Considine - Cat Zodiac: An Astrological Guide to the Feline Mystique

Copyright 2016 by Chronicle Books LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4521-4855-7 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Considine, Maeva.

Cat zodiac : an astrological guide to the feline mystique / by Maeva Considine ; illustrations by Vikki Chu.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-4521-4828-1 (hc)

1. Astrology and pets. 2. Horoscopes. 3. Cats--Miscellanea. I. Title.

BF1728.3.C66 2016

133.586368--dc23

2015024026

Written by Maeva Considine

Illustrated by Vikki Chu

Designed by Hillary Caudle

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.

TERRY PRATCHETT

I f youve picked up this book, chances are you own a cat or are close with someone who owns a cat; or maybe youve been thinking about getting a cat and you want to knowfor better or worseexactly what youre getting yourself into.

The good news is that you are not alone in your curiosity about the desires and intentions of our furry feline friends. A comprehensive understanding of cats has eluded us for the nearly 5,300 years of the domestication of the species. Cat Zodiac will show you how to interpret your cats actions, relationships, and desires based on his or her zodiac sign. If you dont know when your feline companion was born, this book will also help you determine what sign your cat was likely born under, with the help of a personality chart found after this section, which highlights the strongest traits of each sign.

Whether youre a brand-new cat owner, have lived with a feline companion or two for years, or are just intrigued by the feline mystique, this book is here to aid you in demystifying cat personalities, using the stars as your guide.

While there has been some successful research into the physiology of cats, much of what we know about the emotions of our friends in fur has been left to assumption and speculation. What we do know is that the domesticated cat has a long and regal history of companionship with humans, dating back to the time of ancient Egypt. We also know that cats have been the focus of many cultures mythos, and that much of their charm is owed to the seductive elusiveness not found in other domesticated animals.

The closest relatives to the domesticated cat are believed to have first appeared in China, drawn to villages from their mountain dwellings for the abundance of rodents. These cats ended up moving much closer, and eventually into, human dwellings where access to food and warmth was easily attained. Once the cats were domesticated, it was clear to many ancient cultures that these animals possessed a great deal of intelligence and personality that set them apart from the other domesticated species of the times. So great was this distinction that some societies began worshipping them as deities. In Egypt, the goddess of fire and cats, Bastet, was often depicted with the body of a woman and the head of a lioness. Her form was later represented with the head of a black cat after Egyptians began to bring felines into their homes as pets. Cats in Egypt were sacred, revered as guides to the souls of their human counterparts. Cats were often mummified and buried with pharaohs to guide them on their journey to the afterlife. The domesticated cat has played many roles in mythology, some stranger than others. In Norse history, goddess of love Freyja is often shown with a chariot drawn by strong, sleek cats.

Today, cats are still exalted in Japan, where statues of the calico Japanese Bobtail, known as maneki-neko (lucky cat), are placed outside storefronts and homes to bring good luck and financial prosperity to families; and the phenomenon of Japanese cat cafs has taken root in the United States, where the cafs are starting to find footing. Online, cats from all around the world are the subjects of millions of viral videos; and several celebrity felines have gained enough notoriety from these videos that they tour the country to promote their appearances in books, movies, and commercials.

The mysterious nature of the cat has not always been viewed in a positive light. In many cultures, cats are thought to bring bad luck, particularly black cats, which were once believed to belong to powerful covens of witches, acting as familiars to carry out a witchs bidding. To this day, it is still considered bad luck in many places if a black cat crosses your path. Fortunately, much of this negative speculation about cats has turned into a dull hum of superstition well below the roar of supportersthose who believe that cats wield their mysterious powers for good, to help guide humans through the confusion and frustration of everyday living.

It is perhaps this long, full history of companionship that fuels our desire to figure out just what our cat wants when she talks to us or pushes a full glass of water from the table to the floor.

Fortunately, where modern science has failed to explain the actions of these creatures, astrology has come to uncover some of the more cryptic facets of cat ownership.

For nearly two thousand years, people have turned to astrological charts for answers and guidance to lifes more difficult queries. Typically, we have used these charts and signs to interpret our own behavior, but as cats become more integrated into our lives, the zodiac can be an extremely useful tool to determine the motivations of our furry friends. Cat Zodiac will tell you how to use these twelve Sun signs to better interpret feline behavior, traits, and personalities. Zodiac is a Greek word that describes the circular division of twelve longitudes of the suns path. In astronomy this divides the night sky we see into twelve parts, and in astrology it divides the year into twelve parts, giving us the twelve sun signs described in this book.

Babylon is credited with creating the science of astrology over three millennia ago, when they came up with ways to chart the stars to better predict and understand the seasons of the Earth. They shared these findings with the Greeks and then the Romans, who would use this knowledge to predict cosmic events, agricultural development, weather forecasts, wars, natural disasters, and famine. At the time, these scholars believed that there were five planets: Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus, and that each planet possessed unique powers over the known universe with the ability to temper or engage certain emotions in Earths inhabitants. Much of this philosophy about the planets remains deeply engrained in zodiac culture. As you will read in this book, each sun sign has a ruling planet that holds strong influence over those born under its correlating sign.