Mummified Cats

Cats were so loved by the Egyptians that when a cat died, it was mummified by rubbing the body with precious oils and wrapping it in layers of cloth. It was taken to a special cemetery where the family would beat gongs and shave off their eyebrows as a sign of mourning. In the 20th century, such a cemetery, containing over three hundred thousand mummified cats was discovered at Beni Hassan. In 1907, 190 skulls were presented to the British Museum; most of these skull represented a particular group of cats, a form of the small African bush cat, which had a tabby body, rings on the tail and the "beetle" or scarab mark between the ears. (Credit to Gloria Stephens, author of Legacy of the Cat)