Ten Interesting Cat Moments in History

The Cheshire Cat: Look at That Smile!

Through centuries, cats evolved with us, and our attitude towards them changed too. It was a long journey for them from a place where they were just useful animals for farmers to protect their grain storage from rodents. They grew on us gradually to become household members and soulful companions.

This subtle transformation can be seen in the anecdotal evidence that I am going to list below. These cat moments belong to different times in history.

The first instance is the smiling Cheshire Cat in the classic children’s book, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, written by Lewis Caroll, a cat moment that revolutionised characterisation in literature. This is the picture of the Cheshire cat originally drawn inside the book when it was printed.

The original picture of cheshire cat in the first published copy of Alice in Wonderland; source: fr.wikipedia.org

The Pussy Cat that Went to London

Then we have this funny nursery rhyme on a cat. This was penned during the time of Queen Anne. Even now, the rhyme is popular among children.

“Pussy-cat, Pussy-cat,

Where have you been?

I’ve been to London

To see the Queen.

Pussy-cat, Pussy-cat,

What did you do there?

I frightened a little mouse

Under her chair.”

Another little-known children’s song about tabby cats was-

“Yes! Truly we remember all-

The tabbies, white and gray-

Who lived with us and loved us well

Before they passed away.”

Cat Proverbs

Many cat proverbs have been in circulation for centuries. They reflect upon different character traits of cats and us by making funny yet meaninful comparisons. A few are listed here-

“A cat may look at a king.”

“Care will kill the cat.”

“When the cat's away, the mice will play.”

“When the maid leaves the door open, the cat’s at fault.”

“When candles are out, all cats are grey.”

Shakespeare’s Cats

Shakespeare seems to have not been very fond of cats. In his writings, there are at least 44 mentions of cats. Most of them are spiteful and indifferent to our furry friends. A few examples as spoken by different characters are-

“I could endure anything before me but a cat, and now he’s cat to me”

“In killing creatures vile as cats and dogs”

“Hang off, thou cat, thou burr, thou vile thing”

“Every cat and dog/ And little mouse, every unworthy thing”

A Census Report on a Cat

An early 20th-century news item about the census that had concluded a few days before read as follows-

“An enumerator in going over a return paper found that the household cat had been included as a member of the family. It was described as ‘Jim’, the relationship to the head of the family being, ‘lodger’. The entry then stated that he was of the male sex, single, aged one last birthday. His occupation was also given - mouse-catcher, worker on his own account.” (The Book of the Cat by Frances Simpson, p.25).

Here, the cat is elevated to the status of a member of the household. The family did not even think twice to enumerate their cat just like other human members. The concept of census must have been quite new to them and there is no wonder they did not differentiate between humans and cats. The enumerator might have asked who lived in the house. And it is quite endearing how the family dignifies their cat as a worker and a lodger.

Cat Intelligence and Nature Magazine

In an 1883 issue of Nature magazine, a letter from a reader, W R Hughes, was published as he gave an account of curious behaviour in his cats. He shared this information as proof of the existence of emotions similar to human intelligence in animals. The letter reads as follows-

“Until recently, our domesticated animals included two cats- one a very fine tabby (a trimmed male) of somewhat morose nature, and a pretty little black cat, a half-bred Persian (a female) of very gentle character. On a noticeable occasion, the tabby cat caught a mouse and ate it all up with much relish in a corner of the room. The proceeding was watched with much interest by the black cat from her place on the hearthrug. After the tabby had finished his repast he also took up his place on the hearthrug. The black cat then went over and smelled the spot where the dainty morsel had been devoured. Upon this, the tabby cat came up and “boxed” the black cat’s ears once or twice, as who should say, “What business have you with my affairs? Catch your own mice!” (Nature, May 10, 1883, p.31).

The relationship between humans and other animals and also human understanding of animal behaviour were becoming new subjects of study for academia. Science was paying attention for the first time to what animals understand, think and feel. This was also the beginning of an era when we began to realise that we owe decent treatment to our pets and domesticated animals.

A painting of cats by Henriette Ronner-Knip

Henriette Ronner-Knip: The Cat Painter

Art was also awakening to the cuteness of cat moments. Today our social media is flooded with cat pictures. This love for cat visuals began in the early paintings of cats. Henriette Ronner-Knip was a Dutch-Belgian artist of the 19th century and no other artist in history painted as many cat paintings as she did.

A painting of cats by Henriette Ronner-Knip

Harrison Weir’s First Cat Show

Harrison Weir, a British artist, author, and often known as ‘The father of the cat fancy’, realised that people would love to just look at cats and appreciate their beauty, given an opportunity. Also, human nature guaranteed that the proud owners of cats would find it exciting to exhibit their cats and gloat over them a little. Harrison Weir organised the first cat show in England in 1871. In 1889, he wrote the first pedigree cat book ever- ‘Our Cats and All About Them’.

Cat show organised by Harrison Weir in 1889

The False Knight Cat

Today, cats have the place that they deserve in our lives. They have all the nutritional support and care that they need in human society. The status of cats kept rising. In 2022, a fake photo circulated showing Queen Elizabeth II knighting a black cat. The false claim was that a cat named Ruben from Exeter, already with a huge social media following, was knighted by the Queen. The image proved to be digitally manipulated. Yet, this incident shows that the future holds great promise for this companion species.

The fake image of Queen Elizabeth II knighting a cat

Larry: The Downing Street Cat

Larry is a stray cat that was adopted by 10 Downing Street staff in 2011. He is a tabby born in 2007 and now serves as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. He has seen five Prime Ministers holding office at 10 Downing Street. The media attention that Larry gets is a sign of the positively evolving love that we cherish for this pet animal.

The Documentation of Cat Moments Continues

In the era of social media, every cat moment is documented and shared with the world. This large assemblage of cat visuals, both pictures and videos, supports our investigations to understand this species more and value the quality of companionship they provide to us.

References

The Book of the Cat, Frances Simpson, 1903, Cassel, Limited.

Fact check: Did Queen Elizabeth II Knight a Cat? Anna Mock, April 30, 2022, checkyourfact.com

Nature, May 10, 1883, Original from Harvard University. Macmillan Journals Limited.