Macabre 18th Century mummified cat ward against witchcraft This is a lovely item

This is a lovely item and one that I am very pleased to have owned as it is a real

There are a few cowries missing as can be seen in the photos

but often their bones

inner minimum diameter is about 58mm and it is about 16mm deep

Macabre 18th Century mummified cat ward against witchcraft This is a lovely itemThe practice of putting sealing up dead animals into the walls of houses has been going since the middle ages in Europe. The belief seemed to be that a dried cat or dog would protect against witchcraft and scare a witch's familiar away from the house. It might have also been believed that the presence of these mummified animals also scared away rats and mice. This cat was discovered behind the plaster when the owner was renovating a house that dated