neptunesdolphins | Entries tagged with cats

Known as the “King of the Jungle,” the lion (Note 1) actually lives on the open African grasslands. Originally, he ranged from the Mediterranean Sea to Asia (Note 2) and south to Africa. Hunted by Romans for their Games, the lion first disappeared from Europe and Asia Minor. As lion hunting increased, his range shrank to where now the lion lives only in Africa.

Unlike most members of the Cat Family, the lion is social. He lives in a pride and forms coalitions with his male friends. In his pride, the lionesses work together to hunt and chase off predators. Meanwhile with his male partners, the lion defends their territory against intruders. With his coalition, the lion rules the pride for a few years until a new coalition arises. Then he and his male partners leave.

When lions hunt, they form a cooperative group. Whether they are killing seals on a beach or cape buffalos on the savannah, the pride forms a plan of action. Some lionesses wait downwind while their sisters herd the animals towards them. Other lionesses travel around the prey to close off avenues of escape. Suddenly, a lioness shows herself, causing panic among the prey. The animals rush headlong into the pride’s ambush.

Because the lion is yellow, and loves sleeping in the sun, he has been the symbol of the Sun for many cultures. People so admired the lion, that they thought he possessed spiritual powers equal to his physical attitudes. As “King of the Beasts,” Lion was wise and just.

Killing a lion was a symbol of manhood. In Africa, young men were initiated through lion combat. The Zulu and Masai were expected to defeat a lion to become a man among their peoples. In Ethiopia, the Emperor awarded the bravest warriors with a lion mane headdress.

Legends of White Lions (Children of the Sun God) exist in various oral traditions, in the Timbavati Region of Africa, from the time of Queen Numbi, who ruled about four hundred years ago. Tradition holds that once every century a White Lion appears. (Note 3) A gift from God, White Lions represent the good in all creatures. In Botswana and Kenya, they are symbols of leadership and pride.

In Ancient Egypt, the lion was the symbol of the pharaoh. This Big Cat represented his divinity and right of rule. To symbolize his power and authority, the pharaoh wore the Lion Headdress (the Nemes crown (Note 4)). Meanwhile, the Lion God, Maahes, guarded the Pharaoh as he went about his affairs.

In China, the lion is a mythic creature, a symbol of nobility and dignity. Guardian Lions (Foo Dogs) protect buildings from harmful spirits. The left Lion is a female with her Cub, representing Yin. Meanwhile, the right Lion is a male with a ball, representing Yang. These Lions of Order are balancing equal and opposing forces, while the Cub is Chaos. These statues, always in pairs, are at entrances or the north or northwest parts of the buildings.

Lion Dancing, which has a very long tradition, is an essential part of Chinese festivals. The Lion Dance brings good luck, prosperity, and happiness to the people at the festival. The two styles of the Chinese Lion Dance are the Southern which originated in Guangdong and the Northern, which was the original. Meanwhile, various peoples in Asia have their version of the Lion Dance. In Japan, the dance is performed during New Years for good luck and to drive away evil. In Korea, the Lion Dance is used for exorcism. In Tibet, they conduct the Snow Lion Dance, their Emblem of power and strength.

Meanwhile, Christianity had complex relations with the lion. While Mark, the Evangelist is represented by the lion, Christ treads on the lion as the enemy of God. However, the Lion represents Christ as coming from the tribe of Judah. (Note 5)

While humans celebrate the male lion as “King,” the lions themselves live in coalitions. They teach constructive group dynamics. When hunting, everyone contributes to bringing down the prey. Working together patiently makes for a successful hunt. Even though lions have strong personalities, they cooperate successfully. Learn from the lion how to accomplish much in your group.

Notes:

Note 1. Cats are traditionally divided into two groups – Big and Small Cats. Big Cats (Pantherinae) differ from Small Cats (Felinae) in several ways. They roar instead of purr, with their roars being very loud and resonant. Unlike Small Cats, Big Cats attack animals larger than themselves. They suffocate the prey with a strangle hold on the neck or by covering the prey’s snout with their jaws. Messy eaters, Big Cats do not groom themselves as meticulously as Small Cats.

