Wood smoke sunrise

Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull stating cats were the instruments of Satan.  He also was the first pope to appoint inquisitors to root out heretics.  That resulted in a massive purge of cats and the burning of many poor women deemed 'witches' in Medieval Europe.   Not a good thing for the women or cats but the gullible people who believed in this conspiracy of evil felt they were doing God's work.   Of course there were fewer cats to keep vermin in check.  Rats and mice infested w/ disease carrying fleas flourished and 25 million people died in Europe from the Black Plague.  The lack of cats didn't cause the devastation but I bet having more 'childless cat ladies' around then would have been a blessing.