The ancient Egyptians were respectful towards the animals that shared
their world and associated many of them with deities or positive human
characteristics. Many animals were
seen as the representatives of gods (for example, crocodiles, hawks and cows) 
However, no animal was held in such esteem as the cat. Cats were
closely connected to a number of gods and goddesses, and there is evidence that
they were considered to be demi-gods in their own right.
When a cat died, their human family would go into a deep mourning and
shave their eyebrows. The cat would then be mummified and buried along with
provisions such as milk, mice and rats.
Second grade students created their own cat mummies using cardboard
tubes, gold paint and patterns for decoration.