AND CATS. Jessey Wade. The Animals Friend, April 1927
It seems passing strange that during all the years which have gone by since Richard Martin first stood up, literally, for the legal protection of horses, and a Member of Parliament shouted in derision, "You will want a Bill to protect dogs next!" and another added, as the crowning absurdity, "And cats!" that no adequate Society has ever taken root to befriend these household gods who often fall from high estate, and their brothers the strays. A society has been suggested several times, but when one reads of the many cat shows and breeders, the many devotees of Puss, one wonders why this interest in, and possibly love of, the feline tribe, does not lead any section of the public to come to grips with the appalling state of misery and muddle which besets the problem.

Should cats he taxed? Can they be taxed? Does chloroform provide the most humane death, or is electricity better? Are the shelters properly run? and many other points, are often argued, but never settled. Dogs and horses are better provided for. At the present moment we read that the College of Pestology, of all places, is urging the registration of cats, and a Bill to make it law, and thinks the animals themselves will greatly benefit thereby — in other words, a tax. There are many objections to the suggestion, and we doubt if it could be worked. Two recent cases in court have also helped to bring home to many people the feeling that something should be done. One was the mismanagement of a lethal box at a cat shelter, when the victim, "appearing to be dead," afterwards crawled back to his home, and was discovered by the owner a week later, when it then died — after how great suffering, who can tell? The other was a case of the "old fashioned method" of drowning kittens, which was very rightly condemned by the magistrate. The defendant did not even keep the kittens underneath the water. Their cries were heard, and a prosecution by the R.S.P.C.A. was the result.

This cause is just typical of many others. The majority of people do not know what to do with unwanted animals, and there is no signpost available. Education, instruction, persuasion, district visitors and district lectures - all these might be tried, because knowledge and the inculcation of sympathy would help to stem the swarms of miserable cats that the shelters, with all praiseworthy zeal, do their utmost to collect from the streets.

We want to see a special society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Cats inaugurated, determined to find a way to improve their condition, without bringing hardships or restrictions upon the poor, whose only friend may be a "furry" brother. Specialisation is the order of the day, and so it must have its place in this matter. We cannot get away from the fact that some folk like dogs best and others cats; some detest the sight of them, but even those are not heartless - they will see that justice at least is done to the harmless necessary cat.

At the ANIMALS’ FRIEND office we feel ashamed at our inability to tell enquirers where they can safely board their cats when leaving home — so few are the caterers for this one urgent need. My new society, to be, must make this want supplied — a temporary home without danger of infection or escape. Who, then, will think out a happy idea? And who, agreeing with this little appeal, will send in their names as soon as possible to the A.F. Secretary. Notices of a meeting-place will then be issued, and an opportunity for some practical proposals, which will, we hope, start the ball rolling. And remember, above all, that shelters are palliatives — useful indeed — but they are not cures for what is wrong with our cats.

Mrs. Ball, of Mapperley, Notts, had this interesting story of a cat to tell in the Observer of January 30, 1927: "Three years ago an intelligent and beautiful cat died suddenly one night, apparently from poison, to the family sorrow, as he was a great pet. The following evening, as nearly as in possible to ascertain at the exact time, my husband, on descending from the tram at the terminus with friends, felt something rub against his log, and discovered it to be a half grown, and apparently more than half-starved, tabby kitten. Without waiting for invitations, he walked along with him some considerable distance, and, on nearing the house, preceded him, turned in at the gateway, and down the side entry to the door. Having apparently learnt to be wary from early troubles, he still decorates the hearthrug, a somnolent sphinx of incredibly good temper.

"Now, did the discarnate 'Tim' put the lost and disconsolate 'Peter’ onto a good thing? or did my husband’s sympathy (conscious or unconscious) with the children's grief at their pet's unnatural end reach out in some telepathic or hypnotic manner and find a lost cat who happened to be at the terminus in the darkness at that particular time? And why did the cat turn in at the gate of his own accord?"

