Cat symbolism and meaning
We all know that cats are wonderful creatures, but do we know what are the different meanings of cats? We call our buddies the big kahuna or the chief and that is similar to the meaning of cat.
When people and organizations want to use cats in their logos they are representing a variety of meanings. Animals are symbols used by people in many different ways and for many different reasons.
Cats and their symbolism were revered in the ancient world for their agility and speed. Cats were associated with luck and good fortune as well. Nowadays, you will find that some countries still use cat symbolism as the bringer of prosperity.
The Egyptians were big fans of cats and they associated them heavily with the sun god, Ra. Of course, this is due to the fact that cats love to sit in the sun. Also, cats are very fun to play with and handle. They are so playful and enjoy being part of the action. Cats were carried into battle with armies to protect them against pests. It is thought that cats were given as gifts to important people. Typically, they were given to rulers. Taking the time and resources to raise a cat is actually a lot of work and it was a sure symbol of status and importance.
The Asian culture has also associated cats with supernatural magic and increasing good fortune.
Cat Native American symbolism
Guardian of the home
The Native Americans revered the cat as a kind of guardian spirit who protected against evil. These spiritual cats were the ones who kept you safe from harm during your most vulnerable moments.
If you are feeling troubled, or if you feel that a particular trouble may come your way soon, you should pray to a Cat in order to ask for its protection.
Cat Native American Symbolism: A playful spirit
The Cat is yet another animal who was associated with the Moon. It was widely believed that this animal had a particularly close connection with this heavenly body.
The natives believed that the spirit of the Moon would meet the spirit of the Cat in order to play together in the night. If you look at the cat, you are bound to notice how playful it is. There is an undeniable energy of playfulness coming out of this feline.
In many ways, the Native Americans believed that the spirit of the Moon and the spirit of the cat could, at times merge into the same being. And this being could play with you in the same playful manner.
In reality, they believed that the Moon was the Sun’s wife. And the Sun was the husband of the Earth spirit. This made the cat even more important as it was believed to be a spirit who played conciliator between the nature of the Sun and the nature of the Moon.
Cat Eastern Symbolism
Considered the Cat-Fu or the Mystic Cat in Chinese astrology, tabby cats are the symbol of agility and grace that is essential to any astrological year.
Perhaps the biggest evidence of the importance of the tabby cat in Asian culture is the fact that every single Chinese calendar is based on the year of the cat. With any change in the year of birth of a Chinese baby, the year and color of tabby can be changed too.
Don’t let that fool you, though. Tabbies may look like they’re peaceful creatures, but they can still be fierce when they have to be. In fact, one of the tabby cat’s symbols is that of the tiger.
In any sense, though, the tabby cat is still quite respected and loved in many Asian countries. Even today, if you want to know what Asian astrology has in store for you, they’ll tell you to look at your cat’s chart.
Other than that, tabby colors actually exist in certain breeds, and most notably in the Manx cats.
Even the Egyptians had their eyes on the tabby cat, and her symbol was often used to portray the power of the Sun God and Isis, the Egyptian goddess of love and magic.
Cat Christianity symbolism
Where did cats originally come from? Many believe the original cat symbol originated in Egypt.
Cats are also associated with the Egyptian goddess Bastet. Bastet was represented as a domesticated cat .
In addition, the cat symbol was found on all the tombs of the dead so that the souls of the cat , both mortal and immortal, would have been welcome in the underworld.
Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess, was originally a lioness goddess and later on was represented as a woman with the head of a cat and other feline body parts.
The cat often symbolized the sun because of the Egyptians’ ability to see the reflection of the star’s light in its eyes.
As a result, cats were revered and cared for by the Egyptians. Cats also symbolized the divine, since they were often worshiped as a god or goddess. When a household cat , such as a Siamese, died, the household members would shave the eyebrows as a sign of mourning.
Also, tombs in which cats were buried have been discovered. Cats came to symbolize the dead, and by extension, were considered a symbol of the night.
Upon the death of a loved one, the cat was a symbol of the loved one, and the tears of a cat , were the tears of the mourner.
Cat Celtic symbolism
Cat have a very strong spiritual symbolism, which has remained for a very long time.
As cat’s belong to the same family as the lion, tiger, lynx and other large felines, this fact cannot escape our attention, especially when you consider the connection between the fierce predator and the domestic cat.
Cats have long been associated with the protective energies of the mother goddesses , both in the Peloponnese (where the temple of Artemis at Ephesus had a roof shaped like a cat’s head) and in Egypt, where the cat headed Goddess, Sekhmet, inspired the construction of the pyramids.
While in Egypt , the cat was identified with the lioness-goddess, Sekhmet the fierce, avenging Sun Goddess. Cat was also associated with war, perhaps because of their habit of killing their prey by disemboweling it. Yet the cat was also strongly associated with fertility and the energy of creation .
