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The author gives a history of the cat as a consecrated animal in Egypt, as a highly respected animal in Siam, as an object of patriotic interest in the Isle of Man, and as a sacred inhabitant of temples in Tibet and Burma. He compares the ceremonial 'cleanness' of the cat with the 'uncleanness' of the dog in the Mohammedan religion and assumes that the Jewish
attitude toward cats must be ambivalent, since there seems to be a taboo against mentioning cats in the Bible. In the Mediæval Church cats acquired demoniacal traits because of their association with old pagan rites, and a confusion arose which resulted in a sort of deification and subsequent sacrifice of cats. Most present day superstitions about cats are the outgrowth of ideas of witchcraft. In folklore the cat appears as a bringer of fertility or equally often as a destroyer of it.
Dislike for cats is essentially fear of cats, and in its pathological form, ailurophobia, it appears oftenest in women. All phobias represent a conflict between natural animal desire and moral or religious feeling. The cat is an erotic symbol, female, the 'evil mother', a witch—the specifically sexual character in woman. A strong homosexual trend is observed in some cat-haters. Several interesting cases are described.
Cat lovers identify cats with persons beloved in childhood or with admirable and coveted qualities. The cat typifies wisdom and is a 'tranquil, meditative, elegant, graceful god'. It is perhaps the atmosphere of mystery about the cat, its peculiar intelligence and insight which causes the cat to arouse stronger emotional reactions than are induced by dogs.