Editor's Note:— And so the Cats Protection League came into being in June 1927.

CRUELTY " IN TRAINING ANIMALS PROTEST. Western Daily Press, 8th November 1930
In a letter read at a meeting of the Bath branch of the Promotion of Kindness to Animals Society, in the Guildhall, Lady Cory, of the Cat Protection League [other reports say she was the R.S.P.C.A representative], condemned circuses and menageries . . . Mrs Avery, of the same league, said that people did not realise what a cat really was. "They imagine that it's an animated mouse-trap and treat it like a door-mat, instead of a part of domestic life." The speaker then condemned the practice of turning cats out at night. It was just the time they should be kept indoors. The consequence was that now there were more cats than there were homes for. During one year the speaker found that seven different societies had no fewer than 288,000 cats destroyed. Captain Fairholme, of the S.P.C.C.A;, also gave address.

BATH BRANCH OF THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF KINDNESS ANIMALS Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 15th November 1930
A meeting of the Bath branch of the Society for Promotion of Kindness Animals was held the Guildhall, Bath, Friday last week. . . . Lady Cory, of the R.S.P.C.A., who was announced to speak, could not be present, and sent her address to Lady Menendez, who acted her mouthpiece. . . . "I am going to speak about an animal that really needs friends more than any animal in existence, and that is the cat," remarked Mrs. Avery the outset of her address. The cat, she said, was one of the domestic animals least thought of, although it was the most beautiful, the most graceful, cleanest, the daintiest, the most intelligent and the fittest to be the domestic companion of man (applause). By many the cat was regarded as an animated mouse-trap, and it seemed to have even a more humble position than the ordinary door-mat. It was not treated as it should be, as an integral part of domestic life. The majority of people would be amazed at the general treatment of cats. The cruelty that went on through ignorance was the worst and the most difficult form to deal with. "The cat sits cosily in front of the kitchen fire all day, and on the coldest winter night it regularly turned out. It is abominable cruelty, and very foolish from the owners point of view. Mice come out at night, and do not come out during the day, and if the cat is to do its work as a mouse-trap, night is the time." Mrs. Avery said she hoped they would be able to persuade local authorities to take up the question of unwanted cats.

ARE YOU KIND TO YOUR CAT. THE FOLLY OF FALSE SENTIMENTALITY. ILFORD CLUB'S PROGRESS Eastern Counties' Times, 3rd April 1931
The impropriety of false sentimentality as regards cats and other animals was emphasised in an address given by Mrs. Avery, hon secretary of the Cats' Protection League, to members of the Ilford and District branch at their annual general meeting on Thursday. "We have got to deal with the cat problem in a common-sense matter," she declared, " and not in the light of called so-sentiment," and gave some interesting disclosures gleaned during her own personal contact with ignorant cat owners who could not "bear to part " with their pets, yet caused them the greatest misery, through ignorance of their correct treatment.

The Cats Protection League, though comparatively unknown to most people, is doing sterling work, and has made rapid strides since its formation in May, 1927. The Ilford breach has only been in existence for a year, yet has made good progress under the secretaryship of Mr. J. H. Watt, of St. Albans-road, Seven Kings, who invites inquiries from prospective members. The meeting was well attended, and Inspector Ryan, the local officer of the R.S.P.C.A., was among those present.

Mrs. Avery paid tribute to the progress of the branch, and impressed upon its members the novelty of their objects and activities. "The idea of cat clubs is really something quite new," she said and went on to refer to a previous society of a similar character, but which resolved its work into merely keeping down the numbers of the animal by putting unwanted ones out of the way. "But," she continued, "when the idea of the Cats' Protection League was mooted, we determined to see what we could do, not to put the cats to sleep, but to give them happy, healthy lives." They decided that the best way to do this was by getting in touch with all those who were interested in, and possessed cats, and afterwards educating them as to the best methods whereby to care for them. Cat shows were also suggested, but they determined that prizes should be given for the condition and happy appearance of the cat, so that the common tabby might compete with animals of superior pedigree. During the course of the meeting, such an event, to be organised by the Ilford branch, was suggested by a member, and received enthusiastic support.

