# Are Cats Good or Evil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2026, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050 "2026-07-31T13:35:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/21 "2026-07-31T18:16:26Z")
From a religious perspective, AFAIK only one religion has ever actively viewed cats negatively - Christianity. Everyone else - either neutral, favored, or outright worshipped. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/22 "2026-07-31T18:18:51Z")
I opened the thread to say that cats are neither good or evil, they are cats. But that’s already been said, so I’ll add two things to the debate (my two cents?) 1. In D&D terms their alignment could be “Chaotic Cat”. 2. Does it make sense to speak about the morals of an entire species? I have 2 cats, Diana is definitely evil, she’s beautiful but used to attack our dog when he was a puppy and was feared by everybody who came to our house because she didn’t like visitors and was not shy in demonstrating it with her claws (we once had to rescue a young workman who was replacing the floor and got ambushed by her when we got out for groceries, we found him trapped in a corner terrified of the cat). Pelusa, on the other hand is not so beautiful as Diana (though very VERY cute) but has never ever hurt any person (insects and small vermin who invade our house are another story), she will sit with you in the bed if you are feeling sad or ill and accompany you until you feel better, purring al the time. She’s evidently good. (The accounts of stolen food can be dismissed, there is no proof and that chicken leg could’ve been stolen by anyone) ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/23 "2026-07-31T18:22:04Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > AFAIK only one religion has ever actively viewed cats negatively - Christianity. I’m about as far from being a theologian as I am from being a cat, but I’ve never heard this. Examples or citations? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/24 "2026-07-31T18:26:23Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > The average cat is a much nicer person than the average human. Cats, therefore, are good. QED. I’ve been scratched by much more cats than humans in my life, although I have known and had business with much more humans than cats. So cats are at least more evil than people. QED. (tongue in cheek, actually I like cats better than people, mostly. But just like people, some cats are assholes) ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/25 "2026-07-31T18:30:46Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I’ve been scratched by much more cats than humans in my life Clearly you haven’t had a girlfriend like one I once had. Never really got in to the ‘love bite’ idea myself. It did not last long… ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/26 "2026-07-31T18:31:49Z")
Nope, fortunately I never had a girlfriend with that fetish. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/27 "2026-07-31T18:40:46Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > I’m about as far from being a theologian as I am from being a cat, but I’ve never heard this. Examples or citations? Ancient Egypt - Deeply revered and associated with the goddess Bastet. Harming a cat was a serious crime. Islam - Cats are considered clean animals (taahir). They are welcome in homes and mosques, and the Prophet Mohammed had a favorite pet cat. Judaism - Neutral but appreciated for pest control. Norse Mythology - The goddess Freya rode a chariot pulled by cats. Shinto - Cats are considered lucky. Buddhism - Same as Shinto, symbols of luck. Hinduism - the domestic cat is the sacred vehicle of the goddess Shashthi -the deity of fertility, children, and motherhood. Sikhism - neutral as all animals are considered part of the divine creation. Christianity - currently neutral, but during the medieval and renaissance periods they were heavily associated with paganism, witchcraft, and were frequently regarded as the Devil’s pet. Not just black cats, but especially black cats, and that association has carried on into modern-day superstition and Christian-based folklore. I’m sure there other examples (and maybe even some example of other religious that negatively regarded cats), these are just examples from personal knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/28 "2026-07-31T18:49:42Z")
If you’re a human, and assuming the cat is reasonably well socialized? Good. If you’re a mouse or a bird? Evil. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/29 "2026-07-31T19:18:57Z")
> [@solost](#): > > If you’re a mouse or a bird? Evil. As I’ve said to my wife: if they were ten times bigger they’d have eaten us by now… ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/30 "2026-07-31T19:28:21Z")
I’m an Atheist and I agree more with Chronos on this point. ---
**Author:** ![IridiumIodineSulfur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@IridiumIodineSulfur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IridiumIodineSulfur)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/31 "2026-07-31T19:31:13Z")
What does good mean? What does evil mean? Merriam Webster says good means: a. of a favorable character or tendency (then cats are good to people who like cats) b. of a high or desired quality (yes, they are worth money and people desire them) Most of what it says for evil is more relating to religion. I’m athiest. So I will ignore all that and say I am a cat person. Cats are the best pet. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/32 "2026-07-31T19:35:14Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > I’m an Atheist and I agree more with Chronos This is a very fundamental question in philosophy. There is a lot to unpack, but I think doing it here would be a hijack of the OP topic which was rather light-hearted. If anyone wants to start a new thread, we can continue it there? ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/33 "2026-07-31T19:39:28Z")
Maybe sometime. Too damn tired today. Back on topic: cats are not only good they are _ **Awsome!** _ 😺 ❤ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/34 "2026-07-31T19:41:43Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > Norse Mythology - The goddess Freya rode a chariot pulled by cats. Proof that Freya was the most impressive of the Northern pantheon - she could herd cats! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/35 "2026-07-31T19:51:26Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Animals cannot be moral or immoral. Therefore they can’t be good or evil. I think they can, as long as those terms are undersatood in the right sense (which is not necessarily the same sense in which a human being can be good or evil). In the Judeo-Christian tradition, you could say that all animals are good, based on Genesis 1:25: > [@](#): > > And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And I think some of us can attest from personal experience that there is such a thing as a “good dog” or a “good cat.” On the other hand, I agree with _The Simpsons_ that “some of them are just jerks.” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kzRyEI00PXc/hqdefault.jpg "The Simpsons - Like People, Some of Them Are Just Jerks") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzRyEI00PXc) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/36 "2026-07-31T20:10:56Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > Christianity - currently neutral, but during the medieval and renaissance periods they were heavily associated with paganism, witchcraft, and were frequently regarded as the Devil’s pet. Not just black cats, but especially black cats, and that association has carried on into modern-day superstition and Christian-based folklore. An association which was, of course, not supported by Scripture, or official doctrine, but that didn’t stop the superstition. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/37 "2026-07-31T20:12:37Z")
Correct. Anyone that can herd cats is truly a great Goddess. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/38 "2026-07-31T21:04:20Z")
It’s unfair to generalize about an entire species. It depends on the cat. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/39 "2026-07-31T22:02:48Z")
Didn’t Nietzsche already address this at length? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050/40 "2026-07-31T22:24:04Z")
Yeah, didn’t he he famously coin the phrase “Bastet is dead” ? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cats-good-or-evil/1032050.md?page=3)