Mummified cat found at Umbilo old age home

BARTLE House, a home for the aged in Umbilo, was abuzz with excitement after a cleaner made a shocking find this week.

Thomas Zondi was searching for one of the home’s feral cats in a space under the building on Tuesday afternoon when he stumbled upon a mummified cat. Matron Carole Oom told Berea Mail the discovery was made purely by accident.

“We were actually looking for one of the feral cats from the home which had been ill last week. Residents had last seen the black cat on Monday morning so we were trying to locate it to take it to a vet. Everyone had searched everywhere and nobody could find it so I asked Thomas to check under the buildings.”

Oom said she was afraid the cat had gone into hiding because it was very ill and thought Thomas might return with the deceased cat but was speechless when he returned with his find.

“He came back on Tuesday morning with this cat in his arms and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Everyone has been so awestruck it has really caused a lot of interest in our old age home and has given the ladies and gentlemen a lot to talk about.

“They have come in taken photographs with their phones sent it to friends and expressed theories about its history, ” she said.

Zondi, who has worked at the home for more than a decade was completely surprised by his find. The fossil was discovered under the wing of the Home.

The Bauman Wing was an additional wing donated by Oliver Walter Bauman who was the vice chairman of Centenary Home, in memory of his father JML Bauman, in 1958.

A local vet was very interested when Oom told them about their find and after looking at the almost perfectly mummified specimen, said it was definitely a Sphynx cat as it had not a spot of fur on it and had double padded paws.

Oom believes the cat might have come out hunting and gone under the Bauman Wing building after eating a poisoned rat.

“If he ate a rat that had Rattex, the blood usually drains from the animal and that area is completely dry so there is a possibility that it could have self mummified.

“If you look at its little face it looks like its been frozen in pain. Rattex is a painful death for animals,” she said sadly.

The vet said the likelihood of Oom’s assumptions were a definite possibility, however could not confirm how long the cat had been stuck under the building judging from the fossil.

Matron Carole Oom hopes that anyone with an interest in archaeology might assist them to determine how old the cat is or offer up any other information about their intriguing find. Contact Bartle House on 031 2051281.