Adored by the Egyptians, the cat enjoyed a long spell of exultation as one of their sacred beings. Also famed as pest control experts, enterprising cats happily hitched rides around the world aboard a plethora of sailing vessels, earning their keep guarding grain against the unwanted attentions of the rat and mice.

Every now and then, a curious cat would jump ship and settle somewhere, many miles from its home, in an exciting new port. It was easy enough to be accepted and soon they found humans here and there who they could adopt and train in the gentle art of cat care.

The history og the cat has not always been a happy one for in the middle ages, poor puss with its beautiful eyes and psychic powers was horribly persecuted by witch hunters, who believed it to be an accessory to evil. It took the cat a while to clear its name again. When we admire a comlacent cat lying contentedly sprawled out on our laps, we should perhaps be grateful that our feline friends do not dwell on their treatment by humans in those past times. Fortunately for the feline, cats have been celebrated again for the last few centuries as creatures of great elegance.

Apart from the ancestors of the sailing ships` cats, unusual and exotic cats brought, sold or bargained for by travellers over the years.