Of cats
22/02/16 05:25
When I think of cats, Egypt comes to mind. Cats were considered sacred in ancient Egyptian society. Researchers have found cats that received the same mummification after death as humans. In 1888, an Egyptian farmer uncovered a large tomb with mummified cats and kittens outside the town of Beni Hasan. It contained eighty thousand cat mummies. I don’t know the entire history, but have been told that cats were first domesticated in Egypt. Cats have the ability to control mice and rats and have been used to control snakes as well. Cats are noted for their grace and poise. In the Egyptian panoply of gods, at least two were cats. Mafdet was a goddess of justice. She also was the goddess of execution. Bast, also known as Bastet, was a more recent goddess representing protection, fertility and motherhood.
As is the case with many ancient beliefs, there are both truths and myths in the representation of cats in Egyptian lore. Chief among the myths is the myth of domestication. Cats may, at times, live in the homes of humans, but they aren’t domesticated in the same sense as other pets. They tolerate humans and become somewhat dependent on humans for food, but they maintain an independent streak and attitude. I think there is some accuracy in portraying cats both as gentle friends of people and as a bloody god of execution. I’ve known cats so friendly they rested in my lap every evening and a couple of cats so mean that they would draw blood just for entertainment.
I used to say I was not a cat person. Growing up our family’s pet cats always “belonged” to one of my siblings. One of my younger brothers was particularly fond of cats. His pet “Priscilla Mullens” was mother to countless litters of kittens most of whom took a distinct dislike to me. The feeling was mutual. When I became an adult, our daughter began campaigning for a pet cat when she was very young and over the years brought a parade of cats into our home. I ended up falling in love with every one of them. I’m not sure any of them ever considered me as their owners, but they tolerated my presence and provided much entertainment and companionship over the years.
When our children were in high school we became involved with our city’s sister city program with a community in Japan. We hosted exchange students and both of our children were able to travel to Japan with groups of exchange students. Somewhere in that process “Hello Kitty” items began to show up in our house. Purses and t shirts and all sorts of items sported the cartoon logo. Hello Kitty had been popular for a couple of decades before I discovered it. The character was created by Yuko Shimizu. There have been several animated television series featuring the white creature with the red bow. The logo can be found on school supplies and on every sort of consumer products, including expensive high end items such as diamond necklaces. According to Wikipedia, the brand is worth $7 billion a year.
Hello Kitty, however, is not a cat. She might look like a white Japanese Bobtail cat, but the Sanrio company is adamant that Hello Kitty is a British schoolgirl called Kitty White who lives just outside London. She has a whole life story and a family that includes a sister named Mimmy. Sanrio has a website dedicated to Kitty’s biography. She is never depicted on all fours, always walking as a two legged creature. Furthermore, she has a pet cat of her own called Charmmy Kitty. Who knew?
The Japanese, however, do have a special place in their hearts for cats, which is why I’m writing on this particular topic today. Yes, it is George Washington’s birthday, but we celebrated President’s Day last week. In Japan, however, today is Cat Day. Today is the 30th anniversary for the Japanese holiday. The web is filled with endless cat pictures and video clips. If you were in Japan today, you could get cat-shaped biscuits, cat-shaped rice balls and even cat donuts.
In Japanese, the date’s numerals, 2/22 (ni ni ni), are pronounced fairly closely to the sound a cat makes in Japanese (nyan nyan nyan). According to Derek Abbott’s animal noise page, Japanese is the only language in which the sound made by a cat begins with an “n” sound. Most places the sound begins with an “m”: Meow in English; miyau in Hebrew and German; miyav in Turkish and Danish; miauw in Dutch; and miao in Spanish.
In Japan today, there are plenty of people sporting cat ears. “Nekomimi” are popular fashion accessories for the day. Disney in Japan declared the day to be “Marie Day,” after the young female character from the Aristocats. The newspaper Asahi Shimbun printed a special report from one of Japan’s cat cafes. The institutions are popular places where you can dine in the company of numerous pampered felines. The sound of purring is said to enhance digestion.
A cat called Tama made headlines after becoming honorary stationmaster of a train station in Wakayama prefecture. Wearing a special cat-sized stationmaster’s hat, she was a popular tourist attraction until her death last year. She was inducted into the hall of fame for the station’s train this month.
A cat named Maru has been getting huge numbers of hits on YouTube. One of the clips has more than 21.7 million views. And the cartoon cat Nyancat, who can fly, has a video that has been viewed 131 million times.
The Japanese, however, have other plays on the sound of the number 2: “ni.” Not only does it sound like a cat to a Japanese ear, it also recalls to a Japanese ear the sound of Ninja. The elusive assassins are also popular in Japanese culture. So, if you are in Japan and you don’t happen to be a cat person, never fear. You can go to Koka city in Shinga prefecture where all of the staff in the town hall dress up in ninja costumes to promote ninja tourism.
Now there’s an idea! OK someone has already thought of a ninja Hello Kitty.