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Cats were probably first seen in Nubia around 3000 B.C. In Egypt, a cat's first name would be Myeo or Mau. Cats were soon considered guardians of the temples and were worshipped as a goddess. Ancient Egyptians believed that the cats were daughters of Isis and the Goddess of the Moon and the Sun. They believed that the glow from the cats' eyes contained light from the Sun. Cats also kept mice and rats from getting into the Egyptian grain store houses. Ancient Egyptians made wooden figures, crafted furniture and jewelry in shapes of cats. When a cat died, ancient Egyptians would mummify them and place saucers of milk, along with rats and mice that were also mummified and place them in the cat's tomb. If someone killed a cat in Ancient Egypt, they just might be punished by death. There were cat cemeteries along the Nile River. Some people have found mummified cats in ancient Egyptians' tombs.
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