DOMESTICATION

Cats in Ancient Egypt started out wild, but once the Egyptians realized how useful they were at keeping away rodents and snakes, they were welcomed into the house. They were often used for hunting birds as well. Eventually the cat's role as protector of the household led to the belief that the cat embodied divine power which protected the family from evil and misfortune (Engels 24).

Nebamun Hunting Water Fowl With His Cat

From Nebamun's tomb in the Theban Necropolis, 1450 BC

MUMMIFICATION AND SACRIFICE
Despite popular belief, cats themselves were not actually worshipped in Ancient Egypt. At first, certain cats with specific or distinctive markings may have been thought to have been the goddess Bastet incarnated, but this did not gain special treatment or protection for all cats. Later on, the Egyptians realized that every cat had the potential to embody a god or goddess, and this is how the entire species became regarded as sacred (Engels 25). The cats were then treated with enormous respect. To kill a cat, whether on purpose, or by accident, was a crime punishable by death (Jay 37). But as contradictory as it may seem, cats were often sacrificed to Bastet. "The word sacrifice literally means, 'to make sacred'" and the Egyptians believed that the cat would have been honored to be given as a gift to the goddess (Engels 37).
In 1888, an Egyptian farmer near a village called Istabl Antar, uncovered a mass grave of mummified cats. There were hundreds of thousands of mummies, but sadly most of them were sold in bulk to be made into fertilizer (Williams 33). Whether sacrificed, or after natural death, all cats were mummified complete with honor and ceremony, the same way humans were.

Cat Mummy created between 30 BC and 100 AD; copyright Royal Ontario Museum


MYTH: The Battle of Pelusium
In one version of this myth, the King of Persia, Cambyses II, found the perfect trick to conquer Egypt. Knowing how sacred the cats were to the Egyptians, Cambyses II decided to attach live cats to the front of his soldiers' shields before going into battle (Jay 37).
In a second version of this myth, it is thought that the soldiers' shields were painted with the image of Bastet, and that Cambyses II sent cats, dogs, ibises (a type of bird), and other sacred animals to the front lines(egyptian-history.suite101.com).
In both versions, the Egyptians were unwilling to risk killing the sacred animals, so they had no choice but to surrender.

Cambyses II riding into battle with cats falling from the sky.

SYMBOLISM
Cats are very symbolic of the moon, and therefore are associated closely with the goddess Bastet. A cat's eyes reflect the waxing and waning of the moon when they dilate and constrict throughout the day. And we have all seen how a cat's eyes glow in the dark, looking just like miniature moons.
Cats are also associated with women and fertility. The symbolic connection between a woman's monthly cycle, and the monthly cycle of the moon's phases date back to Ancient Egypt. Therefore, it is not a far stretch to connect cats to a woman's fertility (Jay 54).

Ipuy, Duammeres, and their cats, 1250 BC

Notice that the cat is sitting under the woman's chair, most likely representative of her fertility

GODS AND GODDESSES
BASTET---Bastet is by far the most important and popular of the cat goddesses, and was the first goddess to develop a cult following based on the worship of the domestic cat (Fogle 46). She was known to have the head of a cat, and was also the Moon Goddess and the Goddess of Fertility. Bastet was a kind goddess and was sometimes associated with joy, music, and dancing (Ions 101). Once a year, a festival was held in the city of Bubastis, where there was wine and feasting that lasted for several days (per-bast.net).

The Goddess Bastet, shown here with kitttens at her feet, and holding a Sistrum (muscal instrument)

SEKHMET---Sekhmet is known as having the head of a lion, and is often shown wearing a headdress featuring a solar disc, as well as serpents. “The lion was linked with ferocity and power, whereas the house cat was associated with affection and playfulness”(per-bast.net). Sekhmet represented the destructive force of the sun, and her duties included destroying the Pharaoh's enemies in battle, making her the complete opposite of Bastet.

A Heiroglyph of the Goddess Sekhmet, fetauring her famous Headdress

RA---Ra is the God of the Sun, and often took the form of the “Great Cat” at night

MYTH: RA , THE SUN GOD AND APEP, THE GREAT SERPENT
Every day Ra the Sun God lights up Egypt by flying across the sky in his solar barge, until at nightfall he reaches the Underworld. Here, the Great Serpent Apep lives. Ra and Apep are ancient enemies, and they fight for twelve hours in the dark Underworld, until each night Ra takes the form of the Great Cat. And while in this form, Ra slays the serpent just in time to light up the sky the next morning. It is said, on the rare occasion of a solar or lunar eclipse, that Ra has been swallowed by Apep. But he always manages to escape and light the sky the next day (Jay 59).

Ra slaying the serpent Apep while in his cat form

MAFDET---Mafdet's name means “The Runner,” which fits perfectly since she had the head of a cheetah. Her powers were used as protection from poisonous or dangerous animals, much like the domestic house cat. She was also able to heal anyone injured by the poisonous animals (per-bast.net). She was the main cat related goddess before Bastet took over in popularity.

CONCLUSION
Although not literally worshipped in Egypt, cats had a big part in the myth and culture of the country. With the exception of the Cambyses II myth, they were heroes and deities, and were venerated by all Egyptians. They made loyal and protective pets. Ancient Egyptian myth and their reverence of cats eventually spread to many different countries, and cats found their way into those countries' mythology as well.