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Remembering Argo and Ulysseus:

Deep Bonds Between Cats and People

On May 13, Ulysseus (left), our affable, energetic chocolate brown Burmese cat of 17 years died of kidney failure. A few days later, his brother Argo (right) was diagnosed with an aggressive tumor and passed on precisely one month to the day of his brother. Since being rescued from a fire at the home of a breeder when they were just six weeks old, both felines have provided nearly two decades of love and companionship to the Fragments of Time family and will be greatly missed.

The bonds between humans and pets run deep and long. The Egyptians held the cat in such high esteem that they were considered sacred animals and were even mummified. Many deities take the form of a cat – notably Sekmet and Bastet. As depicted in this catalogue on a faience Egyptian amulet (#15), Bastet is often depicted as a lion-headed goddess and a twin of Sekmet. Interestingly, closer to the Roman period Bastet takes on a kinder, gentler, more domesticated personality. She is often referred to as “the little cat” while Sekmet is considered “the great cat.”

The cat was probably not introduced into the Roman household until around the time of Augustus. The reason was that being a sacred animal in Egypt its export from that country, according to Pliny, was forbidden. Once Egypt fell under Roman rule, cats as pets began their spread through Western Europe.

Depictions of cats – both domesticated and wild – are known throughout the Roman world. Examples include an adorable provincial bronze example (#52) and a pair of bronze handles in the form of lion heads (#45, Catalogue XXVI). From Pompeii there is a lively example in mosaic of a cat seizing a bird, and in Morocco, a later Roman mosaic shows a cat named Vincentius grabbing a mouse named Luxurius. This is the only named cat known from ancient Rome.

In the superb book, The Domesticated Cat in Roman Civilization (1999, The Edwin Mellen Press), authored by our friend Malcom Donalson, we read that “like their modern counterparts, cats in antiquity seem to have played games, worn collars and bells, and have been treated to delicacies by obliging children”

Clearly, the emotional bond we form with pets, especially cats and dogs, is a trait shared directly with our ancient ancestors. It may also explain why some antiquities collectors are fascinated by ancient animal depictions. The Late Dr. Leo Mildenberg, who devoted much of his adult life to collecting animals in ancient art, said after an exhibition of his collection that he felt “deep satisfaction that the animals gave so much joy to people.” Despite our losses, we share his sentiment and appreciate the great joy our cats brought to us so faithfully for so long.