In spite of the great care bestowed on cats, there can have been no lack of mice in Egypt.

In one nomos or province the shrew-mouse was sacred, and a satirical, obscene papyrus in Turin shows us a war between the cats and mice; the Papyrus Ebers contains poisons for mice.

We ourselves possess a shrew-mouse exquisitely wrought in bronze.] "Everything was going well," continued the officer, "when we left Memphis two years ago.
"I confided my pair of cats to the care of one of the Egyptian servants at the palace, feeling sure that these enemies of the rats would keep my dwelling clear for the future; indeed I began to feel a certain veneration for my deliverers from the plague of mice.
"Last year Amasis fell ill before the court could adjourn to Memphis, and we remained at Sais.
"At last, about six week ago, we set out for the city of the Pyramids.

I betook me to my old quarters; not the shadow of a mouse's tail was to be seen there, but instead, they swarmed with another race of animals not one whit dearer to me than their predecessors.

The pair of cats had, during my two years' absence, increased twelve-fold.