Cat Tattoo Designs

As I begin to write I notice a large grey cat outside my window marking its territory. Fine, I think, but this is not my cat, as a matter of fact I don’t own a cat. And that’s when I realise who does own a cat?

Here is this sleek, majestic, animal that, by now has noticed me and carries on with total disregard or fear of reprisal, free to wander and do what cats do. Cats have a long history with humans and what I liked to do in this story is to tell you about some of that history, and also to give you some ideas if you are thinking of a cat tattoo design.

Cats have been human pets since the time of ancient Egypt. In ancient Egypt the cat was revered and killing a cat was not a good idea as this also resulted in your own death. Cats have been associated with mythology and folklore for a long time. There was Freya, the Norse goddess of love and beauty, who had a chariot pulled by 2 large gray cats (there’s that grey cat again!).

There are many early religions that believed cats were magnificent souls, friend and guide for humans, and that they had great wisdom, but were not allowed to share this wisdom and remained silent so they could not sway human decisions.

The 9 lives folklore is attributed to their amazing survival capacity and disregard for self-preservation, and their ability to survive falls from great heights that would otherwise kill other creatures. Big cats, such as lions and tigers, are often seen as symbols of power and war, life and death.

The domestic cat, on the other hand, has often been represented as symbols of warmth and home, fertility, devoted motherhood and promiscuity. They were also seen as guardians of the home, protecting the home from unwanted pests.

A Christian belief was that the “M” marking on the head of cats is where Mary touched and blessed a cat that calmed the baby Jesus, and in Malaysia, the cat was revered as a god who eased their afterlife journey from Hell to paradise.

Or the Siamese god kings who believed their souls passed into a cat where it remained until the cat died and then the soul would be released to enter paradise.

Of course, not all good omens are associated with cats. Superstition still abounds around when a black cat crosses your path (I’m sure all black cats would disagree with that assumption), and in time not so long ago, cats were killed alongside their owners if the owner was thought to be a witch.

So why choose a cat tattoo design? Because like its big cat cousins, the sheer beauty of the cat is undeniable, and match this with hunting skills like no others, and you have the duality of beauty and the beast.

The best cat tattoo designs can be seen in simple arm or shoulder designs, or in the more elaborate full arm tattoo designs, combined with butterflies or fairies for example. Whatever your choice you can’t go wrong.