Mummified Cat Inside a Coffin

Perhaps the most iconic animal associated with ancient Egypt today, cats were regarded as forms of the goddess Bastet, a protective mother. Radiographs reveal an adult cat with a ‘hump back’ appearance created by the scapulae (shoulder blades) being drawn back and upwards. A plaster-like substance has been applied around the cervical spine, supporting the neck which appears to have been fractured. For the first time the mummy was X-rayed and CT imaged at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital on 9th April 2015 as part of the University of Manchester’s Animal Bio Bank Project (object ref. no. AEABB742).