While cats are usually seen as pets these days, back in Ancient Egypt the animals were held in the highest esteem.
Now, scientists from the Research Institute of Computer Science and Random Systems have analysed the 2,500-year-old mummified remains of one such cat, with rather surprising results.
The team first scanned the mummy using a CT scan, before using the images to create 3D reconstructions of the cat.
This allowed them to visualise the cat in a non-destructive way.
The reconstruction revealed that the cat was missing a skull and any vertebrae or ribs, but had five hind legs and three complete tails.
Meanwhile, a textile ball was in place of the head, although the researchers don’t know why.
Theophane Nicolas, a researcher involved in the project, said: “We expected to see a cat and not several cats, but it is perhaps not so exceptional.
“There are millions of animal mummies, but few have been imagined. Some are empty, others contain only one bone, sometimes the cat is complete.”
While the reason for the strange findings remains unclear, the researchers have several theories.
Mr Nicolas added: “Some researchers believe that we are dealing with an ancient scam organised by unscrupulous priests, we believe on the contrary that there are innumerable ways to make animal mummies.
“We will know more once we have made a body of imagery, which joins a field of study that is developing on a global scale.”
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