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Comment by solardev | Hacker News Reader

Now you've got me curious. What are some other cultural views of cats?

Greek historian Herodotus reports that, [in ancient Egyptian society] whenever a household cat died, the entire family would mourn and shave their eyebrows.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_cats

Good rabbit hole (cat tree?) to dive into. Thanks!

> What are some other cultural views of cats?

Cats were given ritual burials in ancient Egypt [1]; killing one carried the death penalty [2].

Puss in Boots is based on India’s Panchtantra; they feature positively in Persian, Chinese and Japanese literature and mythology, too [id].

The exception to the rule, in fact, seems to be the Norse, from whom I presume the Britons acquired their disposition. (We continue to treat pets as property under U.S. law.)

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_in_ancient_Egypt

[2] https://www.worldhistory.org/article/466/cats-in-the-ancient...

See also Feral Cats in Istanbul: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_cats_in_Istanbul

There's a great documentary titled Kedi [1] about street cats in Istanbul and the culture surrounding them. If you're into cats it's a must-watch.

[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4420704

Let us not miss one of my favorite Just So Stories, The Cat That Walked by Himself [1] or as narrated by Sterling Holloway [2]

1. https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/79/just-so-stories/1296/the-cat-t...

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ8HBSUo-MM

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