Mrs. Avery when went on to speak of the strange history of the cat, much of the atmosphere of which, she said, still adhered to it. The cat was the most difficult animal to deal with, but it was not considered with common sense. Its owners often had the impression that it could live on air, and subsist in the streets. A mass of legends and superstitions enveloped the animal, and they needed to educate the people in order that they might fully the appreciate the privilege of its companionship, its beauties and its grace. She quoted some startling figures in connection with the supposedly necessitous destruction of the cat. No fewer than 288,000 cats were "put to sleep" annually by various societies, exclusive of the familiar drowning of kittens practised by private individuals; but few of this enormous number were stray cats, mostly they were unwanted animals, turned out into the streets by their owners.

"Human goodness still survives," she said, "but human intelligence seems to be suffering from an eclipse as regards cats." The speaker stated that an adequate understanding of an animal by its owner was necessary. A "love" of animals was incongruous - she could not possibly love a crocodile or a hippopotamus - but a sensible regard for their welfare was needed from mankind, the superior animal. The natural instincts of the cat had been interfered with already. Surely, then, they could interfere with it a little more – a beneficent interference that would reduce the ever-increasing number of cats, and make life happy for those that survived?

"If we yield to our sensitive feelings," declared the speaker, "we shall go on slaughtering them on a wholesale scale in a manner perfectly revolting." She proceeded to compare the cat’s lethargic sleep with actual death. "Putting them to sleep, therefore, is not so dreadful after all," she said. "What is dreadful is that we should go on getting rid of the unwanted cats without trying to stop the state of things that makes it necessary!" Later she revealed a fact that may surprise many. "mice," she said, "are not the cat’s natural food. There is little nourishment in the body of a mouse, and there are certain poisonous elements in them that affect the cat’s healthy eventually. The bachelor cat, with no distractions of any kind, is the ideal mouser. But mice are merely his amusement; he is attracted by their quick movement, but will not eat them."

Mrs Avery was thanked for her interesting address by the secretary, who afterwards referred to the recent references in the editorial columns of the "Recorder" to the distasteful experiments upon animals at Porton. Mr Watt presented a petition protesting against this, which was signed by the members. There was also considerable discussion arising out of Mrs Avery’s address, and the speaker answered several questions.

EDINBURGH'S CAT PROBLEM - A WOMAN'S ATTEMPT TO SOLVE IT. Edinburgh Evening News, 8th March 1932
Practically every Edinburgh resident who takes the least interest in local affairs has heard of the work the late Miss Mary Hope Jameson, who devoted her whole life and fortune to ridding the streets of unwanted, starving, maimed, and diseased cats. In that work she was helped nobly by animal-lovers and humanitarians - not necessarily all cat lovers - to whom the idea of animal misery, wordless and helpless, was little short of torture. Miss Hope Jameson's death last year robbed the city of a real benefactor, for if had not been for her ceaseless efforts on behalf of cats, there must of necessity have been more animal suffering and more disease, not only among cats, but among humans, in our midst.

Miss Hope Jameson had arranged with an Edinburgh lady, Mrs M. D. Cradock, a great, cat lover, to establish a Scottish branch of the Cats' Protection League, whose headquarters is York House, Portugal Street, London, W.C.2, but before the final arrangements were completed her death took place. Mrs Cradock has since carried on the work herself, at her own expense, in premises centrally situated Eat 15 Elder Street. She has had assistance from only four of her co-founder's subscribers so far, with the result that she is finding the running of the Refuge rather an expensive business. It is only a few months since Mrs Cradock opened the Elder Street Refuge, but already it has proved its worth, for many unwanted, miserable creatures have been painlessly put to death there, while others nave found good homes. A very few cat boarders are also accepted at the Refuge, where they are well looked after.

