The collection of images cats have generated throughout the millennia is like a staggering vista between two opposite worlds. From one era to the next, from one country to another, cats have been themselves and their opposites, gods or devils, lucky charms or the source of all evil. No other animal has unleashed such passion, such hatred or such adoration. Masters of the universe in ancient times, despised and tortured during the medieval era, cats clearly have an extraordinary personality in order to make a comeback as dignified and fascinating animals in the eyes of our contemporaries. What has been the perception of cats since they first approached humans? How are their behaviors and attitudes interpreted? How is this "supporting actor" used? Depending on the era, cats have inspired various extreme feelings. In ancient Egypt, cats were assimilated to the moon and the sun, and were elevated to the rank of the gods. Their fortune was quite the opposite in Europe during the Middle Ages. Idealized and transformed, cats became something else in the imaginations of people: sometimes thought of as wise, sometimes as a mother and sometimes as a wife. Thought to be lucky charms, cats lived in harmony with the world. They chased away rodents and became pets. Although doubt remains as to the date when cats first appeared in Egypt, it is thought that around 4000 BC Egyptians domesticated cats and turned them into hunters, fishers and more importantly, ratters, since rats had become a national plague on the harvests. This role allowed the cat to gain respect and admiration and to finally become a guardian god who governed the family.