So, I recently discovered a cat skeleton in an out-of-the-way location in the crawlspace under my home, and my first thought was that it might be Sage, who has been MIA since May 1st of this year. However, upon closer inspection, the skeleton looked to have been there for a very long time: no flesh or fur, just the bones of a cat lying on its side, long past any stage of decomposition except for time wearing on the bones. I wish I could say with certainty that the bones belonged to Sage, that way I'd know that he wasn't torn to pieces by coyotes... but it doesn't seem likely that a cat could decompose into such a state in six relatively short months.
Could Arizona really do this to a dead cat? Wear it away in accelerated decomposition till the cat looked like something out of ancient Egypt? We do have heaps of ants & beetles & whatnot, and the aridity might be a factor. Here's something else I noticed: the skull of the cat looked like it still had the ears attached, minus the fur. So here are my forensic questions: Are cats ears made of cartilage? And how quickly does cartilage decompose, if ever? What I mean is this: could this be the skeleton of a cat who died twenty years ago, or would the ears be long gone? Could this actually be my missing Sage, since the ears still appear to be attached to the skull?
I keep wondering whether Sage crawled under the home to die, and wondering whether these are his remains, though I never smelled any foul odors of decomposition during the past six months. I'd like to think these are his bones, and that perhaps he simply entered the crawlspace, laid down on the cool dirt and died... sure would beat the other scenario, being torn to pieces by varmints. This skeleton looks so old, and yet the attached ears seem like a clue... I recall seeing a cat's skeleton before in some museum or textbook photo, but I don't remember seeing ears on that cat skeleton. If the skeleton under my home is actually Sage, is it possible that springtime insects could've worked so fast and the bones weathered so quickly as to appear much older?
Those are my questions, all observations or explanations are welcome... perhaps someone who works in forensics can enlighten me with regard to the ear cartilage, if that's what it truly is. I might add that we have strong winds on occasion, so dust could've blown through exposed skirting sections of the home and coated this skeleton, making it appear older in the dim light. A flashlight didn't help much, even with bright LEDs the bones simply looked ancient... but on the other hand, my cat Sage has been missing since May 1st, and he was around 20 years old at the time of his disappearance. Maybe the ear cartilage will offer some clue... in the meantime, I buried the skeleton in place, not with a shovel but by covering it with a deep layer of potting soil, I bought a big bag of soil expressly for the purpose since I didn't want to disturb the bones.
I will check later this week to see if anybody has replied to this thread, now it's time to head back to the ol' hacienda and relax with a cold beer.
Could Arizona really do this to a dead cat? Wear it away in accelerated decomposition till the cat looked like something out of ancient Egypt? We do have heaps of ants & beetles & whatnot, and the aridity might be a factor. Here's something else I noticed: the skull of the cat looked like it still had the ears attached, minus the fur. So here are my forensic questions: Are cats ears made of cartilage? And how quickly does cartilage decompose, if ever? What I mean is this: could this be the skeleton of a cat who died twenty years ago, or would the ears be long gone? Could this actually be my missing Sage, since the ears still appear to be attached to the skull?
I keep wondering whether Sage crawled under the home to die, and wondering whether these are his remains, though I never smelled any foul odors of decomposition during the past six months. I'd like to think these are his bones, and that perhaps he simply entered the crawlspace, laid down on the cool dirt and died... sure would beat the other scenario, being torn to pieces by varmints. This skeleton looks so old, and yet the attached ears seem like a clue... I recall seeing a cat's skeleton before in some museum or textbook photo, but I don't remember seeing ears on that cat skeleton. If the skeleton under my home is actually Sage, is it possible that springtime insects could've worked so fast and the bones weathered so quickly as to appear much older?
Those are my questions, all observations or explanations are welcome... perhaps someone who works in forensics can enlighten me with regard to the ear cartilage, if that's what it truly is. I might add that we have strong winds on occasion, so dust could've blown through exposed skirting sections of the home and coated this skeleton, making it appear older in the dim light. A flashlight didn't help much, even with bright LEDs the bones simply looked ancient... but on the other hand, my cat Sage has been missing since May 1st, and he was around 20 years old at the time of his disappearance. Maybe the ear cartilage will offer some clue... in the meantime, I buried the skeleton in place, not with a shovel but by covering it with a deep layer of potting soil, I bought a big bag of soil expressly for the purpose since I didn't want to disturb the bones.
I will check later this week to see if anybody has replied to this thread, now it's time to head back to the ol' hacienda and relax with a cold beer.