Cats Ancient Egypt By Oscar F 3025 BCE Nearly 5000 years ago cats likely became integral to Egyptian life for practical reasons 2500 BCE A 4500 year old tomb has revealed a surprising find numerous mummified cats and cat statues 2000 BCE Around 2000 BCE cats began to be associated with the sun god Ra 1000 BCE Starting around 1000 BCE Egyptians began attributing divine characteristics to cats 500 BCE By the 5th century BCE a massive cult of Bastet developed in Bubastis attracting the hundreds of thousands of devotees