The Chinese Zodiac

The old Chinese zodiac has been with us for almost two thousand years, and is similar to the 12 constellations in the West, both of which are related to the mysterious astronomical number 12.There are just 12 lunar cycles in a calendar year.

The Chinese zodiac is based on a repeating 12-year cycle, an approximation to the 11.86-year cycle of Jupiter. Later,ancient people developed 12 earthly branches to keep track of years. For convenience, personality is mainly determined by the characteristics of animals. The mysterious connection between the 12 animals and people has become a permanent subject.So the 12 animals appear in turn and represent each year.

Why didn't cat get a position in the Chinese zodiac system?

Cats were domesticated very late in China.Before the Han Dynasty,there were only wild cats.Their relationship with human beings was not close. By the time that the Chinese people began to raise domesticated cats,the 12 Chinese zodiacs had been well established.