The Cat Subfamilies: Felinae includes the puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay cat. Pantherinae includes the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and the tiger.

Note 2. The Asian Lion (Panthera leo leo) ranged from Turkey to India.

Note 3. In the 1970s, White Lions were found again in the Timbavati Region in South Africa, and are now protected.

Note 4. The Nemes is the striped head cloth with two large flaps hanging behind the ears and in the front of the shoulders.

Note 5. Lion Christian Symbols:

Lion: Christ

With Cross-Shaped Nimbus: Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Carrying a Book: Christ as the Teacher

Sleeping: Christ, the Divine Watcher

Winged: St. Mark, the Evangelist

In the Northwoods and the Great Lakes Regions, the Anishinaabe people (Note 1) tell of Mishipeshu, the eternal foe of the Thunderbird. The Master of the Powers of Water, Mishipeshu lives in the deepest part of Lake Superior. Meanwhile, Her Children inhabit the lakes and rivers of the surrounding lands.

Mishipeshu, Herself, resembles a puma (panther) (Note 2) with copper horns and scales. Her home lies between Michipicoten (Lake Superior, Ontario) and Manitoulin Islands (Lake Huron, Ontario). She guards the copper of the region, with the Michipicoten Island being off limits for everyone, The copper are playthings for Her Children. Anyone taking copper is chased and drowned by Mishipeshu. She is the reason that many copper ships in Lake Superior are often lost during the raging tempests.

Possessing an ill temper, Mishipeshu will cause violent waters and storms to occur, often drowning people. Before making Herself known, She will speak in a roaring hiss sounding similar to rushing waters. When hearing her hissing, a traveler on the water will offer Mishipeshu tobacco to appease Her.

The Anishinaabe regard Mishipeshu necessary for keeping the balance of life. She protects lakes and rivers allowing the fish and wildlife to flourish. Since Mishipeshu can control the weather, She brings storms to clean the waters and rearrange the lands surrounding them. People will call on Her for protection since She ensures the purity of the ponds and streams.

The Prairie Band of the Potawatomi holds the Bundle Ceremony to honor Mishipeshu. (The ceremony involves opening a sacred bundle.) To ensure the well-being of the People, the Bundle Ceremony keeps the balance between the Thunderbird and Mishipeshu. As Master of Air, Thunderbird inhabits the skies, while Mishipeshu lives in the Underworld. (Traditional Ashinaabe quill work features both of these Gods.)

Notes:

Note 1: The Anishinaabe People are the Ojibwe, Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi, Mississaugas, Nipissing, and Algonquin.

Note 2: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The leopard and jaguar are also called “panther.”

Ahighly adaptable cat, the puma lives in habitats ranging from snow-covered mountains to tropical rainforests of the Western Hemisphere. Because of her wide range, she has been called many names by many peoples. “Cougar” is derived from a Tupi word, which means “false deer,” because of her brown coat and large size. “Puma,” from the Quechua language of the Incas, means “power.” “Mountain Lion” was a joke that Native Americans played on the Dutch in New York. They told the Dutch that the puma was a female lion that lived in the mountains. (Note 1)

Known by many names, the puma is a member of the Small Cats (Felinae Sub-Family) (Note 2) rather than the Big Cats (Pantherinae Sub-Family). Often called “panther” (Note 3), this is a misnomer since the puma does not belong in the Big Cat Family. (“Black Panther” is either a black jaguar or leopard.) Like all Felinae, the puma cannot roar. However, she screams like a woman, which frightens people and other animals.

Because she is an exceptionally successful generalist, the puma survived the late Pleistocene extinctions of other large North American felids. Wherever she lives, the puma migrates to follow deer and other prey. She prefers living in caves or among rocky outcrops.