The feline world, with its swiftness, stealth and ease of movement, was seen as expressing the essence of air as opposed to the slow, heavy and earthbound energies of reptiles and amphibians.
Dogs , on the other hand, were thought to control the energies of fire.
Cat African symbolism
The African people by and large associate the cat with joy and lust. But its presence in their lives is due mostly to the vermin-control service it performs and the occult services it is supposed to render. So popular is this animal that even the language has a word for it – ntshilu.
There is no tribal home that does not house a cat.
Children depend on it for their amusement and co-operation, so great is its ability to be of use to humans. Its affectionate ways and readiness to serve are truly wonderful and endears it to all. Thus, its presence brings happiness and joy wherever it may be found.
It is, however, a fearful animal and will not hesitate to attack when provoked. This fearlessness may be the reason why ancient African people always chose the cat as the guardian of the home and the protector of the young where it acted as the chief in the absence of the family head.
In love matters, the cat also was of service to the humans; in fact, its role in this aspect of life was so important that it was regarded as the animal that first brought erotic pleasures. It was feared as a witch's companion.
The cat's association with the conjurer is also highlighted when he is said to be making the "cat's paw". Whatever the type of stroke is being made, it is always the left hand that acts as the cat's paw.
Cat in dreams
The symbol of the cat appears in dreams frequently, especially to women. Another popular symbol of the cat in dreams is a black cat which is associated with mischief, trickery, and deceit.
The thing about cats is that some people regard them as family members, while others view them as territorial, playful, companion animals.
Cats possess incredible intelligence and cunning. In reality and in dreams, cats symbolise independent personalities. In the dream world, the cat symbolizes ambition, playfulness, and the need for attention and contact.
The diversity of personality in cats is said to reflect the diversity of human beings! Cat dreams can represent your personality in masculine, feminine, emotional, and physical ways. Some dream books will tell you that you have a sensual side if you dream of a cat rubbing against your leg, or that you are feeling affectionate and loving if you dream of petting a cat.
I believe that the essence of the cat is more than the sum of these physical and reproductive characteristics. Cats have been domesticated for years.
In dreams, cats represent independence, playfulness, and cunning. Cats also reflect your feminine, emotional, and physical characteristics. In dreams, the cat symbolises independence, playfulness, and cunning. Cats also reflect your feminine, emotional, and physical characteristics.
Cat encounters and omens
In the year 1825, a calico cat named Mungo Park arrived in Britain. As there was no known cat import permit, Mungo Park was disguised as a dog and smuggled into the United Kingdom. He caught the public’s fancy because of his gentle, quiet manner, and became an instant celebrity.
There’s something about cats that naturally just rose tension and gave rise to the superstitious habit of animal encounters amongst humans.
It is not just today, where cats are widely viewed as a symbol of luck, good fortune, cleanliness, health, and protection. For centuries, cats have held a treasured and valued position in our lives.
In Asian countries, they have been considered pet companions for thousands of years.
Not so in the West. Where cats have always been fair game to be put down as mere companions rather than true partners.
Even still, cats have enjoyed a huge status that is well above that of a common rat or insect.
This is because across the world, cats were considered in numerous ways from sacred and magical animals to a companion of the goddess and goddesses and a symbol of fertility to a creature with a reputation of being a bringer of death and misfortune. There’s also that misconception about cats always greet you with a smile and a look of wisdom.
Cat mythology and folklore
Is as ancient as the history of human life on the planet.
The Akkadian story of “The Cat Who Walked by Himself” about a cat who gained equality with gods epitomizes the importance of the animal in these ancient times.
The clever, cunning, sly, agile, enduring image of the cat can be found in ancient writings in the utmost creation myths of the planet. In the Tibetan and Egyptian myths for example, Bast, a goddess protector of children, was associated with Isis and Hathor.
She was always depicted as a cat seated upright with her forelegs bent back over her breast, her ears erect and her eyes looking down.
The most famous Egyptian symbol of Bast, worshipped and revered extensively, is the Sphinx at Giza.
The cat was also closely associated with the Greek Goddess Artemis with her priestesses often being depicted as sacred cats some times with complete feline heads.
The evolution of the cat into the domesticated animals we are familiar with today occurred around the Middle Ages in the glory of the renaissance period.
Around the 13th century, the cat become the object of worship. It was believed that there were two goddesses of fate in ancient Egypt “ Bast, the goddess of joy and love and Sekmet, the goddess of death.
Cat spirit animal
As for the cat spirit animal, it is an animal that is vulnerable, it is not the fiercest in the forest or the wild. The cat spirit animal is actually very fragile and is prone to get sick, but that is also what makes the cat spirit animal comforting. When watching a cat, you can feel this peacefulness in part of its essence.
