we're cats used to generate fertilizer in Egypt?

by GarugasRevenge

When people think of cats and Egypt, the thought of why Egyptians worshipped them comes up and I was wondering if they were able to generate fertilizer to hold up a large civilization like Egypt in it's prime.

How they would be used for fertilizers:

  1. Cats can be trained to use a litter box.
  2. Sand, excrement, and urine from a litter box may be useful in combination.
  3. Cats can also eat and repel rat populations, helping in vermin control.

Final questions:

  1. Why were cats worshipped in Egypt?
  2. Were they used to generate fertilizers?
cleopatra_philopater

There are some older answers about cats in ancient Egypt that you might find interesting.

/u/lucaslavia explained why it's inaccurate to say that cats were worshipped in Egypt. /u/graylovesgreen discussed the sacredness and mummification of cats in certain contexts. I also talked a bit about the relationship between cats and people in ancient Egypt.

As far as I am aware, there is no evidence that cats were ever used as a source of fertilizer in ancient Egypt. In terms of agriculture, cats were very useful in keeping down populations of crop-destroying rodents. They also killed dangerous animals like snakes, making them helpful members of the household. In return, cats living around humans received shelter and foodscraps, which augmented their diet in addition to the large populations of prey (i.e. rodents) that drew them to human settlements in the first place. This exchange was enough to create a lasting relationship between our two species, and over time more affectionate bonds between pets and owners developed.