web analytics

How do you say, “godammit, kitty!” in ancient Croatian?

pawprints

Paw prints found on a 15th Century Croatian manuscript. Also Roman roof tiles in Gloucester. And Roman mortar in York. And in Leicester.

In the Netherlands, they convinced themselves that animal prints in floor and roof tiles were lucky and every home must have at least one. I suspect that’s a case of potters making the best of all those godammit, kitty! tiles.

But my favorite is this German manuscript from 1420, left oddly incomplete on one page. Scribbled on the blank part are accusatory pointing fingers, a sketch of a cat and the inscription

Here is nothing missing, but a cat urinated on this during a certain night. Cursed be the pesty cat that urinated over this book during the night in Deventer and because of it many others [other cats] too. And beware well not to leave open books at night where cats can come.

Comments


Comment from Uncle Al
Time: August 3, 2015, 10:11 pm

Now I’m waiting for a report that, while unwinding an ancient Egyptian mummy, archaeologists found a hairball. Weren’t cats sacred to the old Egyptians?


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: August 3, 2015, 10:24 pm

Uncle Al –

That Egytian cat with the hairball thought it was pretty funny till the Muffifier Man caught him one day!

http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/files/2013/03/rn-20f3.jpg

The rest of the story…
http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/cat-mummies/


Comment from mojo
Time: August 3, 2015, 10:55 pm

Yeah, Tucker specializes in being an annoying little shit.

Good thing he’s so cute.


Comment from Uncle Al
Time: August 3, 2015, 10:59 pm

zOMG, Some Vegetable, I had no idea! Thanks for opening up a whole new world of weirdness for me.


Comment from Steamboat McGoo
Time: August 3, 2015, 11:12 pm

OK, so make that cat book I mentioned the other day, “An Historical Perspective On Cats F***ing With Folks When They’re Not Shoving Their Butts Into Folks Faces”.


Comment from Nina
Time: August 3, 2015, 11:23 pm

I get the issue with cat pee smell never truly going away. 😝


Comment from Brother Cavil, by the Pale Moon light
Time: August 4, 2015, 12:05 am

“Forsooth! Scribing not unlike that resulting from the traverse of a feline across the page has been noted!”


Comment from RimrockR
Time: August 4, 2015, 12:18 am

Mexican saltillo tile costs extra for the ones with animal tracks. Cats, chihuahuas, goat suckers,etc.


Comment from Wolfus Aurelius
Time: August 4, 2015, 1:37 pm

What, no clumping kitty litter in the 1400s?


Comment from gebrauchshund
Time: August 5, 2015, 12:16 am

So, does the German manuscript still smell like cat pee?

Write a comment

(as if I cared)

(yeah. I'm going to write)

(oooo! you have a website?)


Beware: more than one link in a comment is apt to earn you a trip to the spam filter, where you will remain -- cold, frightened and alone -- until I remember to clean the trap. But, hey, without Akismet, we'd be up to our asses in...well, ass porn, mostly.


<< carry me back to ol' virginny