Cats originated in ancient Egypt, roughly in the central region of Crete, Cyprus. Domestic cats (possibly existing in a semi-wild state) existed in Egypt as early as 1600 BC, primarily as a form of worship. While cats are also recorded in other countries outside Egypt, such as Greece and Palestine, they were not common there. This is because Egyptians did not allow cats to be taken out of Egypt, which may be the reason some argue that Egypt is the primary, or even the sole, origin of modern domestic cats.
In 525 BC, Egypt and Persia went to war. During one battle, the two armies clashed fiercely at the ancient city of Perus in the Nile Delta. The two sides were evenly matched and neither gained the upper hand. Later, the Persians devised a plan to kill their enemy: they gathered many house cats. When the soldiers clashed, Persian soldiers suddenly threw cats at the Egyptian soldiers. Upon seeing the cats, the Egyptians panicked and lost their will to fight. The Persian army seized the opportunity to swarm in, defeat the Egyptians, and capture the city of Perus.
What was the special relationship between the ancient Egyptians and cats? It turns out that the cats we keep in our homes today were originally wild cats that roamed the wild. Around 5000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians living in the Nile River valley discovered that wild cats caught and ate mice. So, some ancient Egyptians captured cats and domesticated them. Over time, the wild cats became very docile domestic cats, and their mouse-catching skills were quite remarkable. Domestic cats then multiplied widely and commonly in Egyptian homes.
