 In ancient Egypt , cats were sacred animals , with the goddess Bastet often depicted in cat form , sometimes taking on the war @-@ like aspect of a lioness . The Romans are often credited with introducing the domestic cat from Egypt to Europe ; in Roman Aquitaine , a first- or second @-@ century engraving of a young girl holding a cat is one of two earliest depictions of the Roman domesticated cat . However , cats possibly were already kept in Europe prior to the Roman Empire , as they may have been present in Britain in the late Iron Age . Domestic cats were spread throughout much of the rest of the world during the Age of Discovery , as they were carried on sailing ships to control shipboard rodents and as good @-@ luck charms ( see Ship 's cat ) . 
