X-rays Reveal the Harsh Lives of Ancient Egyptian Cats

WHO:

Gizmodo - Study co-author Bea De Cupere is a zooarchaeologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

Gizmodo - Wim Van Neer, the study’s first author, is a researcher at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

Gizmodo - Julia Troche is an Egyptologist at Missouri State University.

Gizmodo - British biologist William A. Herdman helped preserve a small portion of roughly 200,000 animal mummies that had been put up for a fertilizer auction.

Phys.org - The study concerns cats offered to the gods by Egyptians.

WHAT:

Gizmodo - Researchers analyzed 131 well-preserved felid skulls from Beni Hassan and found evidence of disease and injuries; more than half showed signs of gum disease.

Gizmodo - The skulls showed healed fractures, puncture marks, and deformations associated with infections or other illnesses.

Gizmodo - X-ray analysis helped researchers estimate cats’ ages at death; 86% of the specimens were adults. Earlier studies of cat-mummy deposits typically found about 20% adults.

Gizmodo - The studied cats included jungle cats, domestic cats, African wild cats, and possible hybrids.

Gizmodo - Radiocarbon dating of nine skulls found that eight dated to 380–40 BCE; one dated to the Third Intermediate Period, around the 10th century BCE.

Gizmodo - The cats’ dental problems were broadly comparable to or lower than those reported in modern feral cat populations.

Gizmodo - Some skull lesions suggested blows from a sharp metal object and possibly a thick wooden stick; the injuries had not healed.

Gizmodo - Researchers reported numerous indications of infections and metabolic diseases.

Phys.org - A study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science reports that cats offered to Egyptian gods did not necessarily live pampered lives.

WHERE:

Gizmodo - The skulls came from Beni Hassan, an ancient Egyptian funerary site.

Gizmodo - Cat mummies have been found in human tombs whose wall scenes depict cats beneath chairs, chasing birds, or playing.

WHY:

Gizmodo - Van Neer said the high density of animals could have caused stress and aggression, leading to injuries, while allowing diseases to spread easily.

Gizmodo - The researchers said the purpose of some violent acts was unclear; fatal injuries may have caused quick deaths before mummification, while healed wounds show some cats survived injuries.

HOW:

Gizmodo - Researchers used osteological analysis and noninvasive X-ray methods; they also radiocarbon-dated nine skulls.

Gizmodo - Nineteenth- and early-20th-century excavators found pits containing densely packed layers of mummified cats, 10–20 animals deep. Animal mummies were repurposed as ship ballast, fertilizer, fuel, or powdered medicine.

Gizmodo - The study was limited because researchers had only skulls; the article says health diagnoses would have been more straightforward with near-complete skeletons.

(UPDATED November 11, 2026 05:04 UTC)

Ancient Egyptian cats offered to the gods often endured disease, injuries, and crowded conditions. Researchers examined 131 skulls from Beni Hassan; more than half showed gum disease. Most were adults, and some had fatal injuries, challenging images of pampered cats.