Among Native Americans, the puma has a mixed reputation. The Anishinaabe (Note 4) believe She is a being of chaos. (Note 5) The Shawnee see Her more positively, since they think She possesses the gift of prophecy. More familiar with the puma, the Apache People consider Her to be a good mother. The Seminole respect the Florida panther (a subspecies of pumas), who is associated with the winds. (Usually, the members of their Panther Clan are also their leaders.) At the ruins of the Pecos Pueblo is a burial mound honoring Puma as one of the “Beast Gods.”

The Huron-Wyandot and the Seneca connect the puma to comets. As the “Death Panther,” He warns the people of imminent disaster. With tobacco offerings, they ask “Death Panther” to “turn aside impending evil.”

In Mayan and Aztec cosmology, the puma represents the sun and the Upperworld. (The jaguar is the moon and the Underworld.) The Solar Puma is shown with a crown of rays at Teotihuacan. During the eclipses, the Solar Puma and the Lunar Jaguar form a sexual union or fight each other.

For the Incas, the Puma, with the Condor and Serpent, make up the Sacred Trilogy. (Note 6) The Puma represents the wisdom and strength of the earth. This Small Cat is associated with the Land of the Living (Kay Pacha). In fact, Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire, is laid out depicting the Puma.

The puma has long been a part of North American folklore. Among the woodsmen, the ball-tailed cat is more feared than the puma. This cat is a puma with a giant bone ball at the end of his tail. It uses the ball to drum to attract females. The other use is to drop down on an unsuspecting lumberjack and beat them to death.

Another puma-like cat is the Wampus cat, a jet-black panther with glowing eyes. The Wampus cat, with her six legs, is a part of the folklore of the Appalachians. This cat has exceptional speed and agility. This makes it hard to protect livestock from the Wampus cat.

Long and lean, the puma is immensely powerful and capable of killing a black bear in a single bite. Stalking him, the puma makes a powerful leap on his back and knocks him to the ground. In forests, she races through the trees with great agility and speed. Concealing herself, the puma follows people closely without them sensing it. In fact, she is an “UFO,” often talked about but little seen.

By whatever name the puma is called, she is the epitome of personal power. Elusive and agile, the puma either strikes or watches as she chooses to do. As the graceful ruler of the mountains, she deals out life and death on her timetable. Just remember not to be so elusive and agile that no one can find you. Gary Urbak, a naturalist, noted “It’s sufficient just to know that sometimes in the shadows of dusk, felines on huge paws still creep across the land.”

Notes:

Note 1: Names for the puma: cougar, mountain lion, panther, catamount, leopardo.

Note 2: Scientists have traditionally split the Cat Family into two groups – the Big Cats (Pantherinae) and Small Cats (Felinae). Although many Felinae are small, the puma (cougar) and ocelot are not. However, they are smaller than Big Cats. Felines differ from Big Cats in other significant ways. Felines hunt by biting the back of their prey’s neck with their needle-sharp teeth. They sever the neck vertebrae of their prey. When felines eat, they crouch. Meticulous, they strive to keep themselves clean, and spend many hours grooming themselves.

Note 3: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The leopard and jaguar are also called “panther.”

Note 4: The Anishinaabe People are the Ojibwe, Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi, Mississaugas, Nipissing, and Algonquin.

Note 5: The Mishipeshu (Underwater Panther) is a Master of the Water and a foe of the Thunderbird, who is a Master of the Air. (Post on this Water God is forthcoming.)

Note 6: The Sacred Trilogy represents the Three Worlds of the Inca religion. The Condor, Emissary to the Gods, is associated with the Upper World (Hanan Pacha), The Serpent (Anaconda) with the Lower World (Ukhu Pacha). (A Post on the Trilogy is forthcoming.)

At one time, the leopard (Panthera pardus) (Note 1) lived from British Isles to Japan and though out Asia. Now restricted to Africa and Asia, he has been able to survive, in spite of humans. Opportunistic in his feeding habits, the leopard will eat anything from insects to giraffe calves. A solitary wanderer, the leopard is extremely difficult to spot in the wild. So great are his skills at being stealthy that the leopard can move through cattle herds without notice.

