The Disturbing Truth Behind Why Humans First Kept Cats

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For thousands of years, cats have slinked through human history, sometimes revered, sometimes feared, always maintaining that air of mystery. But according to certain anthropologists and zoologists, the earliest reason humans began keeping cats wasn’t warm companionship or an Instagram‑worthy purr. The origins have a far more unsettling twist: early humans may have welcomed cats not out of affection, but because of a relationship steeped in death, decay, and superstition.

Drawn by the Dead

Archaeological evidence suggests that one of the first points of contact between wild cats and human settlements was not around cozy fires, but rather near burial grounds and refuse sites. Grain stores, critical to the survival of early agricultural societies, attracted rodents, which in turn drew wildcats. But in some regions, researchers believe cats were also drawn to human remains. In certain ancient cultures, burial rites left bodies in shallow graves or exposed platforms, unintentionally inviting scavengers. Wildcats, opportunistic by nature, may have become regular visitors to these spaces. To early humans, this eerie proximity to the realm of the dead may have given the animals an aura of supernatural power.

Fear Turned into Reverence

Instead of driving them away, some communities began to see these feline visitors as protectors of the boundary between life and death. In societies where ghosts, spirits, and curses were part of daily belief, the presence of a predator willing to lurk near places of danger could be interpreted as a sign of spiritual guardianship. Cats, sleek and unblinking, became living symbols of vigilance against unseen forces, both rodent and spectral. This dual role blurred the line between pest control and ritual significance, making cats more than just useful animals; they became talismans.

The Cult of the Cat

Over time, the unsettling association between cats and death transformed into formalized worship in certain civilizations. Ancient Egypt provides the most famous example: cats were sacred to deities like Bastet, linked not only to protection but also to the transition between life and afterlife. Scientists theorize that this divine status may have roots in those earliest, macabre encounters. What began as scavenging behavior evolved into a powerful cultural relationship, one where the “creepiness” of the cat’s nature became a source of awe rather than fear.

The Legacy of a Creepy Beginning

Today, our relationships with cats are far more domestic, though many feline owners will admit their pet still has moments of staring into unseen corners or padding silently through the house in the dead of night. While modern science may dismiss supernatural explanations, the echoes of those early associations remain in folklore, superstition, and even the cat’s reputation for independence and inscrutability. In a way, the very traits that made them unsettling to our ancestors are the same ones that make them endlessly fascinating to us now.