Did ot know the background.
For Pete’s sake cats were a part of Egyptian culture. Not only as gods iirc
There is a trend to push the narrative in history that between the fall of the Roman Empire in the east and somewhere either after the Enlightenment or after World War Two, take your pick, that Europe was a horrible dirty place full of backward, ignorant and violent people that had as their first thought every morning how could they oppress women and dark skinned people. Who were of course, brilliant and kind and loving. Practically perfect in every way.
Can't argue about the violent part, although less so then certain others areas of the world, but the rest is mostly hogwash.
That they were all cat killers (except for those kind and wonderful witches who were all female healers (bosh) and dark skinned kindly foreigners who would have helped those ignorant natives if they were just give the chance) plays into the lore that they are building.