by Alfred Nylund

Created on: January 09, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

The cat figures prominently in cultures around the world, and every culture seems to hold cats in high regard for their poise, intelligence and mysterious nature.

This similar regard for the feline species is reflected, too, in both the languages and literature of many cultures.

The first example of cats in language that springs to mind is the phrase, "Cat got your tongue?" Used of course to address a silent individual and sometimes a shy child, the phrase calls to mind the habit of many house cats of dragging home small victims from their hunting activities, like mice and chipmunks. The origins of this phrase are unknown but, surprisingly, are relatively recent; the oldest example I could locate was from 1911.

In the days of the Puritans of New England, a woman with sever stomach pains was often said to have a cat scratching in her womb. This in turn was associated with witch activity, although in retrospect it was more likely to have been early documentation of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Black cats have long had an association with witches, and this comes through in literature, too. The evil connotation of black cats developed with the demonization of witchcraft by the Christian church, and this change was reflected in the literary usage of cats as symbols of evil portent.

Perhaps the earliest archetype of the cat persona comes to us from the Ancient Egyptians, where cats were not only worshiped as sublime animals, but the goddess Bast had the head of a cat.

Cats have held a prominent position in the folklore and parlance of human civilization for thousands of years, and their value to modern literature is sure to endure alongside human history itself.

Learn more about this author, Alfred Nylund.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.