@verdantlyviolet made me do it lol
disclaimer: this is an "original myth". Something I made up entirely just because I like cats and we don't really have cat-related Greek myths. So I made my own.
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Temples became quiet. As mortals slowly turned away from the gods or joined other temples, either from free will or by force, the temples of old stood proud, but emptied. No more would the priests come to even maintain them. And so, left to nature, the wilderness came back where once civilization stood.
Abandoned things make for great shelter for the wild. As humanity forgot the protection they owed to animals visiting sacred groves, animals found protection in the house of the gods, especially in the precinct of Artemis.
She kept watch, but never expected any offerings - their means were different, after all- until one day, someone came carrying something. It was a cat with her prey, she had obviously given birth recently and was looking for a safe spot to eat her freshly caught shrew.
Artemis did not pay full attention to the creature at first, until it chose to jump on the stone altar to eat her meal.
Contemplating the accidental sacrifice, from a huntress to another, Artemis let herself be known to the feline. The cat looked up, terrified but frozen in place. The goddess leaned on her, bringing peace on the animal, and spoke:
"Thank you, small one. You have hunted well. Hear me, and do as I say: feed yourself and your offspring, and then bring them here, in my precinct. My temple holds many places to protect them and raise them in peace, under my watch. You are free to hunt, and I will make sure my brother blesses you with your favorite game. Raise your kittens here, and let your kittens raise their own kittens here as well, and shall your kin become the guardians of this place."
And the cat obeyed. And from the obedience of one queen, others joined. And the Gods joined too. Apollo first, attracting his own guardians thanks to the mice he could supply, and then others, one by one. This is why temple cats now thrive in the ancient ruins.
