Most of you are probably familiar with the ancient Egyptian reverence for cats. So instead, let’s look at a more contemporary example. Followers of British politics may already be familiar with Larry, the tabby cat that inhabits 10 Downing Street. He has lived there since 2011 and has seen the comings and goings of now five British prime ministers. Interestingly, he is reportedly a good hunter and has been photographed publicly hinting down mice. While it’s somewhat surprising that the official residence of Britain's rulers has a rodent problem, at least we can commend them for an eco-friendly solution.
But Larry’s story wouldn’t be complete without a little bit of drama. Because in 2016, another cat, named Palmerston, moved into the Foreign Office and began a rivalry with Larry. In fact, the two cats have been filmed actively fighting and seem to not get along very well. Ultimately, Palmerston would be moved to another residence, where he still lives. Larry is often referred to as the cat of the current prime minister, however, this is incorrect. Officially, he is a civil servant who works and happens to reside at 10 Downing Street.
Politics aside, humans have a long relationship with cats. We know about the aforementioned Egyptians of course, but the ancient Greeks and Romans also kept cats. They were not as religious about felines as the Egyptians but instead saw them as a valuable tool against rodents. Initially, the Romans kept weasels as mice-hunters but switched to cats at an undetermined point in time. Historians speculate that this may have been simply due to the fact that cats make better companions than weasels.
While most of us don’t have to deal with mice or, God forbid, rats, cat ownership still has a number of benefits for humans. Being around a cat can help lower stress and blood pressure, for example. This is also true of dogs, but keeping a canine takes a lot more energy, while cats are famously low-intensity pets. However, uniquely among pets, cat owners are significantly less likely to suffer from heart attacks and strokes. Seeing as heart disease is a leading cause of death in many places, perhaps you can write off your pet food as a medical expense.
Cat memes are an internet staple going back to the early 2000s. So you might be surprised to learn that we enjoyed looking at cats just doing random things before there was sound in movies. There are multiple examples of silent films from the turn of the century that feature cats interacting with other cats or humans. From strays to pets, cats were no rarity at the time, so it is interesting that people would still go out of their way to watch them.
Meme researchers, which sounds like a dream job, believe that the popularity of cat images on the internet isn’t going away. They describe it as a sort of self-perpetuating cycle, where cats are the number one pet posted online, creating the impression that they are also the most acceptable pet to post online. Others postulate that cat images are inherently more entertaining because cats attempt to appear dignified until they are caught sleeping in a strange pose.
