B&B owner finds stuffed cat hidden in his attic is a 2,000-year-old EGYPTIAN MUMMY

Robert Gray, 56, thought artefact was some kind of bizarre antique

X-ray reveals perfectly preserved ancient cat hidden inside



Egyptians mummified pets so they would follow them into the afterlife

When B&B owner Robert Gray found a stuffed cat among the dust in his attic, he assumed it was some kind of bizarre antique.

But after taking the pile of rags to a vet for an x-ray, it emerged the artefact is actually a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy.

Images revealed the outline of a perfectly preserved ancient cat - complete with face, ears, spine and brain.

Piece of history: The cat which Mr Gray found in his loft, left, was revealed to be a perfectly mummified pet after being x-rayed, right



Mr Gray, 56, of Portscatho, Cornwall, said the object had belonged to his late father Peter Gray who was an Egyptologist.

Ancient: Mr Gray said the cat had belonged to his late father but he never realised it was a genuine artefact

But he had never realised the cat was a genuine piece of history and is worth several thousand pounds.

Robert said: 'My father acquired the cat in the 1970s as a token of thanks from a museum. It's been in the loft languishing there for 50 years.

'It's perfectly bandaged up and a very interesting item. Apparently interior designers love this sort of thing, as ghoulish as it sounds.

'It could fetch a couple of thousands pounds but I will probably donate it to a museum.'

Experts at the Royal Cornwall Museum have now verified the remarkable find.

Ancient Egyptians mummified animals as religious offerings or to ensure their beloved companions would follow them into the afterlife.

Mr Gray said his research has suggested that often the mummys would be a fake.

He said: 'You went to the mummifiers and said you wanted to send goodwill to the afterlife but some would take your money and stuff a bunch of rags inside.'

Cats were particularly popular subjects during the Ptolemaic period from 305 BC to 30BC because they were believed to represent the war goddess Bastet.

Mr Gray's x-ray images show the neck of his mummified moggy is still intact, suggesting it was a prized pet rather than a sacrifice to the gods.

Jane Marley, curator of archaeology and world culture at Royal Cornwall Museum, said: 'It was very exciting to see the X-ray.

'It's a lovely face and the wrapping is very good. It's been very well kept.'

WHY DID THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS MUMMIFY PEOPLE AND ANIMALS?

The chief embalmer wore the mask of Anubis - the God of the dead Ancient Egyptians were firm believers in the afterlife when someone died. But they thought to get there, the body needed to be recognisable, so that the dead person could repossess it. The chief embalmer was a priest wearing the mask of Anubis - the jackal-headed God of the dead. First the brains would be pulled out of the person through the nose using a hook. Then all the internal organs would removed, including the lungs, stomach, intestines and liver and placed in jars. The heart would be replaced. The inside of the body would be rinsed with wine and spices before being covered with salt for 70 days. After 40 days it would be stuffed with linen to give it a more humane shape. At 70 days it would be wrapped in bandages and placed inside a brightly-painted coffin.

Mainly wealthy people were mummified because poorer people could not afford it. Animals were also sometimes mummified as gestures to the Gods or so that they could accompany their owners in the afterlife.

