"The rise of Christianity in Europe heralded a fundamental shift in attitudes to cats. During the Middle Ages, the cat's links with the ancient, pagan cult of the mother goddess inspired a wave of persecution that lasted several hundred years. Branded as agents of the Devil, and the chosen companions of witches and necromancers, cats, especially black ones, were enthusiastically tortured and executed during Christian festivals all over Europe. It was also believed that witches disguised themselves as cats as a means of traveling around incognito, so anyone encountering a stray cat at night felt obliged to try and kill or maim the animal. By teaching people to associate cats with the Devil and bad luck, it appears that the Church provided the underprivileged and Superstitious masses with a sort of Universal scapegoat, something to blame for all of the many hardships and misfortunes of life. Fortunately for cats, such attitudes began to disappear gradually during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with the dawn of the so-called Age of Enlightenment. However, not until the middle of the nineteenth century did cats eventually begin to regain the popularity they once enjoyed in Ancient Egypt."Suggested free e-books to read:
Anonymous - Witchcraft And Wicca FaqKathryn Paulsen - Witches Potions And Spells
Edward Hare - Bewitched And Bothered
Louise Jackson - Witches Wives And Mothers
