The Cat Symbols and Magical Powers
The Cat Tattoo Meaning.
The cat it’s the magical animal par excellence, it has always been surrounded by an aura of mystery.
Adored as a goddess in ancient Egypt, than became a symbol of diabolical evil for Christianity, it was rehabilitated by the Enlightenment.
The cat is however an animal with mysterious characteristics and those who live with one of them or decide to get a tattoo can experience very special experiences.
Sacred Animal
No culture celebrated the cat like the Egyptians.
Great temples were erected in his honour because it was considered a sacred, magical animal, holder of occult powers and psychic abilities.
His eyes see in the dark and push away all kinds of negative energy. The ancient Egyptians called the cat “Myeu” and thought it was a bringer of good luck.
In Egypt cats were protected by special laws and those who violated them were sentenced to death.
When a cat died, the relatives shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning. The animal was mummified, adorned with jewels and the mummy was then protected by a cat-shaped sarcophagus.
The mummy was then transferred to the Necropolis of cats in the city of Bubasti where rituals dedicated to the goddess Bastet were then performed.
Cat Mummies – Cat Tattoo Meaning
Cat Tattoo Meaning
Bastet Egyptian Goddess
Cat Tattoo Meaning
The Cat and Femininity
The Cat is very attached to femininity and to the feminine condition in society: the more the woman was marginalized and criticized, the more the cat suffered the same fate.
The nature of the cat recalls feminine qualities such as the defense of the home and of the offspring, understanding and tolerance.
Over the centuries the female condition of subjection to man relegated her to secondary roles and had the same effect on the cat. It is the dog, in fact, the animal preferred by the males to which they can impose their will obtaining in return absolute submission.
Women, on the other hand, manage to accept the independent personality of cats without expecting anything in return. It is no coincidence, in fact, that with the advent of Christianity in the West, the woman-healer was considered a Witch and her companion the Cat, the personification of the devil.
Symbol of Armony and Discretion
Being linked to the female it is also linked to the figure of the Moon, of fertility and to children.
As a nocturnal creature it represents the unconscious, the inexplicable fears, the denied situations, the magic and the otherworldly dimension. As an animal totem he inspires and protects the person who takes care of him.
Elegant and supple it appears as the manifestation of refined beauty. Their eyes that see in darkness make us perceive mysterious worlds and connect us to a higher dimension from which we receive particular influences.
It is enough to observe how a cat is able to stare at us and we will have the feeling that he can read our innermost secrets.
The characteristics of protection and defence typical of the cat refer to the symbolism of the feline energy represented by two goddesses of ancient Egypt: Bastet the protector and Sekhmet the predator.
Courage, resistance, strength, speed of action, strategy and independence: all qualities that do not need to be explained.
Cat and Moon Tattoo by Elena Mignani
Cat Tattoo Meaning
Siamese Cat Tattoo by Karlos Lloyd
Cat Tattoo Meaning
Different Color for a Different Meaning
The colour of the cat symbolizes very specific characteristics. A black cat represents the occult, magic, mystery and unpredictable sensitivity.
A white cat represents naivety, innocence, purity, tranquillity and discipline.
The red cat is active, curious, possessive and rowdy; this colour is associated with pleasure, the desire to live and experiment, a desire to have new experiences.
The tabby cat is linked to intelligence and the gift of mimicry, while cats with the mantle of three colours (white, black and orange) are absolute lucky charms and tradition attributes them the ability to protect us from dangers.
The light beige cats, like the Siamese, indicate dynamism and practicality, the ability to react quickly to stress.
Gray cats express wisdom, calmness and self-control, reflection and pleasure in solitude.
The Cat and Its Many Lives
The lives of cats, nine or seven depending on the culture, offer us the opportunity to also give numerological meaning.
The 9 represents the conclusion of a cycle through which the level rises and an improvement is achieved, a rebirth and an evolution. It corresponds to artistic genius, spiritual wisdom, compassion and understanding.
7 is a symbol of introspection and wisdom, mental analysis and constructive introspection. Also in numerology the meaning is directly related to the symbolic characteristics of the cat.
Sphynx Cat Tattoo Print available in our shop
Cat Tattoo Meaning
Deities related to felines
The Cat is related to female characteristics, is represented in the figure of a goddess in all so-called pagan religions.
Bastet, the main Egyptian goddess of cats symbolizes femininity, sensitivity and magic. It protects the home, children, love, fertility, family and home.
Diana, Roman goddess associated with the Moon, femininity and magic. It protects pregnancy and maintains a privileged relationship with nature, the woods, animals and plants.
Durga, an Indian goddess with a warrior appearance, is depicted riding a tiger. Helps defeat negative energies and emphasize female prerogatives.
Freya, Norse goddess of love and beauty. Cats and lynxes are sacred to her. It symbolizes love, passion and divinatory ability.
Mafdet, an Egyptian goddess with the body of a woman and a feline head, ensures healing and protection.
Sekhmet, Egyptian goddess with the body of a woman and feline head, is known as “Powerful One”. It stimulates courage and drives away negative influences.
Shasti, Indian goddess of pregnancy and motherhood is also symbolized by a cat.
“The cat is such a perfect symbol of beauty and superiority that it seems scarcely possible for any true aesthete and civilised cynic to do other than worship it.”
― Cats and Dogs
