The Egyptians really loved their cats; so much so that they mummified them when they died.
The cat was a beloved member of most Egyptian families. Cats kept the pests away, helped hunt and fish for family food, and provided unconditional love and cuddle time with every member of the household. and when a household cat died, the Egyptian family would go into a period of deep mourning for their loss. They would shave their eyebrows as a sign of grief.
Cats would be mummified upon death, like their human masters. Like humans, feline mummification was a multi-step process performed by priests who were specially trained for the task. The steps of feline mummification included:
- removing the internal organs (except for the heart)
- stuffing the body cavity with sand
- placing the cat into a sitting position, to retain its lifelike quality
- wrapping the body tightly in linen strips
- painting a face and various symbolic designs on the wrappings with black ink
In mummifying cats, there were no chemicals used like there were in mummifying humans. The cat mummy was left to dry out naturally. When cats were placed in tombs, they were given bowls of milk and rodents. Their comfort for the journey into the afterlife was just as important for their humans.
