--- title: Cat Day: What You Didn’t Know About the History of Your Cat description: Cats have a rich history as part of human culture dating back thousands of years canonical: https://time.com/4093516/house-cat-history/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-29T22:29:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T12:12:45.994Z article:section: History og:title: What You Didn’t Know About the History of Your Cat og:description: Felines were religious symbols in Ancient Egypt og:url: https://time.com/4093516/house-cat-history/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt428428be4adee7ab/69886ed7196cf42652038c15/cat.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2448 og:image:height: 1377 og:image:alt: 548856665 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What You Didn’t Know About the History of Your Cat twitter:description: Felines were religious symbols in Ancient Egypt twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt428428be4adee7ab/69886ed7196cf42652038c15/cat.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What You Didn’t Know About the History of Your Cat > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Oct 29, 2015 10:29 PM UTC  Tabby Cat Portrait Tabby Cat Portrait Getty Images by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Oct 29, 2015 10:29 PM UTC It may be International Cat Day, but there’s more to our beloved felines than viral videos and allergies. Cats have a rich history as part of human culture dating back thousands of years to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians were the original cat breeders, bringing them into their homes because they helped control the vermin. Pharaohs highly respected their feline companions, who were also used as religious symbols for grace, poise, wisdom, strength, and fertility. Cats are featured in ancient hieroglyphics and Egyptian structures. They are part of the anatomy of several ancient goddesses, including the goddesses Bastet and Sekhmet. 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