Toward the end of the 15th century Pope Innocent VIII issued a decree that put the Vatican’s official stamp, yet again, on cat hatred, declaring it to be an unholy creature. It was the pure-black cat that was the focus of the campaign. God has blessed me with so many editing clients right now that I have no choice but to limit my articles to one a week to be published every Wednesday. The cat is held high, like an emblem or ensign that is clearly meant to advertise the fact that this figure is in league with the Devil. Perhaps he had a bad experience with them at an earlier time in his life. Once she was tamed by Ra, she began to protect humans too. In years when the city had been prosperous, only a few cats were thrown; in bad years the number was increased, presumably because it was thought the Devil had been at work and his feline familiars must be dealt with more firmly as a punishment. Won 2, lost 1. And, if I’m so smart, how come I’m not rich, employed, thin, young, and handsome? It took the form of a kind of moral panic, with the victims being portrayed as arch-enemies of the Christian Church. Just as all cats are gray in the dark, so all cats are black in the sack. Could not sit in one position too long. They were executed in large numbers. We deliver big-picture science by reporting on a single monthly topic from multiple perspectives. He has imposed some severe rules on lay persons teaching in Catholic schools. As one writer put it, if the murdered cats had ghosts they would have enjoyed a vindictive satisfaction in watching the mass suffering of the human population. This declaration led to the mass murder of cats which led to a drastic rise in the rat population. This declaration led to the mass murder of cats which led to a drastic rise in the rat population. Each purchase only earns me a little, but over time, it does add up. As a result, the population of household cats began to decline rapidly. These poor mummified cats were stripped of the wrappings that made them mummies, and then they were shipped off to farmers in the United States and England. Take another look at the collective nouns for cats. Very few, if any, cats were around for 400 years. During the Spanish Inquisition, he declared cats to be evil. Worse than that, some witch-finders insisted that anyone owning a cat must automatically be a witch. They were despised by superstitious villagers, who feared being cursed by them. A wild orgy would follow. These protective felines were seriously mourned when they lost all nine of their lives. a litter of cats – Since a litter is the offspring of an animal, I think this collective noun should be used to describe a group of kittens. If not, well, cats have been known to survive drops of 65 or more feet. I wonder if he ever regretted proclaiming the cat to be evil. First a new initiate and then the master of the sect would kiss the cat on its rump. Much of it was focused on witchcraft. Or have you seen the damage they can inflict in a room when trying to catch a moth or some other bug? Good people were burned at the stake. As many black cats as could be found were rounded up, put into sacks or large baskets hundreds at a time, and burned alive on bonfires. The Minie Ball Pregnancy. A small patch of white fur was called an angel’s mark, and it is interesting that even today most black cats carry such a marking. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This would be an appropriate way to describe your cats if you think of them as clutter. I opted for lighter material. Perhaps the wailing of satanic cats reminded the artist of the sound of the pipes. Were these cats’ remains placed in a museum? Pope Innocent VIII demanded that, whenever a witch was burned, her pet cat was to be burned with her. I would not have wanted to have been that cat, nor would I have wanted to be that lion. Writing Prompts As early as 1180 the warning bells were sounding. Our patients can challenge our…. In the city of Ypres in Belgium, for example, it became a popular custom to throw live cats from the top of the belfry tower of the Cloth Hall once a year. He demanded that, whenever a witch was burned, her pet cat (if she had one) was to be burned with her. She was said to be drawn through the heavens by a pair of magnificent cats. Best start ever! There was just a story out that rats were not responsible for the plague. Ergo, I was searching the internet for situations where the Catholic Church did something wrong which resulted in pain and suffering to many. The pope must not have ever heard this legend. Proof again that even the Catholic Church can err. There are affiliate links in most of my articles and on my home page. In some places, cruelty to cats became an accepted social event without any special religious link. Mount Tambora in Indonesia…, Goderuna / ShutterstockDementia is typically thought of and treated as an individual sickness. They were very loving until they were angered, when they became terrifyingly ferocious. Without cats, the rat population flourished. It took 100 years for the effect of the slaughter of the cats to be felt. Get Nautilus Editor's Picks and new articles right to your inbox! The number represented 50-60 percent of the world’s population at the time. Black eye blacker. Earlier, I shared how an Egyptian family would mourn the death of one of their cats, mummify it, and then bury it. ©2020 Powered by Wordpress. My husband used to call me a crazy cat lady. Off and on. The earliest descriptions of this cat-throwing have been found in the city chronicles for the years 1410–20, but it may have been taking place even earlier. © 2020 NautilusThink Inc, All rights reserved. Matter, Biology, Numbers, Ideas, Culture, Connected. So from this situation, come up with one or more storylines for tales of horror. Pope Innocent VIII did not believe that cats were such innocent, helpful, and loving creatures. Your email address will not be published. Thousands of them were said to have been released on the front lines of the battle. The choice fell on Cibò himself who, in honour of his countryman, Innocent IV, assumed