This mummified cat was x-rayed at Manchester Royal Infirmary in 2007. It revealed that the neck had been broken post mortem. There was no evidence of twisting or displacement of adjacent bones which would be visible if the cat had been strangled. The tail is present and has been folded up along the spine.

It's probably about 2,300 years old, dating from the Late Period (747 - 332 BC). It was acquired in Beni Hasan by Mr. Alfred Hudd, a local antiquarian, on 10th March 1893. His collection of Egyptian artefacts and local antiquities was donated to the museum in 1921 by his widow in 1921. (Incidentally, it's very common for widows to be museum donors.)