Evidence of worship of the cat goddess, Bast, has been identified as early as 3200 B.C. Her cult was centered in the city of Bubastis in the Delta region. This area, with it's concentration of snakes, was the cradle for the domestication of the wildcat. Tomb paintings picture a spotted cat that is believed to be Felis Lybica Ocreata, the ancestor of today's Mau. The ability to kill snakes and control other pests at granaries, endeared the cat to the Egyptian people. In the Twenty-second Dynasty, Bast was made a state deity. The death of a family cat was noted by shaving of the eyebrows as an expression of mourning. A cemetary of mummified cats is located at Bubastis.
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