Cats Could Have Saved Europe

Who doesn't adore fluffy kittens when they roll over onto your feet, rubbing their feathery furs to show their love for you? Cats, for their cuteness and intelligence, are considered some of the most adorable pets in the world. However, in 12th century Europe, the continent's entire cat population was almost slaughtered to extinction due to a weird papal regulation. However, the Europeans also had to pay a heavy price for mercilessly killing millions of cats. Pope Gregory IX (1145-1241 CE) once decreed that black cats are the incarnation of Satan. Since black cats can be born of any cats, that decree was taken as the death warrant for all cats in Europe. Soldiers were deployed in the city streets to capture and exterminate cats to free the European cities from evil spirits. However, this killing spree did not bring fortune for the Europeans.

The sudden decline of cat population allowed the rats running freely all over the towns. The rat population boomed and it brought the bubonic plague, one of the most devastating diseases in human history that killed 100 million people all over the world. The epidemic, termed as the Black Death, first started in the Middle East and Asia Minor. Before hitting Europe, the epidemic also claimed thousands of lives in these parts of the world. This disease, the bubonic plague is actually spread by the fleas on rats. Consequently, due to the sudden fall of cat population, the epidemic soon hit Europe and lasted long enough to kill almost half its population. Upon realising the importance of cats, the remaining animals were spared- a decision that saved the Europeans from being obliterated completely.