Cats in ancient Jewish society (The place of domesticated animals in everyday life and the material culture of 2nd-Temple Judaism and ancient Palestine)

The relationship to the cat in ancient Jewish society seemed to be functional with very little love or even fondness exiting between human and feline. Cats served a purpose and were necessary and this might excuse some of their negative attributes, although there was an awareness that things could get out of hand. There may have been ambivalent feelings toward the cat, but nobody liked mice, rats or other vermin of the house or field variety. Better a cat than these despicable creatures.