Cats and humans have shared in each other's lives for thousands of years and, even though they have not always been regarded as highly as in the present, have played an important role in a number of cultures. Always enigmatic, the cat has sometimes been mistrusted by various civilizations but always managed to prove their worth.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/466/cats-in-the-ancient-world/.