International Cat Day 2022: Cats are always termed as classy and agile among all the other animals. They are loved by everyone and require the owners’ care and pampering all through the year.

Cats have a long timeline of companionship with mankind and the relationship dates back several centuries.

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In ancient Egyptian culture, cat  were considered as vessels that the Gods chose to inhabit, and whose likeness gods chose to adopt.

They were used for pest control by ancient Greeks and Romans and originally, wealthy and rich people owned them. Later, during the Middle Ages, cats were widely associated with superstitions, more commonly, in the Europe.

Every year August 8 is celebrated as International Cat Day-an occasion to remind people about how the adorable species contributes to the betterment of the planet.

The celebration was organized for the first time in 2002, by  in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), in conjunction with several other organizations.

Although it is very difficult to ascertain the actual population figures of cats around the world, according to estimates, it is believed that about 400 million cats are present in the world.

Most of us know almost everything about cats, but hang on do you know that cats have a  sharp significance in the field of art too?

In Ancient Egypt, cats were everywhere,  carved from stone, painted on dishes and walls of burial chambers, and molded out of clay. Even on the banks of the Nile, they were considered sacred, and those killing these animals faced the death penalty. The whiskered assistants of the supreme deity were mummified and buried in special cemeteries.

In ancient Roman and Greek paintings, cat images were mostly found on coins, amphora, beautiful mosaics, etc. However, they were not the “kings of animals”, but only allies in the fight against rodents.

During the era of Christian art, carts symbolized both laziness and lust, as well as deception and betrayal. In some medieval images, cats are even present in the scene of Eve’s fall from grace in the garden of Eden.

In modern day art, cats have found their space in Zentangle art form. Through the ink and line art form of art many artists have embraced cats as their muse and giving these little fluffy, adorable space  in the living rooms of art lovers.

Bhumika Goel a Delhi-based artist has depicted cats beautifully through her art form.