Ailouromorphic

The cat has nine lives Although the origins of this famous folk saying must remain obscure, there is a strong possibility that they may lie in ancient Egypt, especially in the worship of the ailouromorphic (cat-form) sun god Atum-Ra. In one tradition, there were nine great gods in Egypt called collectively the Ennead or the Nine.

Source: wiktionary

Often times, the figures present during this stage of trance are theriomorphic, or taking the form of animals. These are not just any animals that the ecstatic individual sees either, they are icons of power; the “biggest, baddest” animals in the animal kingdom, which just happen to be the animals that have caused the biggest threat to humans over time. These images are avimorphic (bird form), ailouromorphic (cat form), and ophidiomorphic (reptilian form).

Source: wiktionary

The cats themselves were never worshipped. In religion involving Bastet or her Romanized forms Isis/Bubastis, the cats were throught to _embody the qualities_ of the ailouromorphic gods, particularly fertility and motherhood, and were regarded as sacred, protected and cultivated around the temples, and sometimes sacrificed, mummified and buried.

Source: wiktionary