UK - Mummified moggy falls from 18th c. ceiling

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wfgodot

wfgodot

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Tutan-CAT-mun: 18th Century mummified kitty falls out of ceiling as house is being renovated (Daily Mail)
Bringing old homes up to scratch is nothing out of the ordinary for property renovators Andrew and George Hartley,

But this professional couple nearly jumped out their skin when greeted by their most recent form of preservation - as a mummified cat fell on them.

The couple got a face full of the ancient feline as they removed ceilings from an 18th century property in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.
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So....why the hell was a cat in the roof??
Although experts are not 100 per cent sure if the cat was dead or alive when it was mummified it is thought that because it was positioned in the roof it was mummified intentionally, whilst alive.

According to folklore, it is said that cats were often put in to walls of properties as a sort of good luck charm and Mrs Hartley added 'Dead cats were put in houses to supposedly ward off evil spirits.'
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more, with pictures and a mummified cats sidebar, at link above
 
I think dear furry was in the attic and died. We find mummified furries around here all the time. I don't know if it is the heat and humidity that preserves them or what. The most interesting are a construction worker friend's collection of mummified rats. They all look like screaming ghouls with razor teeth. They are found in attics, ducts, and underneath homes.

Hmmm, wonder if I crawl under a house when the time comes.... :crazy:
 
Oooh, I almost forgot, but this is not kind. One of the murder cases here was a body left out in a field. Mummified.

Creepy stuff.
 
I'd rather believe it was an accident than that the homeowners had a conversation involving the words, "Aye, we'll ward off the spirits and bring ourselves a bit of luck in the process; just catch that ginger the children call Jenny and we'll stash 'er up there to die."
 
In Dorset shoes are often found walled up in fireplaces along with cats.
This happened all over England, for good luck and to ward off evil spirits and the like.
 
Love learnng about odd superstitions from ages past. I prefer to think the cat was already dead when placed there.

Thanks for yet another bizarre news link woofie, I can always count on you.
 
More concealed objects to ward off bad spirits, this time in Australia
Items of clothing found concealed in Australian buildings tell the story of a battle waged by early settlers with the evil spirits they feared were lying in wait in their unfamiliar surroundings.

A shoe hidden in a bridge. A prisoner's uniform stashed under a staircase. Toys concealed in an attic. A dead cat secreted into a roof cavity.

More at above link
 
Oh my goodness what a shock. Wonder if they'll hear meow sounds in the middle of the night? It wasn't good luck for the cat. It doesn't say whether they buried the cat or not but I hope so. I believe everything animals or human should either be buried or cremated. JMO
 
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