Cyprus is home to a whopping 1.5 million adorable cats, and this number is only growing. How on earth are there more cats than humans on this beautiful island? There are a few interesting theories to this explanation, but the most widely accepted one is probably that Roman Empress Saint Helena shipped hundreds of cats from Egypt to Cyprus in AD 328 to hunt and chase out snakes from a monastery.
Now, there are a few contradictory legends, one of which being that the ruler of ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, actually brought in the snakes. So, we must look at the archaeological evidence, which points to yet another theory. This theory proposed that ancient felines were actually domesticated somewhere in the Middle East more or less around the same era so that farmers could actually employ their services in keeping all those pesky pests (AKA snakes) under control.
Below you'll find an informative video where this is more explained in depth. Also, bonus, because you get to take a look at all the adorable cats! For more like this, you can also find some furry felines who have some cute tummies to show off.
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