Why in Mexico we call cats “michis”

Nowadays it is common to tell cats “michis” in a tender way to honor the life partners of many people who love these pets. The origin of this word comes from indigenous languages of Mexico, in Maya for example it is called “Miis”, in Purepecha “Misitu”, the Rarámuris call them “miisi” and the closest is “mixi” in Otomí.

At the same time, it is said that the Inca Indians heard that the Spaniards called cats with a “mishi, mishi” and believed that was their name. The Quechua word they assigned to cats was “michis”.

Domestic cats come from ancient Egypt in 3,000 BC. They arrived in America with the first settlers, they chose cats as travel companions because of their ability to get rid of the rats and mice they used to board on trips and even spoil the supplies they had. The first record we have of a cat in the United States was Belle, a reddish tabby cat.

Historically, the cat has been a highly revered animal, since the Egyptians it was domesticated with the intention of ending the plague of crop rats, so it won the respect and admiration of the Egyptians until it became a god who protected the family. He rose to the rank of Totem and entered the pantheon of the Egyptian gods.

In pre-Hispanic Mexico they enjoyed special treatment, since they were linked to the divinities of the underworld, the heavens, divination, until today it is one of the favorite pets of people.

The ocelot (leopardus pardalis) was a sacred feline by pre-Hispanic civilizations, it was represented in art by paintings and figures of various materials. For the Mayans it symbolized sacrifice, war and leadership, it was depicted on the Bonampak murals and it is known that the warriors used to wear the skins of this feline in representation of fortress.

It is currently classified as an endangered animal, in Mexico it covers the coastal plains of the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula.

The jaguar was one of the most important cats in the pre-Hispanic worldview, the Olmecs represented men with feline features. In Teotihuacán it was a very common animal and symbolized the night and was the nahual of the most important men such as the ruler or the priests.

Another animal revered in pre-Hispanic times is the dog, since it was believed that it helped its master on the way and help to cross the river of the underworld called “apanohuaia”. “itzcuintli” was called by the Nahuas, it was related to loyalty, protection and was highly respected. It was believed that if the person who died had treated the dogs badly he would not be able to cross and would never reach eternal rest.

According to information from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), Luna and Coco are the most popular names for female and male cats in Mexico, 3 out of 10 are of mixed breed, followed by American short-haired, short-haired Europeans, Bombay and Russian blue. 15 percent of households have pets, are cats, that is about 3 million in the whole country.

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