of Medieval Cats
Published in The Cat Magazine by Cat’s Protection
Author: Millie Throp
When we consider the shining depictions of cats during other ancient epochs, it’s hard to believe felines were bound for such misconception in the Middle Ages. Trailing behind deities like Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess revered for her protection, it seems the same puss once pampered and prayed to would fall off its pedestal in medieval Europe. Not to mention the strange portrayals cats were given in much of the period’s artwork…
Puss & The Pope
Whilst a gradual process, we can pinpoint the rise of Catholicism in the Roman Empire as an era where feline fate began to upturn. After Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity around 300 AD, encouraging others to follow, the Catholic Church began erasing prior religions from society by demonising the divinities they worshipped.
Unfortunately for cats, their ties to the feminine divine through the beliefs of the Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians served as a first point of scrutiny, since many Christians interpreted the biblical Eve as an instigator of temptation and sin.
At the crux of this anti-cat campaigning, in 1232, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal decree titled Vox in Rama. Referenced as a key source in feline-damning conspiracies to this day, his declaration warned the public of satanic rituals ongoing in Germany, famously noting black cats as accessories to these so-say evil gatherings.
Unknowingly, the pontiff had stirred a superstition that would carry through to modern times. But where a black cat crossing your path might now be deemed unlucky, citizens of medieval Europe were so impacted by his scaremongery that they began banishing cats from their land.
Researchers even wonder whether the period’s lack of pest control caused The Plague to spread faster after it broke out in 1346. The irony? Of course, if cats had been kept around, perhaps The Black Death could have been stopped entirely. Talk about a faux paw…
Demon felines
Despite the snoozy purrers we now know and love, the view of felines in medieval art and literature presented a different archetype. Shown above (right) is one eerie illustration found in the margins of The Maastricht Hours, created in the Netherlands in the early 14th century. In the manuscript, religious prayers were penned amongst intricate drawings of medieval life. Here, a cat is constructed with a ghoulish complexion, skeletal features, and devil-like ears, symptomatic of the belief that cats were demonic.
The picture also perfectly visualises a quote translated by English diplomat, William Caxton, in 1484. In Le Vivre Royal, a catalogue of Catholic values, he surmised, “the devyl playeth ofte with the synnar, lyke as the catte doth with the mous”. Plainly, he compared cats’ rodent catching efforts to the devil catching souls. They really couldn’t win.
Whilst harsh, these kinds of representations were entirely convincing, especially considering alternative faiths were momentarily non-existent. Hence, within the walls of this echo chamber, questionable impressions of cats were plenty. Witness the spiky stance and gargoyle-ish face of a menacing feline (right) inside Das Buch der Nature (1474), and you’ll see the moral panic was really no joke.
Occult cats
250 years after Pope Gregory IX’s initial papal bull, which proposed cats as familiars to witches, in 1484, the new church leader Pope Innocent VIII released his own declaration on the subject. Expressing the necessary prosecutions for anyone performing such sorcery, cats received another mention, supposing “the cat is the devil’s favourite animal and idol of all witches”. For the fate of the feline, it’s safe to say that nothing had changed.
Once again, cats were shown disguising as nuns (left) or amongst celestial symbols (right), portraying their apparent meddling with evil, black magic. The stigma was so instilled that even in medieval bestiaries, published as encyclopedias of animal species, cats were spoken of with cynicism. However, it’s important to note the Catholic belief that animals were put on earth to serve humanity, with respective roles destined by God.
In the Liber de Natura Rerum, released in the 13th century by Thomas of Cantimpré, the domestic cat is accused of possessing “carbuncle eyes” and the ability to fight with venomous snakes. He also later infers that cats express joy by “singing” (or purring), but are a vain species who would rather burn their fur on the fire than move from their spot. Now, admittedly, there’s some truth in that last point.
Yet whilst the domestic cat was persecuted, bestiaries offered opposing opinions on its relatives. For instance, lions were said to only kill out of hunger, whilst tigers were thought of as righteous and agile. Especially as the word ‘tiger’ derives from the Persian word ‘tigris’, meaning ‘arrow’.
Drollery kitties
It’s clear to see just how hypocritical the beliefs were in the Middle Ages, especially where cats were concerned. But just as we can laugh at these fallacies today, not everyone was without a sense of humour then either.
Whilst cats were too often portrayed poorly, causing all kinds of freakish furries to appear in medieval artwork, some archived scrolls present a more jovial perspective. If we look at the period’s ‘illuminated manuscripts’, characterised with cartoonish marginalia, or ‘drolleries’, animals instead were sketched with playful forms, or in comical scenarios.
In one example from Germany’s Scheibler Armorial (1450), a cat is depicted with an exaggerated crown, beady eyes, and a mocking, sideward tongue. Again, it may not be an accurate depiction of our feline companion, but it’s a far cry from the denouncing doodles lauded earlier in the period.
As ever, not all illuminated manuscripts were in favour of cats, like the Flemish Book of Hours (1500), which cornered a menacing feline amongst an Evangelist portrait of St Mark. But, as they say, you can’t win them all. Especially if you’re a cat in the Middle Ages.
Moving forward
As times progressed, the Catholic doctrine began to weaken, aided by the efforts of seditionists like William Baldwin. Publishing his satirical book, Beware the Cat, in 1553, at the start of the Early Modern period, he reflectively poked fun at the tropes and tenets of the preceding generation. Nearly banned from release, the controversial tale was an amalgamation of talking cats and critiques of the Catholic Church, finally regaining the stature of our better known kitty.
All is forgiven
Looking back, it’s clear (for better or worse) that animals were central to medieval lore. Seemingly, the Church just hadn’t accepted that cats aren’t the kind to serve over humans. In fact, since they’ve found their way back to our homes, we can’t help but serve them.
Today, our loveable loafs are less required for pest control and are better relied on to remind us its dinner time. But it only takes a passing black cat to remind us of the suspicions medieval society once stirred for catkind. Maybe, through their peculiar portraits and alarmist announcements, the Catholic church was just trying to convince itself cats were actually as bad as they said.
With how quickly cats have clawed back their territory, it’s easy to see why they put their best efforts into spoiling the face of Europe’s now favourite household pet. I’d even go as far as suspecting some churchgoers secretly liked cats all along.
Well, we might be biased, but it’s certainly possible.