The cat's fate

During the Middle Ages, in Europe there was a belief that cats were related with evil, there was a secret devil in them and they had magic powers which they used for bad purposes. It was also believed that cats were helpers of witches. For this reason, people who kept a cat were suspected to be a witch or a magician. These people were often burned with their cats in their house. Cats were often exposed to torture and hunting.
Consequently, cats decreased in number and they became almost extinct. This paved the way for rat and mouse population to increase and to spread some infectious diseases. Deadly epidemics became widespread throughout the whole Europe. This led people to appreciate cats. Just towards the end of 17th century, cats got their former place as friends of people and hunter of mice.