As already noted, the prophet Muhammad was fond of cats, and Muslims have always had a high opinion of cats, which are allowed to wander freely through mosques. During the Middle Ages, Christian warriors from Europe spent time in
Muslim countries fighting the Crusades and learned much about Muslims, including their affection for cats. Some historians speculate that anti-Muslim feelings may have been at the root of Europeans’ growing antipathy to cats during this period. That is, the
people of Europe began to
think of cats as “those things that the wicked Muslims are so fond of.”
