Just reading of the Great Plague of 1665, which frightened Londoners blamed in part on cats

And so they killed the cats

Which meant the true carriers, the rats and their fleas, multiplied all the more

Dunno if apocryphal, but it rings so true

From The London Encyclopedia, Weinrab and Hibbert

Verified in Keith Thomas's great account of the period's beliefs (one the best history books ever written) https://twitter.com/RisboroughRob/status/1246333634795233285?s=20

Uh oh, controversy https://twitter.com/bernardkhoo/status/1246334366063747073?s=20

Uh oh, more controversy https://twitter.com/Comparativist/status/1246336155060072448?s=20