It was the natural pursuit of discovery that really paved the way for the domestic cat�s eventual 5,000- year journey from Egypt to every part of the globe. This journey, however, was nearly cut short.

Ignorance led to the persecution of cats and by the end of the fourteenth century the house cat had almost disappeared. The cat�s instinct for survival, however, prevailed and, despite persecution, it was in the same century that cats played a significant role in saving the lives of those who had wronged them. When the �Black Death� struck Europe and nearly half the human population died, it was the cats� keen hunting abilities that helped bring an end to the disease.

In former times, black cats were often regarded as witches in disguise.