Is the Year of the Snake actually the Year of the Cat? A 700-year-old tomb painting raises this particularly pressing question in the Year of the Snake. The mural, which is on display in the renowned Yuelu Academy from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in present-day Hunan, depicts twelve animals in bureaucratic garb. However, not only are the twelve animals lined up in a completely different order to that of the current sign of the zodiac. Instead of a snake, a cat’s head is clearly peeking out of the noble robe.