Bast was a goddess in Ancient Egypt. She was worshipped as part of the Ancient Egyptian religion. She was/is a major goddess. She was the patron goddess of cats, protection against contagious diseases and evil spirits, love, and family. She is also closely linked with Sekhmet and they are sometimes considered to be two sides of the same coin, so to speak. Sekhmet was also a major goddess. She was the goddess of fire, war, vengeance and medicine, and she was often depicted as a lioness. Bast is considered a lunar deity, and Sekhmet is a solar deity. They are both said to be the mother of Nefertum and the wife of Ptah.
Although Bast was generally thought of as a domestic cat goddess in early times, she is also depicted as lion or desert cat.