*NOTE: Cats were extremely important in ancient Egypt, playing vital roles as household protectors from vermin and venomous snakes, guardians of the fields by killing rodents and birds that damaged crops, as sacred companions associated with deities Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, and esteemed figures with burial rituals. Killing a cat, even accidentally, was a grave crime punishable by death, and the animals were often mummified and buried with their owners to accompany them into the afterlife.
