Purrfectly preserved paw prints of a mischievous medieval cat.
Emir O. Filipović, a historian at the University of Sarajevo, made a fascinating discovery while pawing through a 15th century manuscript in the State Archives of Dubrovnik: a series of small paw prints that had been left behind by a curious cat. Filipović explains the discovery:
“My story line follows a simple path: I was doing some research in the Dubrovnik State Archives for my PhD, I came across some pages which were stained with cat paw prints, I took a few photos of this (as I do whenever I notice something interesting or unusual on any old book I’m reading), and carried on with my work not paying too much attention to something which at that time could essentially be only a distraction.”
Filipović first shared the photo with fellow historian Erik Kwakkel via Twitter, but it wasn’t until later that the paw prints gained momentum and were widely reblogged, retweeted, and shared.
“I never could have imagined the attention that those prints would subsequently receive,” Filipović told National Geographic.
As a result of widespread coverage on Twitter and blogs, a French historian learnt about the photograph and decided to incorporate it into her Interactive Album of Medieval Paleography, allowing other historians to utilize this distinctive discovery and gain insight into everyday life in 14th century Dubrovnik. Filipović provides further explanation:
“The photo of the cat paw prints represents one such situation which forces the historian to take his eyes from the text for a moment, to pause and to recreate in his mind the incident when a cat, presumably owned by the scribe, pounced first on the ink container and then on the book, branding it for the ensuing centuries.”
“You can almost picture the writer shooing the cat in a panicky fashion while trying to remove it from his desk. Despite his best efforts the damage was already complete and there was nothing else he could have done but turn a new leaf and continue his job. In that way this little episode was ‘archived’ in history.”
During his research, Filipović has encountered a range of interesting details such as small doodles, unusual fungi, ornate initials, perforations possibly caused by insects, holes presumably drilled through the manuscripts by worms or other pests, as well as meticulously created watermarks.
But among all of them, the medieval cat paw prints have proved to be most fascinating. Although it has gained popularity as a cat meme, Filipović hopes for the photo to become more than just a lighthearted discovery and encourage greater interest in the medieval Mediterranean.
“[The photo] could perhaps encourage at least one researcher to dedicate more time to the history of Dubrovnik, its immediate Hinterland (Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia), and the wider Mediterranean region,” he concludes.
So, if a cat ever runs over the manuscript you are meticulously writing, don’t be annoyed. It could make your work popular hundreds of years later.