One Picture One Story Week #102

Have you ever been to a person's house to see an introverted creature who lurks in the shadow? From that description, I think cats are one of the creatures that matches that description. If someone may ask, how did this creature find its way into the house of a human being? Well, let's see why this animal is unique and a brief origin in the process.

A cat is a domesticated animal which happens to be a member of the felidae family. It will interest you to know that lions, tigers, Cheetahs, etc are all members of this family. But a big question arose and it read "how did they get closer to man?" I'll give you the animal from 2 major perspectives.

First, this was a survival instinct and that bond exists out of nowhere. Back in the days, men did store grain and rats ate it which reduces their produce in the store. Then, cats who happened to be their natural predators came in and killed off those rats. When man discovers that cats are natural predators to something that wants to ruin their farm produces (grains), they keep them close. From being a predator of rats, it slowly gained the trust of man who kept them as a pet. In today's world, cats are owned by different households.

Another perspective is from the history embedded in Egyptian culture. In ancient times, cats were highly adored and worshiped as gods or messengers of gods. It was so valuable that people had statues of cats in their house. It was a crime if you hurt a cat then. And if a cat is dead, the owner has to shave his or her eyebrows to mourn the fallen cat. This love from Egyptian culture is also another perspective on how cats found their way into the household of many.

Then, permit me to tell a perspective from my country Nigeria even if it's hilarious and controversial. Cats are believed to be associated with witchcraft. If a typical Nigerian sees a cat especially at night, they will start praying and spraying olive oil because witchcraft has arrived to spy or destroy them. My country doesn't have a good start with cats. Personally, I'm not a cat person. So, what do you think about cats?

I invite @bossj23, @kidi40 and @fortwis09 to this contest.