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Church pursecution of cats (on the belief that they were in league with the Devil) had greatly reduced the cat population in Europe's cities by the time of the beginning of the series of outbreaks of bubonic plague (often referred to as "The Black Death" or "The Great Plague."
Plague-infested rats from the near East were brought by in ships trading there, spreading the plague into Europe. As the cat population in the cities was greatly reduced, there were fewer cats to feed on these rats and control their population which significantly contributed to the disease's growth. In rural areas where cats were not actively killed (and in fact, needed to protect the fields and grain stores), the disease did not progress.
City living conditions, sanitation, and the immediacy of contact all contributed to the plague's spread in populated areas. Conversely, rural areas had less immediate contact with the plague vectors (rats, as well as other animals and humans) but were better able to deal with the plague if it did come to these areas. The cat as preditor was a significant control.
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