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Walrus
·Rabbits, house cats in the neighborhood and 11 tasty dogs at my house
I think people forget how bad vermin plagues could get in the olden day, leading to sickness and famine. Then we got wedded to pesticides and poisons which bring their own issues long term for the environment. There were a lot of reasons why the Egyptians worshiped cats and sailors like a cat on board.[/QUOTE]
Ah, thanks @Omegafanman i was watching a documentary about the Vikings discovering North America pre Columbus and bringing with them “red cats”. They just touched on the subject but mentioned they were viewed as good luck. I just poked around a little online to gather a bit more info seems like it could become a major study in itself
© HHelene/Shutterstock.com
Vikings Helped Cats Conquer the World
By Amy Tikkanen
While Vikings don’t exactly have a reputation for being cuddly, their travel companions do. Hoping to shed some light on the early history of cats, in 2016 researchers reported the results of a study in which they sequenced the DNA of 209 felines, the remains of which had been found at various archaeological sites, dating from 15,000 to 2,700 years ago. What they discovered was that cats expanded geographically in two waves.
During the first wave, the feline critters traveled from the Middle East to the eastern Mediterranean, an area known for its fertile lands. This finding supports the long-held belief that farmers—in desperate need of rodent control—encouraged the spread of cats. The next wave—which occurred thousands of years later—started in ancient Egypt, where cats were worshipped, and moved to Africa and Eurasia via seafarers. Researchers notably found that the DNA from an Egyptian cat matched that of a feline found at a Viking site in Germany. It is believed that Vikings—along with other mariners—took cats on ships in order to control rats and mice. These findings are not surprising, given the presence of cats in Norse mythology. The goddess Freyja—who was in charge of love, fertility, battle, and death—traveled in a chariot pulled by two large cats.
© HHelene/Shutterstock.com
Vikings Helped Cats Conquer the World
By Amy Tikkanen
While Vikings don’t exactly have a reputation for being cuddly, their travel companions do. Hoping to shed some light on the early history of cats, in 2016 researchers reported the results of a study in which they sequenced the DNA of 209 felines, the remains of which had been found at various archaeological sites, dating from 15,000 to 2,700 years ago. What they discovered was that cats expanded geographically in two waves.
During the first wave, the feline critters traveled from the Middle East to the eastern Mediterranean, an area known for its fertile lands. This finding supports the long-held belief that farmers—in desperate need of rodent control—encouraged the spread of cats. The next wave—which occurred thousands of years later—started in ancient Egypt, where cats were worshipped, and moved to Africa and Eurasia via seafarers. Researchers notably found that the DNA from an Egyptian cat matched that of a feline found at a Viking site in Germany. It is believed that Vikings—along with other mariners—took cats on ships in order to control rats and mice. These findings are not surprising, given the presence of cats in Norse mythology. The goddess Freyja—who was in charge of love, fertility, battle, and death—traveled in a chariot pulled by two large cats.
