I loved old Tutankhamun. He was our elderly Persian cat. He could mesmerize me with his large, rather oval greenish-blue eyes.
In writing my stories, I have learned a great deal about the Egyptian cat. The Mau is the ancestor of the modern domestic cat. They are beautiful, and their tawny coat is accentuated by dark brown tiger stripes. I created a trilogy of Egyptian mysteries where a cat plays an important part to the story. Miu, Isis, and Mios prove helpful in helping their master solve the crime.
The Mau is curious, always moving, and likes to pick up shiny objects and hides them, much like the raven. IN a murder mystery, those objects might also be important clues to solving a murder. Sometimes not. The Mau exists today, but they are a little too large for most households, and can cost $800.00.
Two years ago, an unopened tomb was discovered outside of Cairo, Egypt. When it was opened, they discovered Shepseskhaf, the physician. Entombed with him were all of his clothes and food needed for the afterlife, his medical instruments and his mummified cat. That became the hook for my story. Did the physician ever take his cat with him to visit patients or the victims of a violent death? If he did, did the cat ever find things not seen by the authorities?
Even before our daughter brought old King Tut home, I could sense by his attitude that we were not accepting him into our family—he rather, was adopting us.
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