The Temple of Sekhmet

Sekhmet, in ancient Egypt, was portrayed as a female figure with the head of a lioness. It was Sekhmet who meted out divine vengeance when errant humanity neglected to worship the gods and took matters into its own unknowing hands. Her destructive rampages were designed to restore rightful order. She was the goddess who heals... but by fire.
In this temple relief, Sekhmet is standing behind the seated Ptah, who holds an ankh, the symbol of life.

Sekhmet the Cat, however, is rather less threatening. She is a Ruddy Abyssinian born in March 1996. Like all Abys, she has a strong personality — but she is really a people cat who loves affection. She is also intensely interested in being involved in the daily lives of her people. Whatever we’re doing, she wants to help. If you’ve never had a cat help you change a bed, you just have not yet lived.

In this portrait, Sekhmet is resting on a favorite footstool.

Nefret, whose name means “The Beautiful One,” joined the family in May 2000; she’s also a Ruddy Aby, born in March. She is now fully mature, with the Aby‘s characteristic green or golden eyes (depending on mood) and a fur color slighttly less red than tht of Sekhmet. It appears that she will never grow into her ears, which are amazingly large.
In this 2001 snapshot, Nefret was resting for a brief moment on the breakfast table.