The earliest known named cat in the surviving record is Nedjem, an ancient Egyptian cat whose name is usually translated as “sweet” or “pleasant.” The evidence links the cat to the tomb of Puimre at Thebes during the reign of Thutmose III (1479–1425 BCE). “First known” is the careful wording: the surviving record cannot prove that no cat had been named earlier.
Who was the first known cat with a name?
Nedjem is the cat commonly identified as the earliest known individual cat with a name. Guinness World Records describes Nedjem as the “first known cat with a name” and dates the evidence to the reign of Thutmose III. Guinness World Records
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The name is associated with a cat image in the tomb of Puimre, a high official buried at Thebes. Jaromír Málek’s The Cat in Ancient Egypt identifies this tomb as the exception to the limited surviving evidence for named cats from the period. The relief is described in the cited excerpt as almost completely lost, so the surviving evidence does not support reconstructing a full inscription or treating the scene as intact. Málek, The Cat in Ancient Egypt
What does Nedjem mean?
Nedjem is generally glossed as “sweet” or “pleasant.” That makes “adorable” a playful paraphrase, not the precise translation established by the sources. Málek gives “Nedjem” and notes “Nedjemet” as a possible feminine form. The exact hieroglyphic spelling, transliteration, and grammatical gender are not established by the evidence cited here.
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When did Nedjem live?
The tomb evidence is dated to the reign of Thutmose III, conventionally given as 1479–1425 BCE by Guinness World Records. That is a reign-level date, not a precise date for the relief or for Nedjem’s life. The record offers no basis for assigning the cat a more exact year.
Cats were present in the Near East much earlier: University College London’s Digital Egypt resource says they are attested there in the eighth and seventh millennia BCE. That broader history of people and cats should not be confused with the much later evidence for a named individual in Puimre’s tomb. UCL Digital Egypt: Cats
Rank #2
- Size: this black egyptian bastet statue measures L 5.9"(15cm) x W 3.94" (10cm) x H 12" (31cm), weight 2.4 lbs
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- Egyptian Cat Goddess Bastet: in ancient Egyptian mythology, bastet was revered as a goddess who protect homes and people against illness and bad things, this figurine will bring you luck, health, and peace
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Was Nedjem really the first named cat?
Nedjem is the earliest known named cat in the surviving evidence, not demonstrably the first cat ever given a name. Archaeological records are incomplete; the absence of an earlier surviving name cannot establish that no earlier named cat existed.
Nedjem is also distinct from Ta-miu, a separate cat associated in popular accounts with Prince Thutmose. The two stories are sometimes blended, but Ta-miu is not the cat linked to Puimre’s tomb or to the “sweet” or “pleasant” translation.
Rank #3
- Brand new never used condition
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- Package dimensions : 3.0 inches (H) x 1.75 inches (L) x 1.0 inches (W)
What does ancient Egyptian cat imagery tell us?
Cat imagery had religious significance in ancient Egypt, but that context does not tell us Nedjem’s personal role or beliefs about this particular cat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art explains that Bastet was represented as a cat and that cats were considered sacred to her. Its cat statuette dates to 664–30 BCE, centuries after the period associated with Nedjem, so it illustrates later religious imagery rather than documenting Nedjem. The Met: Cat statuette
A separate Met amulet designed as a cat dates to circa 1504–1491 BCE and bears the cartouche of Thutmose I with ankh signs. It is an example of cat imagery from the New Kingdom, not the object or inscription associated with Nedjem. The Met: Cat-design amulet
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Rank #4
- Dimensions: 2.16"Lx1.38"Wx4.2"H. Made from hand and resin. Model for Egyptian History Project.
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- Great addition to desktop.
- Home/Office décor only, not suitable for aquarium.
- Bastet, also called Bast, ancient Egyptian goddess worshiped in the form of a lioness and later a cat. The scarab beetle on the cat's head and chest symbolises rebirth, while the silver wedjat-eye on the pectoral invoked protection and healing.
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