Undertaking a spot of renovation can uncover nasty surprises which may even escape detection by a diligent building inspection according to Richard Savill of the London Telegraph.
Ironically, a funeral director has found a perfectly preserved 400-year-old cat behind the wall of his cottage when builders were stripping his bathroom.
The cat, is in recognisable shape with claws and teeth, is quite scary-looking and larger than today’s domestic cat.
The animal may have crawled in behind the wall and got stuck or more likely, its body was placed there to ward off evil spirits and witches. Cats were often put into walls ‘to keep away witches, the evil eye, bad luck and vermin,’ said Dr Marion Gibson, a witchcraft expert at Exeter University.
According to neighbours, the cat was actually found 20 years ago by previous owners – but was reinstated.
And the funeral director is planning to do the same to continue village tradition and maintain his property’s charm.
But there’s more… a child’s boot is also supposedly hidden in the house as a good luck charm because it was once a cobbler’s shop.