Cats have been making their mark on literature down the centuries
There are lots of different pets for people to choose from, but the cat remains one of the most popular and it is not hard to see why.
These animals are playful and can provide their owners with endless hours of entertainment. They can also be affectionate and they are less of a responsibility than dogs because they do not require such constant attention.
It seems as though these creatures have been a hit among animal lovers throughout the centuries. Highlighting this point, a 15th-century manuscript with paw prints was recently discovered by a PhD student.
According to a report in the Guardian, Emir Filipovic’ from the University of Sarajevo was researching his doctoral thesis in the Dubrovnik State Archives when he came across a medieval Italian manuscript from March 11th 1445. The manuscript was stained with inky cat paw prints.
Mr Filipovic’ posted a picture of the pages online and has since become the centre of a “social media whirl”.
Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “I think that one of the main reasons why people seemed to have a positive response to it is down to the fact that it makes you imagine the scene in your head when the cat jumped onto the book. This especially appeals to cat owners, who are, I suppose, familiar with such typical cases, but also to people who do not own pets since they can still identify with the unfortunate scribe.”
He added that another important thing concerns the fact that some people “seem to equate the past times with history as a (boring) school subject” whereas in fact it was full of normal events much like today’s.
About this, he remarked: “A picture such as the one with the cat paw prints tends to remind everybody that people who lived in the past were not much different than ourselves.”
