The Wild Hunt News<p>New research reveals domestic cats were first tamed in ancient Egypt for religious rituals honoring the goddess Bastet, challenging earlier beliefs that domestication began for pest control in early farming communities.</p><p><a href="https://wildhunt.org/2025/05/researchers-say-religion-not-rodents-helped-turn-wildcats-into-house-cats.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">wildhunt.org/2025/05/researche</span><span class="invisible">rs-say-religion-not-rodents-helped-turn-wildcats-into-house-cats.html</span></a></p><p><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/bast" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>bast</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/archaeology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>archaeology</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/biorxiv" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>biorxiv</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/cats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>cats</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ancientegypt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ancientegypt</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/bastet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>bastet</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/wildcats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>wildcats</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/pagan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>pagan</span></a></p>