The Prince of Wales, in the year 936 was Hywel Dda. He introduced laws to protect domestic cats, and is now generally known as Howel the Good. Howel recognized that cats were of great value to agriculture and the community as pest-controllers, he therefore introduced a scale of prices for kittens and cats which included penalties for killing or stealing a cat. These prices varied from one to four pence according to the age and killing ability of each cat.  

Buyers could even claim back one-third of the price they paid, if after purchased it was a female that failed to rear kittens, or failed to kill mice. The penalty for killing or stealing a cat was to suspend the animal, tail uppermost, with its head touching the ground, wheat was then poured around it until the tip of its tail was covered. If it was a cat from the King's barn or no grain was available a sheep with lamb and wool was deemed to be of equivalent value.

It is a great pity that the cat's value was short-lived, as in the year 962 records state that hundreds of unfortunate cats were killed in the city of Metz in France. Later 13th century Catholicism dictated the terrible atrocities committed against innocent human beings and cats alike.

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