The strongest climber of the Cat Family (Note 2), the leopard keeps a low profile until he is ready to launch an attack. A smart hunter, the leopard constantly reviews the situation. He will try one way, change his mind, double back, detour around the prey, and then try again. After making his decision, then with laser-like concentration, the leopard silently stalks his prey. Just before attacking, he deliberately stamps the ground to distract his prey

In “The Cats of Africa,” Maitland Edey wrote, “Not so the leopard, the most catlike of all cats, the quintessential cat. Secretive, silent, smooth and supple as a piece of silk, he is an animal of the darkness, and even in the dark he travels alone.”

Because of the leopard’s fierce reputation, many peoples associate him with divinity. Egyptians linked the leopard with Set, their God of Chaos. In Greece, Dionysus, the God of Wine, often rode a leopard or had one by his side.

In Africa, the leopard holds the power of life and death. Only African royalty, who could wield such power, are allowed to wear leopard skins. Moreover, these individuals had the power of life over death in religious ceremonies.

Seshat of Egypt is depicted as a woman wearing a leopard skin and a headband of a seven-pointed star. She is the Goddess of Official Building (the Mistress of Builders). As a Goddess of Writing, Seshat keeps the royal annals and genealogies. The leopard skin denotes her association with the Pharaohs.

Meanwhile, Wuluo, the Mountain Deity of Qingyao Mountain in China, guards the area. A leopard-human Goddess, She makes a tinkling jade sound when She speaks. Wuluo will answer the prayers of pregnant women who come to the mountain desiring daughters.

Since the Romans used leopards to kill Christians, he became the Christian “Beast of the Apocalypse”- a Leopard with seven heads and ten horns. In Daniel and Revelation, the leopard was the ferocity, speed, and astuteness of the military might of Alexander the Great’s Empire. Also, the leopard is the untrustworthy sinner in death. (as in “Can a leopard change his spots?”)

Because of the black panther’s color (note 3), great mysticism is associated to her. In China, She rules the North with Winter. Associated with the Dark Mother, Black Panther sees into every soul. With her penetrating yellow-green gaze, She can also look into the future.

Romans saw the black panther as the embodiments of Bacchus, the God of Wine. He chose black panthers to pull his chariot. Together, They governed the subconscious and repressed desires.

Meanwhile in Australia, black panthers have been secretly roaming the bushland. Known as the Otway (Lithgow) Panther, this Big Cat has been dismissed as bush folklore. However, reputable witnesses have produced evidence of this black panther. The mystery continues.

Achieving your goal is what the leopard teaches. Instead of doing things only one way, he assesses the situation. After trying several options, the leopard settles on one. Then with intense concentration, he approaches and kills his prey.

Notes

Note 1: True panthers (Panthera pardus) live in the Old World. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is found only in the New World. The jaguar is stockier, and more powerful than the panther (also known as the leopard.) However, they belong to the same Sub-Family. Meanwhile, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) is a separate species in the Big Cat family. However, the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is considered neither a Small Cat nor a Big Cat.

Note 2. Cats are traditionally divided into two groups – Big and Small Cats. Big Cats (Pantherinae) differ from Small Cats (Felinae) in several ways. They roar instead of purr, with their roars being very loud and resonant. Unlike Small Cats, Big Cats attack animals larger than themselves. They suffocate the prey with a strangle hold on the neck or by covering the prey’s snout with their jaws. Messy eaters, Big Cats do not groom themselves as meticulously as Small Cats.

The Cat Subfamilies: Felinae includes the puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay cat. Pantherinae includes the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger.

Note 3: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The jaguar is also called “panther.”

