Cats were associated with the goddess Bastet and revered as protectors of the home. Great quantities of mummies of cats were left at cult centers of the goddess at Saqqara and other cult sites in the Delta and Middle Egypt.
X-rays reveal that this example is actually a simulated mummy with a cat skull and a stray bone forming the body. It has been wrapped and detailed in paint to look like a complete cat mummy. Such simulated mummies were not uncommon, given the vast amounts of animals that were buried. Many animal burials seem to have occurred at a single time, perhaps during festivals. If there were not enough actual creatures around to be offered, then substitutes had to be produced.
