Cats, people and the black plague: those who kept the cats survived

In the long history of human-animal relationships, some episodes stand out in which one species has contributed significantly to the survival of another. Cats are rarely given credit for such an achievement, more often dogs or horses, and then usually in wartime, but the Black Death of Europe is one of those times.

By way of background, the ancient Romans, in their conquest of Egypt, had brought cats to Europe. Later, cats suffered a period of disapproval during the superstitious Middle Ages, because they had been associated with witches and the devil; Some people believed that black cats were witches in disguise or that they helped witches perform their craft. Those who kept cats as pets were the subject of much suspicion, and widespread cat hunting led to near extinction.

When rats from Asia brought the bubonic plague to Europe via commercial ships in the mid-1300s, the epidemic (also known as the Black Death, the Great Plague, the Black Death, and the Great Mortality) spread throughout the continent and caused devastating loss of human life. In all, a third of Europe’s population died, some 34 million people. In England alone, more than half the human population perished; in some parts of France, ninety percent.

It took authorities some time to discover the cause of the problem. At one point, they tested the theory that the disease was being transmitted by cats and dogs; therefore, the Mayor of London ordered the execution of all those pets. However, despite the extermination of millions of companion animals, the plague did not abate but rather accelerated, for, of course, the elimination of all cats was soon followed by an explosion in the rat population.

Over time, it became clear that people who had had cats, in violation of the law, fared better; because cats, according to their nature, killed the rats that carried the fleas that actually carried the plague. People slowly began to deduce the connection between flea disease and rats. When the truth finally came out, the cats were quickly elevated to hero status and were soon protected by law.

The Great Plague ended when fleas began to die, as part of their natural life cycle, in the cold of fall and winter. Later plagues would visit Europe for successive generations, and other continents suffered similar outbreaks; It wouldn’t be until the 19th century that scientists really began to understand the epidemiology of the plague. Increasing sanitary conditions over time helped reduce its incidence, and with the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century, the threat of the plague was greatly reduced.

Would it be an exaggeration to say that by controlling the rodent population, cats saved humans from extinction? At least European humans? At the very least, cats deserve credit for heroically saving the species that ignorantly nearly wiped them out.

(C) Lisa J. Lehr 2006