A Cats in Art site 1
Some of these cats are behaving badly and catching birds. They were obviously born in the BC era - (Before CatAlert)

Gallery One – Antiquity
http://www.netserves.com/gallery/catsart1.htm
Gallery Two - Middle Ages
http://www.netserves.com/gallery/catsart2.htm
Gallery Three - 17th & 18th C
http://www.netserves.com/gallery/catsart3.htm
Gallery Four - 19th Century
http://www.netserves.com/gallery/catsart4.htm
Gallery Five - 20th C, Part 1
http://www.netserves.com/gallery/catsart5.htm
Gallery Six - 20th C, Part 2
http://www.netserves.com/gallery/catsart6.htm

Egyptian cats http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/collection/...

http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/cats/C33/roman.jpg
"Whoever kills a cat in Egypt is condemned to death, whether he committed this crime deliberately or not. The people gather and kill him. An unfortunate Roman, who had accidentally killed a cat, could not be saved, either by King Ptolemy of Egypt or by the fear which Rome inspired." (From Diodorus Siculus)