BURLINGTON, VERMONT - Up to 2,000 years before the human called Jesus Christ walked the Earth, Cats were held as sacred religious figures by humans in Egypt. Today, a cat calling herself Bastet is pushing for the religious status to be reinstated.
“Our people have been oppressed for too long,” she says. “Unrespected yet sacred felines are being killed maliciously or accidentally every day, without any penalty.” Bastet, who is named after the ancient Egyptian goddest Bast, says that in ancient writings, it was said that any human killing a sacred animal is to be put to death. Obviously, she feels, the treatment and well-being of cats everywhere should be held to a higher standard.
Aside from ensuring the safety and well-being of the feline, Bastet feels that there could be other benefits from re-introducing a protected religious status to felines. For instance, certain expenses might be considered tax-deductible for the care and worship of cats. Cats might once again return to the status of the protector of the home, as they did in the past when they were regarded as sacred by Egyptians. Back then, cats took care of their humans by protecting them from small predators. Nowadays, this symbiotic relationship does not exist and Bastet feels that it is due to the loss of the religious status.
Since the human government will not allow a feline to apply for status as a religion, Bastet says that humans will have to do this for us cats. Once this happens, we can expect greater changes and more formalized benefits, such as no-kill shelters, and changes in the law to better protect the felines’ interests. Cats with humans for pets might find themselves allowed to sit on counters and the table, an actual can of tuna every time the can opener makes a sound, and perhaps less of those annoying tiny humans pulling on tails.
Being a religious figure comes with a great deal of responsibility, but cats haven’t lost their touch in that regard. Instincts prevail and the cat who is allowed to be the protector of a home will do so. It just might take a lot of worship and convincing for some cats to get back to business. Humans who are preparing for the legalization of a cat religion may want to start by playing with their cats more, and bringing home live prey for the cat to chase and catch. A cat who is in shape and has lots of practice will do better at his job.
Would there be a law requiring each human to be owned by a cat? Would that interfere with freedom of religion?
::is anxious to know::
For such a change, humans would have to submit entirely to cats, and that would definitely interfere with their freedom of religion. It also may not be physically safe for all humans since many are allergic to cats. I’m not entirely certain how far this would go if it occurs, but it probably isn’t even necessary for all cats/humans to exist in a symbiotic relationship. Being treated with the respect that a sacred animal deserves may be enough to satisfy the vision.