the name of Innocent VIII. Also in the mix were marmots and ground squirrels. Bastet was a good goddess, but she did have an evil counterpart, Sekhmet, who was known as the goddess of war and pestilence. When the beloved family cat passed on, the entire family would go into mourning. Were they taken somewhere to be studied? Magazine Premium created by c.bavota. Actually, I see a lot more than one. During the Middle Ages, cats were associated with witches and witchcraft. His company is doing some runway work at the airport which can only be done night time. Matter, Biology, Numbers, Ideas, Culture, Memories Can Be Injected and Survive Amputation and Metamorphosis, The Psychic Toll of Severing the Hunter-Prey Relationship, Why Dementia Is a Population-Level Problem, When Cancer Treatment Re-traumatizes Survivors of Sexual Trauma, SELECT NEWSLETTERS AND SUBMIT CONTACT DETAILS…. Write a story about him and his dislike of cats. That was it for cats. The rise in the number of rats running rampant only led to the Black Death hitting harder. The cats that are thrown now are toy ones, to be caught by children standing below. They would show their sorrow by shaving off their eyebrows. As a result, all cats were at risk on such occasions. As cats became more domesticated, Bastet morphed into the goddess of family, fertility, and love. In the following century Pope Gregory IX added his voice to the campaign against the evil cat. This cult had taken a hold in Germany, and it was news from there that had alarmed the pontiff in Rome. Cats are the #1 rat predators. Why did Pope Innocent VIII dislike cats so much? Their cats protected them from the dangerous creatures—snakes, scorpions, rats—that often lurked in and around their homes. a dout of cats – Dout is a transitive verb that means to extinguish or put out. After that the custom died out, and the idea was not revived until the 20th century, when it became a great cat parade and carnival with no cruelty involved. Three more thereafter. Enough. His condemnation of cats may not be responsible for the spread of black death, but it’s definitely connected to the decline in cat populations at the time, and the proliferation of rat populations. All because a Pope assumed cats were evil. POPE INNOCENT VIII, CATS, AND BUBONIC PLAGUE, COUNTDOWN…..12 DAYS TO SUPER BOWL ELECTION. He had been told that members of the sects that made up this satanic cult would gather for a ceremonial meal and, when the meal had ended, they would rise and a statue of a black cat would come to life, walking backward with its tail erect. Actually, it couldn’t have been any more severe. Because of a Hebrew legend. Going to take a few more days. They were executed in large numbers. I find what Pope Innocent VIII believed about cats to be funny. Cat playing the bagpipes, from a Book of Hours, Paris, c. 1640. Give him a niece who adores cats and begs him not to declare them to be evil. Your email address will not be published. During the Middle Ages, they became associated with witches, and some were even burned. We are both wrong. You could also have a character determined to kill a cat that keeps coming around his house searching for food. They were the Devil’s representatives on earth. He was born in 1432. How did Innocent VIII declare this in 1232 when he was pope in 1432? His success in the conclave, as well as his promotion to the cardinalate, was largely due to Giuliano della Rovere. Bastet, the Cat Goddess of Egypt, from Goddess Knowledge Cards, artwork by Susan Boulet. This shows just how important this furry little animal had become. Perhaps a typo. Cats of other colors were spared, and if a black cat had even the smallest patch of white hair somewhere on its body, it too was safe. This week a bit of humor. Collective Nouns – Below are many collective nouns that can be used to describe a group of cats. I put together this week’s KONK Life column yesterday. Required fields are marked *. Unlike something like measles, dementia is non-transferrable,…, Shutterstock An optical illusion mesmerizes us with its ability to look entirely different depending on our perspective. Norm had some minor surgery earlier in the week. But the pope wasn’t the only one guilty of condemning these beautiful animals. David only was available for two  games. Felines became more a part of the family and participated in many things with the family members, even hunting trips. Witchcraft was in vogue from the 1200s through the 1600s. If we look at a painting or a photograph of a gorgeous view, its beauty feels…, Jialiang Gao / Wikimedia Commons The so-called “year without a summer,” 1816, was bleak, if not strangely gothic. If the cat survived such a drop, the one who dropped the cat had best watch out. Thank you to everyone who visits my site and reads my articles. I wonder if he ever made the connection. If you purchase items through any of them, you have my gratitude. Brown. Read about the Nautilus stories and blogs we've been thinking about over the past week. I’m really not sure of the effect that ground up cat remains would have on the growth of flowers or vegetables, but their remains were used as fertilizer by these farmers. Softly and Tenderly by Lisa Binion, Part 1, The Longest Day in the World by Stephen Helmes, Lepidopterophobia and a Kaleidoscope of Butterflies. A common scene found in tomb paintings shows a cat seated beneath a woman’s chair. The enemy panicked and fled when all of these cats rushed at them. He demanded that, whenever a witch was burned, her pet cat (if she had one) was to be burned with her. From the 12th century onward there were two distinct attitudes to cats. He was intent on stamping out a sect of Devil-worshippers in Germany who involved black cats in their rituals. No. Because of this, people would stuff cats into bags, and then burn the bags. a dowt of cats – Dowt is a Scottish word that means “cigarette butt.” I have no clue why this word is a collective noun for cats. Pope Innocent VIII did not believe that cats were such innocent, helpful, and loving creatures.

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