What Can Cat Deities Teach Us About Modern Day Feminism?
Updated: Feb 23
The popular culture trope of "an old cat lady" became a common manner to convey negative attitudes towards childless, manless women who spent their days accompanied by several cats. What comes to mind is a spinster, an undesirable character who passes her days in misery and a cautionary tale to young women who do not entertain societal expectations.
However, one can argue that this trope teaches us a lot about how women are ostracised for independence and individuality. Cultural depictions often compare cats with dogs, highlighting how "man's best friend" is more friendly and obedient to their owner. In a study, 40% stated that they prefer dogs, contrasted with only 19% that claimed to be cat people. Cats are believed to be less affectionate, more elusive and often depicted as less likely to form a bond with their human carer, even when research has proven otherwise. Cats are commonly disliked. So are women who don't fot societal expectations.
Attitudes towards cats often reflect misogyny as cats are linked with strictly feminine features and behaviours. The parallel between woman and cat is deeply embedded in human history.
Dating back to Egypt, Bastet was a goddess that presented herself in a half-cat, half-human form. She was a highly respected deity as she represented fertility, domesticity and childbirth. She acted as protection from evil spirits and played a crucial role in leading Egyptians to the afterlife. Other mythologies featured goddesses such as Artemis (Greek), Diana (Roman) and Freyja (Norse). What did those cat goddesses have in common? Their femininity.
The Middle Ages and witchcraft trials brought a dangerous development for women's furry friends. In 1233, Pope Gregory ordered the extermination black cats and their female owners over witchcraft accusations. The establishment of Christianity in Europe resulted in the mass extermination of pagans and demonisation of pagan deities. The Pope's decision stemmed from the strong association of cats with magic. Cats that are associated with independence and rebellion represented alternative ways of thinking and threatened the control imposed by the Christian hierarchical order. The author of 'The Cat and the Human Imagination,' Katherine M Rogers, highlights how cats represent what some fear in a woman: lack of obedience and resistance to control.
In Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales,' the Wife of Bath was called a cat as an insult, suggesting her promiscuity as she would "show her skin and go yowling like a cat in heat." This highly sexualised depiction foreshadows the use of terms like "kitten" or "purr" in a perverted manner. In short, women tend to be either oversexualised or undesirable.
Ailurophiles might be pleased to hear that feminists reclaim and proudly use the cat label. There is a shift in the use of the term of "cat lady" as a form of empowerment rather than a harmful stereotype. It recognises how modern women choose to unapologetically exist outside of the imposed societal norms. It acts as an ironic act of historical correction, paralleling the power that ancient deities like Bastet held and highlighting how female independence, once punished, was considered divine in another era.