The first domestic cat is believed to be Cypriot and was discovered in a 9,500-year-old tomb. Now we have cats everywhere – on the beach and on the top of the mountain!
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The cats in Cyprus are friendly and they will always try to get you to pet them.
At some point, a few yeas ago, the island had about 1,5 milion cats, wich is about one cat/person!
The cats that live free on the island today are descended from cats brought here in 328 AD at the request of St. Helena of Constantinople, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (both are celebrated by Christians on May 21).
She decided to send hundreds of cats from Egypt or Palestine to the Saint Nicholas Monastery in the Akrotiri area – near the city of Limassol – to reduce the number of poisonous snakes in the area.
The legend says that at the monastery there would have been a bell to call the cats to the table and another to chase them out into the fields.
The island was left with the cats and the venomous snakes don’t seem to be many around now.
If you see them with their ears cut off, don’t panic. It is a sign that she/he has already been sterilized!
Take your pick
I don’t know how importet cats were back then, but today’s cats are of all colors and very friendly. Now they no longer guard monasteries of snakes but chase tourists to beg them for food.
So if you get to the island and you like cats, it wouldn’t hurt to have some cat food with you.
The history of Cyprus with cats, however, is much older than the 4th century AD. The first association of cats with humans is linked to Cyprus, where a 9,500-year-old grave was found that included human bones and those of a feline.
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