By 1500 BC, the cat was considered a sacred animal in Egypt
It is thought that in about 1500 BC, the Pharaoh of Egypt had a supply of grain of such magnitude that he needed more cats to protect it from rodents. Because the people were unwilling to part with their cats, it is believed that the Pharaoh proclaimed all cats demigods. This meant that a normal mortal had no rights toowning a cat, while the Pharaoh, who was of divine status, did. The cats were still permitted to live in the homes of the people by day, but had to be brought to the storehouses at night to catch vermin.
Their new status ensured that cats were worshipped and pampered. Severe punishments were inflicted if a cat was harmed, and if one was killed, the punishment was death.
When a cat died, there was a period of morning, after which the cat was mummified. In an elaborate ceremony, it was buried in a wooden or bronze casket in a cat cemetery. Archeologists have found more than 300,000 cat mummies at one cemetery in Beni-Hassan, Egypt