Once ranging from Arizona to Argentina, the jaguar is now only found in the rainforests of Central and South America. The largest Cat of the Americas, he is the only representative of the Panther Sub-Family (Pantherinae) (Note 1) in the New World. This powerfully built, relatively stocky Big Cat (Note 2) likes to roam close to rivers and lakes. A strong swimmer, he likes the water, unlike most other cats. The jaguar catches fish, otters, and caimans that live in the tropical rivers. In addition, he is the only Big Cat that regularly kills his prey by piercing the skull with his canines.

Worshiped and feared for his ability as a hunter, the jaguar’s lifestyle is still unknown to people. Nocturnally prowling through the moist lowland forests, the jaguar became mystically associated with the underworld, night, and fertility. Since the jaguar is the only Big Cat that cannot roar, He silently “escorts” people out of his rainforest. The Mayas and Aztecs thought that the jaguar could shape shift as well, because of his elusive qualities.

Important to Central American religions, Jaguar is a fierce God of Fertility and Sacrifices, the Ruler of the Underworld. The Mayas and Aztecs formed religious, military, and political structures around their worship of Jaguar. The Jaguar granted warriors fierceness in combat. Tezcatlipoca, Jaguar God of the Aztecs, is the God of the Night. (Note 3) For the Mayas, Jaguar is the Night Sun who journeys through the night. Modern Mayas believe that the jaguar protects their villages at each entrance.

In South America, the Bororo have a cosmological relation with the “Jaguar Spirit.” The Caingua believe that a jaguar roaming near a burial ground was the transformed spirit of the Dead. The Kogi believe that the jaguar defends the archaeological sites.

Because of his mythic power, the Catholic Church, in the 17 Century, outlawed Jaguar images and costumes. However today, masked Jaguar festivals are held on Corpus Christi throughout Central America. Even in the modern age, Jaguar is still feared and revered. “It is a dweller of the forests …It is the lord, the ruler of the animals,” observed Fr. Bernardino de Sahagun. In Mexico, the “danza de los tecuanes” (jaguar dances) are still performed.

Meanwhile, the “black panther” (Note 4) is actually a jaguar with melanistic (black) coloration. Quite frequent in jaguars, the black color helps them hide more effectively in the dark jungles. Forest (dark) Jaguars are usually smaller in size than Golden Jaguars.

To the Aztecs, Black Panther saw the shadow inside every being. He represented the Great Smoking Mirror. In this role, He foretold the future, kept Time, and was the Gatekeeper to the Unknownable. He is the God Tezcatlipoca, the Obsidian Mirror.

In his jungle, the jaguar walks without fear as the Master of the Night. He teaches those who have the courage to face him, also to live without fear. People, who calmly go with the jaguar as their escort, walk in the darkness with a protector.

Notes

The Cat Subfamilies: Felinae includes the puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay cat. Pantherinae includes the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger.

Note 3. A post will discuss this God in depth.

Note 4: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The leopard is also called “panther.”

I will be doing a series on the spirituality of the members of the Cat Family.

To many people, cats are mysterious creatures. Even for scientists, understanding cats is a major undertaking. The taxonomy problem of cats is so complex that many scientists have simply divided cats into Big Cats (Pantherinae) (Note 1) and Small Cats (Felinae) (Note 2). But that is not enough. The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) are in their own sub-families. Built for speed, the cheetah’s body type is similar to the greyhound’s. Meanwhile, Clouded Leopard is believed to be the intermediary between Big and Small Cats.

Even among regular people, confusion over cats abounds. Pumas and leopards are both called “panther.” (Note 3) However, “black panthers” are either jaguars or leopards. (Note 4) Pumas, belonging to the Small Cat Sub-family, are also known as “mountain lions.” Then there are the “mystery cats” – cats that have been sighted but not easily studied. King Cheetah, Kellas Cat, and Otway Panther (Note 5) are three such mystery cats. Do they exist as separate species or hybrids of current species?

From the massively powerful tiger to the tiny Black-footed Cat, they all are highly skilled hunters of prey. Equipped with sharp claws, cats use them for climbing, seizing, and killing prey. Their large canines help cats catch and kill their prey. They are the ultimate killing machines.

