Why are there practically no ubiquitous cats in India (6 photos)

There is a city in Japan where there are more cats than people. And in Montenegro they are generally a symbol of the city of Kotor and even work part-time in souvenir shops.





In Switzerland, your friends may be outraged if you only have one cat, because he is simply bored. Cats are loved in almost all countries. But not in India. And why?



The main religion of this country is Hinduism. Hindus revere Ganesha, the god of wisdom and prosperity, and his companion is rats. Accordingly, rats are also respected there, there is even a rat temple - the Karni Mata temple. Rodents run everywhere there: on the floor, on the legs of visitors, sleep in the corners and hang out on the wrought-iron bars. No one even thinks of driving them away; moreover, drinking milk from the same bowl with a rat is a real happiness for Indians. It is logical that the Hindus do not respect the main enemy of rats, the cat.





In addition to the sacred rat, there is another reason: there are a lot of vegetarians in India, especially in the southern part of the country, and they consider the cat to be an unclean animal, because it is a predator. You can pour food into the dog and it will be full, but the cat will still catch birds and mice, and even bring them to the owners.

“I know many vegetarians who have pet dogs and their diet consists entirely of plant foods. The presence of dead mice or other living creatures in the house, which cats often bring after hunting, is considered something extremely unclean” (Krishna Iyer).



Third: Hindus are superstitious. They believe that cats bring bad luck and it's really interesting. It's rare that an Indian will stop in front of a motorcyclist, but they will always do so if a black cat crosses the road.

“One day, a girl from my neighborhood started feeding a cat that came to her house every day. Gradually, other family members fell in love with the cat. Then she had kittens, and a few years later the girl’s father got sick and died. Guess who was blamed for this? A cat, despite the fact that the deceased was a smoker and a drunkard" (Vaniki Kundliya).



And the practical meaning: a cow gives milk, a chicken gives feathers, meat, eggs, a dog guards the house. And the cat? What's the point of it? Catches venerable rats, companions of Ganesha. And keeping a cat is simply not affordable for everyone.

"I am Indian and I have seven cute domestic cats. Although you are right. Indians prefer dogs, while in other countries it is usually the other way around. I think one of the reasons is that cats are capricious and need more care compared to other pets. And it’s expensive to feed them. But in return, there’s nothing. That’s why some of my friends compare cats to parasites and everyone wonders why I got so many.” (Palak Singh).



But still, there are cats in India. Not all of it. In rural homes in Maharashtra, cats are found in almost every home and are treated like family members. Some even think they bring good luck. So, maybe soon the tailed ones will win more hearts in India.