Shunra

A cat walks around the Jerusalem market of Beit Rishon. Image prepared by DALEE

The Cat Chapter 2 Early Appearances: The Missing Cat in Pre-Sage Jewish Sources

We will search in vain for the word "cat" in the Bible. Not so in the Tanakh and Talmudic literature, and certainly in the Midrashic literature.
The cat is associated with ancient Egyptian culture. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The Cat in Israel's Sources 1: Going Back in Time

From the prehistoric cat to the domestic cat – this is how the nocturnal creature became a constant companion of man, a sacred animal in Egypt, identified with demons and symbols in the Passover Haggadah, and mysterious even in the eyes of the Talmudic sages.