Shanghai Museum invites pet cats to Egyptian antiquities exhibition

Shanghai Museum has said it will host 10 night events where audiences will be allowed to bring pet cats to an Egyptian antiquities exhibition, a rare occurrence among comprehensive museums globally.

According to the museum, the Egyptian antiquities exhibition, scheduled to begin on July 18, will feature more than 780 precious cultural relics from different periods of ancient Egypt, over 95 percent of which will be displayed in Asia for the first time.

The exhibition will feature many important artifacts unearthed at the site of the Bubasteion of Saqqara in Egypt, which was dedicated to the cat goddess Bastet.

"In ancient Egypt, the cat goddess Bastet was regarded as a symbol of protection and spirituality, and the worship of Bastet by Egyptians went beyond the boundaries of time and space, which coincides with the Chinese people's love for cats today," said Chu Xiaobo, curator of the museum.

The number of cats allowed at each event is limited to 200. Licensed cat veterinarians, a parked medical service vehicle, and cat friendly devices such as cat storage, cat mood stabilizer and cat strollers will be provided. After each event, the entire museum will be thoroughly disinfected, sterilized and deodorized, according to the organizer.