  Instead of disturbing the cat, Mohammed simply cut his sleeve off.

Christian legend says it was a tabby cat that kept Jesus warm at the time of his birth.  With gratitude the Virgin Mary marked the cat with an M on the forehead.  In addition, it is said to dream of a tabby cat is a sign of luck for the home and all who live there.

Some say to dream of a black cat is lucky, while other interpretations say it is an indication of fear using your physic abilities and trusting your intuition.

As dream symbols in general, the cat could indicate that someone is being deceitful towards you.  Even old dream interpretation says a cat is a bad omen, and you can expect deceit from those you trust.

I found this to be true long ago when I dreamed of a cardinal sitting on the bed.  The cardinal hopped off the bed and went under it.  When I flipped the mattress, the cardinal turned into two cats.  One week later, my lover left me for another.  I was totally clueless to the affair. 

 

(The following is from the book Animal-Speak, by Ted Andrews):

Although a domesticated animal, it would be unjust not to at least touch upon the energies and essence of the cat as a totem.  Many of the larger cats are examined in this dictionary separately, but cats in general - wild or domestic – have certain qualities in common.

In myth and lore, the cat predominates.  In ancient Egypt they held a position of special privilege.  The goddess Bast was often depicted either as a cat or with a cat’s head.  In Scandinavian lore, the cat was associated with the goddess of fertility, Freyja.  In the Hindu tradition Shasthi, the goddess of childbirth, is depicted riding upon a cat.  Cats appear frequently in the tales of the Brothers Grimm and many other folk stories from around the world.

To cats have been attributed a wide variety of traits – often contradictory.  Curiosity, nine lives, independence, cleverness, unpredictability, and healing are but a few.  A witch’s pet was unusually regarded as her familiar – a spirit in the form of a cat.  It was often believed that witches could take the form of cats.

Cats are at home after dark, and yet most humans want them to be traditional pets during the day.  When they do not respond in this manner, they are accredited with independence and unsociability.  Because the dark is the home of fears and those things humans do not want to see and can’t see, the cat has come to be associated with magic and mystery.  The truth is that cats have more rods in the retinas of their eyes, which enhances light perception.  It enables them to see effectively in the dark.  The traditional prey of the cat is the mouse, but it is by no means limited to it.  Cats still effectively hunt birds and rabbits.

The traditional enemy of the cat is the dog, but this is not its only enemy.  For anyone with a cat totem, the study of the qualities of the mouse and dog will be beneficial for helping you understand the magic and the balance of energies with the cat.

Examine the colors, the character, the behaviors of your own cat.  Everything about it will be significant.  Many books exist on the lore and the character of cats.  Whether domesticated or wild, anytime a cat becomes predominant, look for magic and mystery to come alive.