Why did cats first live near humans?

To hunt rodents in grain stores

The Cat History Quiz – Facts Worth Knowing

A cat was buried beside a person in Cyprus about 9,500 years ago, and the cat history quiz follows cats from early farming villages to the age of the internet. Visit Egypt's temples of Bastet, Viking ships, medieval Europe's witch hunts and the ship's cats that sailed the world.

Start the Cat History Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Cyprus
Where was a 9,500-year-old cat burial found?
Farming
Why did cats first live near humans?
Bastet
Which Egyptian goddess was depicted as a cat?
Mummies
What did archaeologists find in Egypt in huge numbers?
Vikings
How did cats spread across Europe and beyond?
Witches
In medieval Europe, black cats were often linked to what?
Japan
Which Japanese figure is a beckoning cat?
Ship
Which ship's cat survived the sinking of three ships in World War II?
Show
Where was the first major cat show held in 1871?
Space
Which cat went to space in 1963?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where was a 9,500-year-old cat burial found?
Answer: Cyprus
It suggests early bonds with people.
Q2: Why did cats first live near humans?
Answer: To hunt rodents in grain stores
Farming attracted mice.
Q3: Which Egyptian goddess was depicted as a cat?
Answer: Bastet
Her city was Bubastis.
Q4: What did archaeologists find in Egypt in huge numbers?
Answer: Cat mummies
Many were offerings.
Q5: How did cats spread across Europe and beyond?
Answer: On trade and Viking ships
They kept rats away from cargo.
Q6: In medieval Europe, black cats were often linked to what?
Answer: Witchcraft
Many were persecuted.
Q7: Which Japanese figure is a beckoning cat?
Answer: Maneki-neko
It brings good luck to shops.
Q8: Which ship's cat survived the sinking of three ships in World War II?
Answer: Unsinkable Sam
He served on the Bismarck.
Q9: Where was the first major cat show held in 1871?
Answer: Crystal Palace, London
Harrison Weir organized it.
Q10: Which cat went to space in 1963?
Answer: Félicette
She was a French stray.

The Cat History Quiz – Ten Thousand Years of Cats

Cats began living alongside people when farming started in the Fertile Crescent, attracted by mice in grain stores. A cat buried with a person in Cyprus about 9,500 years ago shows how early this partnership began.

Ancient Egyptians adored cats, worshipping the cat goddess Bastet and mummifying cats in vast numbers. Cats spread across the world on trade ships and Viking voyages, protecting cargo from rats. In medieval Europe, however, black cats were linked to witchcraft.

In the 1800s, cat shows like the 1871 event at Crystal Palace made cats fashionable pets. Cats have sailed as ship's mascots, gone to space with Félicette in 1963 and, today, star in countless internet videos.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans and cat lovers will enjoy these questions.

When cats joined people
How Egyptians honored cats
How cats spread
Why black cats were feared
Which cats made history

Did You Know?

Japan has a cat island called Aoshima.
Cats guarded Buddhist scrolls.
Hemingway's cats had extra toes.
The British Treasury had an official cat.
Cats served in World War I trenches.