Since the beginning of time, cats have been a part of human’s lives. In Africa, early humans lived among lions and leopards. Ancient Egyptians and Romans revered Domestic Cat. In the Americas, the Mayas and Aztecs believed that the jaguar could shape-shift and enter other worlds. Around the world, Big Cats traditionally had the powers of life and death. Because Small Cats live such secretive lives, people told stories of “fairy cats.” Moreover “special cats,” such as Black Panther, White Tiger, and White Lion, have their own particular mystical meanings. People’s and cats’ lives have been intertwined across the millennia.

People look at cats with all their grace and independence and see the beauty and beast in themselves. Cats, on the other hand, do not particularly want to know people. Cats can be so intolerant of human intrusion into their lives that they will vanish into the night.

What cats teach is a sense of the “Other.” People have shared their lives with cats, Big and Small, and still do not understand these animals. For their part, cats care little what people think. Cats are what they are – familiar yet alien. They are the Other, the shadow that accompanies people on their journeys.

In “A Monograph of the Felidae,” Daniel Giraud Elliot observed, “Among the families that constitute the class Mammalia, no more attractive one can be found than that of the FELIDAE…. The family comprises not only the largest and most ferocious of the beasts of prey, but also the graceful little animal that delights to make its home within man’s abode.”

Rudyard Kipling in “Just So Stories” has the last word. “But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.”

The Cat Subfamilies

Felinae includes the puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay cat.

Pantherinae includes the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger.

Cat Groupings

Crash of Tigers

Kindle of Cats

Leap of Leopards

Pride of Lions

Notes:

Note 1. Big Cats (Pantherinae) include the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger. Big Cats differ from Small Cats in several ways. They roar instead of purr, with their roars being very loud and resonant. Unlike Small Cats, Big Cats attack animals larger than themselves. They suffocate the prey with a strangle hold on the neck or by covering the prey’s snout with their jaws. Messy eaters, Big Cats do not groom themselves as meticulously as Small Cats.

People have endowed mystical qualities to Big Cats, because of their silent killing and nocturnal ways. By wearing cat skins, warriors could remain unseen in battle, and priests could shape-shift into Big Cats. In addition, people have used various parts of these animals as mystical amulets, such as tiger whiskers and lion “hair balls.”

Note 2. Although many Small Cats (Felinae) are small, the puma (cougar) and ocelot are not. However, they are smaller than Big Cats. Felines differ from Big Cats in other significant ways. Felines hunt by biting the back of their prey’s neck with their needle-sharp teeth. They sever the neck vertebrae of their prey. When Felines eat, they crouch. Meticulous, they strive to keep themselves clean and spend many hours grooming themselves.

Note 3: True panthers (Panthera pardus) live in the Old World. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is found only in the New World. The jaguar is stockier, and more powerful than the panther (also known as the leopard.) However, they belong to the same Sub-Family. Meanwhile, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) is a separate species in the Big Cat family. However, the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is considered neither a Small Cat nor a Big Cat.

Note 4: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The leopard is also called “panther.”

Note 5: The King Cheetah is thought to be a mutation of the cheetah, with a blotchy coat instead of spots. Kellas Cat is believed to be a hybrid of the Scottish wildcat and the domestic cat. Meanwhile, the Otway (Lithgow) Panther is a mystery, since panthers are not supposed to inhabit Australia.

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LION: Group Dynamics
Mishipeshu (Underwater Panther) of the Anishinaabe
PUMA: Personal Power
LEOPARD: Achieving Your Goal
JAGUAR: Walk without Fear
CAT (FELIDAE) FAMILY: Otherness

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LION: Group Dynamics

Mishipeshu (Underwater Panther) of the Anishinaabe

PUMA: Personal Power

LEOPARD: Achieving Your Goal

JAGUAR: Walk without Fear

CAT (FELIDAE) FAMILY: Otherness

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