By way of Greece and Rome, where it was the symbol of freedom, the cat reached Central Europe, and here it was considered as a gift of great rarity. At that time, if ever a court surrendered to an enemy, then the cat would be listed - by name - along with the other entries in the inventory. However, it was its prodigious fertility, which from a breeding point of view was of course a great advantage, that very soon led to a decline in its value. Wherever corn was planted and stored after harvesting, and wherever a town was in danger of siege and starvation, the cat was highly prized as a rodent exterminator. In the Middle Ages a cat-worshipping Freyja cult still persisted. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull to put a stop to this. Cats fell into disfavour. During the Inquisition they even came to symbolise the devil and frequently met their end burned with witches and heretics at the stake. Hatred of cats became a cult. During the 150 years of the Inquisition, 30,000 witches and magicians and thousands of cats died in the flames. Even today popular superstition links the cat with all kinds of properties of fortune telling, sorcery and malevolence. Just think how many British people there are who belive a black cat will bring them luck, while in other countries people worry if a black cat crosses their path from the wrong side, and watch out for rain if they see the cat eating grass and other such nonsense!
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