In April builders renovating a house in Henrietta Street were working on the ceiling above the fireplace when a long deceased cat unceremoniously fell on them.A relic of the time when it was considered wise to brick a live cat within the walls or chimney of a newly built dwelling to ward off witches and their familiars.
The practice was probably especially necessary in Whitby, because as late as the census of 1816 seven women gave their occupation as sorceress or fortune teller.Builders have come across these wizened amulets all over the country. The Red Cat Hotel in Norfolk takes it's name from one of these mummified felines. Examples can also be seen in museums such as Portland in Dorset and Keswick in Cumbria.
Despite the belief that these superstitions are rooted deep in the past, Stuart Brown, the property renovator from Sleights 
who discovered the cat in Tim Deacon's cottage on Henrietta Street, walled the leathery furless body back where it was found. It remains there today steadfastly continuing it's work as a supernatural guardian.
who discovered the cat in Tim Deacon's cottage on Henrietta Street, walled the leathery furless body back where it was found. It remains there today steadfastly continuing it's work as a supernatural guardian.
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