– Come and meet our new family member! This is Mau the cat!

– Oh, how adorable!  And what a curious name!

– Mau's Ancient Egyptian for 'cat'. And you know how they felt about cats in Ancient Egypt.
– They worshipped them! And why wouldn't you? They're so cute!

– They're not just cute – they were indispensable in daily life as well. You are, of course, aware of the bubonic plague, aren’t you?

– The disease that wiped out half of Europe? Sure! But what do cats have to do with it?

– Ah, you see, in 1232 the Pope decided that all cats were diabolical! He issued a decree to eliminate all the cats and even executed some of their owners!

– Oh no, this is appalling!

– Indeed! As a result, most cats were killed, and there was no one to chase the rats anymore! And rats, as we know, carried the Black Death!

– Fascinating... We should really take care of our cats then!