The paw print of a cheeky roman cat has been found in a pile of Roman roof tiles which were dug up in Berkeley Street in 1969.
The paw print had lain undiscovered until was found last month by an archaeologist at the city museum amongst thousands of fragments of Roman roof tile.
When Romans made roof tiles they left the wet clay out to dry in the sun.
Animals, physician and people, diagnosis sometimes walked across the drying tiles and left their footprints behind.
The cat is thought to have snuck across the wet tiles in Gloucester in about AD 100, order probably at the annoyance of the tile makers, but this did not stop the Romans from using the roof tile.
The tile, a type called tegula, was used on the roof of a building in what became the Berkeley Street area of modern Gloucester.
Cllr Lise Noakes, cabinet member for culture and leisure at Gloucester City Council said, “What a fascinating discovery. Dog paw prints, people’s boot prints and even a piglet’s trotter print have all been found on tiles from Roman Gloucester, but cat prints are very rare. Why not come along and see it for yourself at The City Museum and Art Gallery.”
The City Museum and Art Gallery on Brunswick Road, and the Folk Museum on Westgate Street, are both open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm, excluding bank holidays.
For more information visit: www.gloucester.gov.uk/museums