Chances are, at some point you have walked into a store, or other business establishment to be greeted by a locally famous cats. These elite, and yet unique mascots usually come with stories of being rescued from an animal shelter. Other owners will relate stories about how their famous cats simply decided to take up residence with them. Irregardless of how a cat comes to be a part of someone's life, they often remind us of some of the most famous cats in history.
Recently, Oscar, the nursing home cat grabbed world headlines. This incredible cat not only knows when residents in the nursing home will pass on, he keeps vigil. While there are many stories about service dogs that make headlines on a daily basis, a famous cats with a job in the medical profession is often considered a rarity.
Oscar is yet another reminder of how these elegant animals seek to provide emotional support and friendship to humans. Frequently, family members have a difficult time coping with emotional impact of seeing a loved one experiencing the types of decline associated with old age. At the same time, a representative of one of the most “aloof” species of domesticated animals does not hesitate to keep people in nursing homes company during their final hours.
Few discussions of famous cats would be complete without mentioning Garfield. As infamous cartoon cats go, one must wonder how Garfield chooses between eating and sleeping. And of course, many love reading about the thoughts that go through his mind as he observes others doing things in non-cat optimized ways.
Historically, cats have been as revered as they have been hated. In the Middle Ages black cats endured a horrible tradition as famous cats. They were routinely tortured to death because of their color, and the association with witch craft. To this day, there are unsavory people that will try to adopt black cats to use all sorts of disgusting “ceremonies”. Still other people fear black cats, or will do anything they can to harm them. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that legitimate black cat owners will tell you these animals have some of the finest, and most intelligent natures amongst cat kind.
As you may be aware, cats were highly prized in ancient Egypt. Not only were they mummified with as much care as humans, it was against the law to kill a cat. In addition, a number of Egyptian deities were associated with cats. Bastet was keeper of hearth and home, while Sekhmet and Pakhet were often associated with medicine and warfare. Virtually all Egyptologists will acknowledge that famous cats played a key role in many aspects of ancient Egyptian culture.
Historically, many famous cats have cheered us up, and helped us to realize that our world would be a very sad place without their mischievous presence. Today, people all over the world keep cats as pets. While cats can be enigmatic and aloof, when they take a mind to be famous, they do it with skill and aplomb. One has only to observe famous cats like Oscar to realize that cats are capable of offering companionship to humans even when we cannot do it on our own.
