History of Cats As Told By a Cat: China

When people think of love for cats, everyone’s mind goes to the ancient Egyptians. But so many other nations have been wrapped around our little paws. Well, except Medieval Europe.

So, where should we go next? I know, let’s go to China!! After all, I already talked about how Japan’s love for cats happened and how if it weren’t for the Chinese, cats potentially would not have spread to that region.

If you don’t know much about China, well, all that matters is that they LOVE us. In modern times, cats are quickly overtaking dogs as being their favourite pet! I mean, why shouldn’t they?

To understand where their love for us came from, we’re hopping into my little DeLorean and going back to PREHISTORIC times. Yes, you heard right—prehistoric!!

Catosaurus Rex

According to archeologists, I think they’re dogs digging for bones or random crap? I don’t know. Either way! There was evidence that we existed with hoomans 5,400 years ago! They weren’t as prim and proper as how we are now, they were actually leopards. If you want to feel smart, you can call them prionailurus bengalensis.

However, we didn’t domesticate ourselves until the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). Yes, that’s right. WE domesticated ourselves, not the other way around.

A painting of a kitten from the Song Dynasty

Immortalized Through Art & Literature

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), we became super popular! So much, that we made our mark in poems and paintings.

There was a poet named Lu You (1125-1210 AD) who wrote a series of poems about his experiences with his us. In one poem, he talks about trading a bag of bougie salt for a kitty. This was to protect his book collection from rats. Little did he know that we’re meant for so much more. Because his next poem, he talks about how warm and fluffy we are.

He became so obsessed with us that he was blessed with the cat distribution system. Another cat named Snowy came into his life and he said it was like his child. He does complain about us though, saying, “Night after night you used to massacre rats… So why do you now act as if you live within palace walls; eating fish every day and sleeping in my bed?”

He even had the audacity to moan about how he can never scold us for abandoning our duties, how he always feeds us on time and all we do is sleep and run around. Despite all that, he knew his place for his love for us never waned and in a later poem, he wrote, “Me and my cat are not leaving the house.” I mean, why would you? Me and my pawrents never leave home either!

In his last poem, he wrote about how his friends were far away and how alone he was. But through all that, he was always accompanied by “my fat cat.” His words, not mine.

Oh, and here’s a cool painting from the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) with a fancy pretty hooman with her precious kitty. There are many but that’s not why you’re here.

So, Why the Hell Aren’t We on the Chinese Zodiac?!

By now, you’re probably asking if we were so impawtant to the Chinese, why the hell didn’t we end up as one of the zodiacs then? To be honest, I’m asking the same bloody question.

But there’s a myth for that, appawrently. So, some Jade Emperor organized a race for the animals. The top 12 earned the prize of being on the zodiac. So a bunch of animals joined and so did the cat. Anyway, he joined his best mate, the rat. Together, they hitched a ride on the ox to cross the river.

During the crossing, the rat turned heel, thinking his cat friend would beat him to the finish line (not my fault he has short legs!). So, what did the little traitor do? He pushed the cat overboard!!

Obviously, it’ll take more than that to kill the cat. But because of that incident, he lost his chance to win the prize. Since that day, he made a vow to hunt down the rat for his betrayal. I guess, now you see why we love hunting rats!

But not all is lost! In the Vietnamese calendar, their 12 zodiacs are mainly the same, but instead of the rabbit, they DO have the cat as one of their zodiacs!

Other Folklore

Like most cool countries, China had its own set of mythology. Ever heard of Li Shou? She’s supposed to be the fertility goddess. She is also the leader of us! Although I don’t agree, WE should be the leaders, but okay.

Anyway, according to the myth, we were put in charge of the world the gods created. See? We were meant to rule. We were even given the ability to talk so we could better rule over the other creatures. But my ancestors had other ideas; they just wanted to enjoy the sun, catnip and chase things.

Because of this, the other gods gave Li Shou shit and said her cats should be more responsible. She then suggested that the hoomans wanted to run the show (typical eh?) and that we just wanted to enjoy the world. The other gods agreed and that’s how hoomans gained power of speech. But ask anyone, and they will still tell you that WE are the real masters. We just chose to enjoy things while you all slave away hehe.

Show Your Worthiness!

Adopting one of us into your life was serious business. Back in the days, any hooman who wanted us had to pay up and there were rules they had to follow. There was also a fancy ceremony to welcome us into your home. You had to do it on an auspurrcious day. What does that mean? Basically a day that brought luck and fortune, never do it on a bad day. Oh, and you’re supposed to shower us with treats, obviously.

There were certificates given to the cat slaves, often with something religious written on it for divine intervention.

Although it’s a process, this didn’t stop all kinds of hoomans from wanting us. Both upper and lower classes had us in their homes. Farmers loved having us around because we would keep their crops clear of those damn rats. The rich hoomans simply wanted something cute to cuddle with.

Some emperors also loved us. One guy loved one of my ancestors so much that he buried his cat, named Dragon, in a fancy tomb inside a golden coffin!

In today’s times, cats remain a favourite in many Chinese households. These hoomans jokingly call themselves “māonú” (slave to cats) or “chǎnshǐguān” (excrement removal officer). Sure, they say it’s a joke but they know it’s true.

Did They Eat Us?! Fact or Myth?

But life ain’t purrfect. There are always negatives to things. So, although, we may have it good in China, there’s also the dark underbelly of it.

Some of you may have heard that we get eaten here. Sadly, there are places that do, but it’s not widespread. The country did team up with humane societies to help the spread of these killings. Contrary to some hooman beliefs, 80% of China actually loves us and would never eat us or our annoying barky friends.

Even those who have tried, have only tried it once or twice in their life. But anyway, the humane societies are always out to make sure we are rescued and cared for!! As they should!

Some Conclusion

Despite the scary negatives, there were tons of pawsitives for my ancestors and my kind in China. We hold so much history and secrets here. All in all, it’s funny how no matter how much time has changed since ancient times, our relationship with you hoomans has barely changed throughout history 💅🏻.