Cat and Mouse Act of 1913 & 10 Winners!
As many of you know I love and collect vintage cat art. I’ve often posted my antique or vintage finds or favorites and I’d like to make it a regular feature. So, we’re going to try it out on Fridays and switch GIVEAWAYS to Tuesdays and make Wednesdays a day off. Let us know how you like it and as always, we’re here for you.
We’re purring with delight to announce our 10 winners for our Hills Giveaway. Congratulations to:
Holly Carr, Rascal and Rocco, Ellen Beck, Michelle Cavanaugh, Cindy, Deb N Cats, Katnip Lounge, Vicky C, Tina W. and Andrea. We’ll be emailing you this weekend requesting your shipping address.
I fell in love with two antique sterling solid silver cigarette cases not because I smoke (I don’t) but for the enameled Suffragette cats with a caption:”I Want My Vote”. One of the reasons I love antiques and old things is how they connect the past with our present. It’s good to be reminded how far we’ve evolved or not. It wasn’t all that long ago that women did not have the right to vote but did you know how cats are connected to suffrage movement?
In April of 1913, the Cat-and-Mouse Act became law in the UK as government response to the use of hunger strikes by imprisoned suffragettes. Postcards and other objects with cats were created to lend support for the cause.
The playfully named Cat and Mouse act (officially known as the Prisoner’s Temporary Discharge of Ill Health Act) was anything but playful. Marion Dunlop was the first suffragette to stage hunger strike to protest the inordinately long prison sentences given to suffragettes and the fact they were not treated as political prisoners. The British government released her from jail after 91 hours of fasting in order not to risk her health. In order to thwart other suffragettes from using this tactic to avoid serving their full sentences, the authorities introduced brutal forced feeding. The act stated that women who engaged in hunger strikes should be released from prison once they fell ill, but would be re-arrested once they recovered their strength. On November 29, 1917, the US government announced it planned to use Britain’s cat and mouse approach.
The timeline of UK and US suffrage differs but converges with big rallies of support before World War I. If this topic interests you, there is a cool website of suffrage memorabilia WomenSuffrageMemorabilia.com
18 Comments
http://www.canondriver.net
Hey there! I just found this page and I truly enjoy it. I always like to chat about canon printer program at times. Great to be here, regards!
Cynthia Southern
I like the new schedule including you taking Wednesday off. I always love seeing and pinning the images of vintage cat art and products.
Skeeter and Izzy
Concats to all the winners and we hope they all benefit from weight loss and greatly improved health!!!
It is amazing how humanity has progressed in some ways and places and yet how little in others.
It never ceases to amaze me how the ones with the “bigger,more evolved brain” can actually be the stupidest. Lord knows you can educate ignorance but you can’t fix stupid………………
Luvs
Skeeter and Izzy and the Feral Gang + Twig and Peanut and Romeo >^..^<
Katnip Lounge
OMC we won! How exciting and thanks for having the giveaway.
Mommy was fascinated by today’s post.
Flynn
That was interesting. I didn’t know of the cat and mouse act either. The cigarette cases are lovely.
Angel AbbyGrace
How interesting. WE did not know this fact and the use of cats to advertise their cause is very interesting. Concats to those winners!!
Brian Frum
Hooray to the winners and we think there better be some losers in there…weight losers that is!
Alana
We had no idea that cats were so involved in politics back in the day. Congrats to the winners!
meowmeowmans
We don’t smoke, either, but those Women’s Suffrage Movement cases is AWESOME! Thank you for the really interesting — and horrific — background on the movement, too.
Glogirly and Katie
Congrats to the winners! We hope winning will help them lose!
: )
dda tabbies o trout towne
we wood love ta see mor vintage stuff !!! and heerz two a wild whitefish week oh end ◄►
easy rider
I saw a documentation a view days ago, it was horrible what they did to those women. Specially the case of Emily Davison was a tragedy. Many thanks for such an interesting post – cats have a great history :o)
The Island Cats
That’s some interesting cat art. The mom likes to collect vintage cat things too…mostly related to black cats. She loves those cigarette cases.
maggie
That’s horrifying. I had no idea of the back story when I’ve seen cats used on voting ephemera. You must have an amazing collection. Thanks for sharing it.
Sometimes, Cats Herd You
That’s an intense postcard with the cat carrying the suffragette in his teeth!
Connie Marie
Great post, love the vintage lighters, only because of their looks, I don’t smoke either.
I sure learned alot I didn’t know.
I’m simply amazed at how women
were treated.
Kathryn
Brutal. Had no idea cats were used to help the cause. And this was only 100 years ago. Thanks so much for sharing this all-important fact.
Cary Hillman
Very interesting. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing, Layla. Also, I’d love to see your vintage cat pieces, so share away 🙂