Did Pope Gregory IX’s Hatred of Cats Lead to the Black Death?
Fewer cats led to more plague bearing rats, or so the story goes
People have mixed attitudes toward cats. Some people love them and some not so much. But historically speaking, the pendulum has swung much further to each extreme.
The Egyptians worshipped cats for thousands of years, associating them with the goddess Bastet. Their love for them was so well known that in the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BCE, the invading Persians painted the image of Bastet on their shields and drove cats and other sacred animals before them, hoping the Egyptians would give up rather than risk hurting the animals. It worked, and rather than harm the creatures, the Egyptians fled.
The Romans, who conquered Egypt, saw how useful the cats were in protecting crops from vermin and brought them to Europe. Although they are annoyingly independent and can’t be controlled like dogs, their ability to kill animals like rats increased their popularity.
In the 1230s, this changed. On 13th June 1233, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull called Vox in Rama that linked cats to satanism and witchcraft. Throughout most of the medieval period, cats had a horrendous time and were tortured and culled in huge numbers. Annual festivals where cats were killed sprung…
