Animal worship in ancient Egypt was part of the culture of the daily life of Egyptians. All animals were respected as they were in close contact with deities and gods that they couldn't reach. The cat of ancient Egypt or the Miv was a sacred respected beast. The cat was first domesticated in ancient Egypt 4,000 thousand years ago. There are wild felines around the banks of Egypt, but it wasn't until around 2000 BCE that domesticated cats were brought into the houses of Egyptians. During the New Kingdom (1540 to 1069 BC), there were many tombs that started showing cats as part of everyday life. The ancient Egyptians took their cats on hunting excursions instead of dogs because they believed that the cats were alot more powerful than dogs. They believed that cats had been trained to find fowl and fish. Children had become known in their family as Mit or Miut, showing great affection not only for the child but for the cats also. Statues of cats were placed outside the house to protect the inhabitants and to ward off evil spirits. After this action, many scientists believed that cats had become an integral part of the ancient Egyptian family life.
They first felin diety, somtime depicted as a lynx is a Mafdet. But the most famous cat goddesses in the world, first revered by the ancient Egyptians were Bastet (also known as Bast, Pasch, Ubasti) and the lion-headed Sekhmet. Bastet had the roles of fertility, protector of children and the protector of all cats. Bastet became so popular that she became a household goddess. This goddess was called Bastet when in full cat form, and Bast when only having the head of one and the body of a beautiful woman.In Bubastis, or Tell Basta, the cats lived a lavish life as the `embodiment' of Bastet in her temples. Here they were served upon and taken care of until they passed away, and their bodies were mummified and given as offerings to Bastet.
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