The cat spirit animal is very independent and is a very good hunter, constant and true to its instincts. A cat is also very sensitive to its environment and can sense things that you may not be able to.
This is why cats always have a knack for disappearing at the right time and people often say that cats can predict the bad things that can happen. A cat can be a warning sign to somebody who is in trouble or is in need of assistance.
The presence of a cat in a home can also be constant because this animal never gets tired, is always purring and likes to be around its owners. This animal is very playful and active.
In addition to the cat spirit animal and totem, the presence of a person’s cat is also an omen.
The cat spirit animal can be a guide and represent the positive parts of the cat’s characteristics that you can take with you in your life… the happiness, the playfulness, the independence, the connection with wild and so on.
Cat totem animal
In the northern hemisphere, the cat is regarded as a lunar animal and is associated with nighttime, magic and mystery. According to mythology, the goddess of the moon, Artemis, was accompanied by a cat.
The moon appears to glow with a silvery blue due to light being reflected off the ‘cats’ eyes.
In many countries throughout history, the cat was associated with witches, magic and other nighttime phenomena. In medieval England, witches were often seen riding on cats while performing their rituals.
In the Orient, the cat is linked to darkness, sorcery and bad luck. However, the Egyptians had a great respect for the cat believing it was a symbol of purity and motherhood.
Cats are a symbol of beauty and grace. They can see things that we often miss, paying attention to the most minute details.
Cats are also a symbol of independence, detachment and shrewdness. In some traditions cats are a symbol of a bad omen, foretelling evil.
In general, a cat spirit animal may be teaching you that it is time to highlight, cleanse and purify your life. New beginnings can be attributed to this cat totem animal.
This cat spirit animal may be drawing your attention to a positive relationship that you need to cultivate. It is time to open your heart and let this cat spirit animal into your life.
Cat power animal
In ancient Egypt, cats were sacred and a cat was even found mummified alongside a nobleman.
In some regions, it was tradition to serve the gods with animals of a particular place. Cats were part of the sacrificial ritual for Bast, the cat goddess.
Furthermore, in ancient Egypt cats were associated with the sun god and may even have had the ability to see the spirits of the dead.
In Hinduism, a cat is seen as a symbol of good luck.
In China, cat ownership is considered a symbol of prosperity and wealth.
Some of the other powers associated with the cat include:
Alter ego – in Greek mythology, the cat is associated with Hecate, their goddess of magic and witchcraft. The Greeks believed that the cat was the alter ego to Hecate.
Kyojinbiko – in Japanese mythology, the cat holds the ability to bring water into tears and make fields fertile. This belief causes the cat to be held in high regards and as a direct result, the cat is seen as a symbol of fortune.
Moon goddess – the cat is associated with different moon gods from all over the world. In ancient Egypt, cats were associated with the god of moon, Ra. In Japan, the cat is linked to the maneki neko, the god of the moon and happiness.
Cat tattoo meaning
Cat symbolizes independence, curiosity, adaptability, and individuality.
The cat is proud and graceful, fond of both solitude and company, changeable in its affections but constant in its friendships.
A cat’s hair is its coat of arms… Cats do not scorn to defend their homes and families.
A cat can love its owner like a dog can, but never forget the primary law of its existence. A cat must be a cat first, and only incidentally a household pet.
Wild cats are fascinating animals. They are noted for their beautiful coats and long, lithe bodies, their supple grace, and their mellow voices. They can see better at night than we can. They have a tremendous sense of hearing. Unlike most other animals, they can close their nostrils to shut out dust, sand and moisture. Most of them are born with their eyes open.
Cats Do Lie… It is a common saying that cats always land on their feet. But that is not always true. Most cats will land on their feet when falling head first, but if they are falling feet first, they can be injured. Sometimes cats can not make up their mind, and tensely fling themselves in the air. Flung head first, they land more easily than if they fling themselves the other way.
Conclusion
Now you know many different ways to make your day happy and exciting by improving yourself in meaningful ways.
Some are powerful habits you can develop to become a better, more accomplished person (crystallize), some are fun activities that you might not have known about (dispersion), some are your deep-rooted, primitive instincts, like the flying bird that you can feel at any given moment (crystallize).
These habits can be triggered at will by repeated exposure to a stimulus. When you feel you need to train yourself again, just go back to a happy event you once had in your life and remember the emotions you were happy to experience then.
You can also remind yourself about how you want to feel again by using the power of visualization. Imagine you are already there and relive the whole experience in your mind again if for some reason you cannot be with that person.
About using the Flying Bird Habit and other Powers of Visualization, I also recommend you check out the book: «Breakthrough Power of Your Mind.»
Take the Time to re-immerse yourself to those feelings; it will create a happy habit that will influence your entire life for the better.
Finally, you should use the positive feeling associated with the Happy Habit as an up-ladder and try to combine it with other habits you have and want to develop.