With only some four subscribers, it can imagined that Mrs Cradock's venture is costing a good deal, and unless she obtains some support from the public she is afraid she will have to limit her activities on behalf of poor puss considerably. It may interest readers to learn that the money which Mrs Cradock has expended on buying the premises in Elder Street and in paying the small staff she employs, as well as all other incidental expenses, including the provision of food, etc., for her charges, is a legacy she received from a relative in America. It says much for this kind-hearted woman's devotion to the animals' cause that she should spend it in such a humane way, taking upon herself a responsibility which really lies with our City Fathers. How many women would make such a sacrifice, when there are so many attractive things on which to spend a legacy, such as cars and country cottages, jewels and fine raiment?

Apropos of the city's responsibility in the matter, it may astonish those who are unaware of it, that while Glasgow Corporation allocates £500 per annum to the Dog and Cat Home because of its hygienic service in lifting stray, injured, and diseased dogs and cats, Edinburgh Corporation makes no provision for such service at all. Everything is left to the compassion of private individuals. Can it be that our municipal guardians do not realise the importance of the cat question in its relation to health, or are they merely indifferent to the problem, dismissing it with an airy of the hand and a tolerant smile as "old wives' tales" when the subject is brought before them? Whatever be the cause, it is a pity that in such matters Glasgow should have to show Edinburgh the way. Maybe the sons of Saint Mungo have more heart than their Edinburgh brethren! It certainly looks like it!

There are lots of ways in which the general public can assist in solving the cat problem until such time as the municipality recognises its obligations. They can, first and foremost, send in donations, large or small, to the Scottish Branch of the Cats' Protection League, at 15 Elder Street. They can become members of the Cat Club, the minimum annual subscription to which is one shilling. Children particularly should become members of this club, which inculcates kindness to animals. "The Cats' Mews-Sheet," issued the Cats' Protection League, is an interesting little paper dealing with all manner of happenings in Catland in all parts of the world, and costs only one penny. Then, to protect your pet should it stray, there are safety collars costing 6d, to help identify it. When advertising that you have lost or found a cat, is helpful to state its sex, in addition to other particulars; while if you have the misfortune to run over a cat while motoring, or to encounter a dead cat on your travels, it is best to remove it to, or leave it at the side of the road, so that it may be picked up by the scavenger and its owner made aware of its fate.

The taxing of cats would doubtless do something to help the problem and add considerably to the revenue, for few people would grudge the imposition of small yearly sum to keep a valued pet. Even those who "can't bear cats" could not have any objection to this plan, since it would inevitably lessen the number of their feline betes noires. The only way to bring this taxation about is get up petitions. Here is a chance for cat-lovers to prove their devotion; and for "cat-haters" to prove how sincere they are in their avowals! But until someone able and willing to take the cats' cause in this way comes forward, there is nothing for it but to help Mrs Cradock in her excellent effort. She thoroughly deserves the generous support of the public of Edinburgh in her fine, one-handed endeavours on behalf of poor puss, and I, who have heard all about her work among countless suffering creatures, hope with all my heart that she gets it. - M. D.

RAT WEEK Edinburgh Evening News, 5th April 1932
Mrs M. D. Craddock, secretary, Cats' Protection League, 15 Elder Street, writes: It may be well to remind persons zealous for the destruction of rats that it is an offence punishable by a heavy fine to put poison anywhere in the way of domestic animals. Poison is a crude and hateful way of destroying life anyway, and it would be better to apply ourselves to discovering a means of preventing the rat evil. Rat guards should set on every ship's ropes, for a great many rats enter this country from abroad. In France efforts are being made to establish a properly trained (and fed) staff of rat-hunting cats. This should be done in every city. Not every cat is a ratter, but as the cat is the natural enemy of the rat, care should be taken select a proper breed and maintain it. A starved cat is no match for a savage rat or swarm of rats. I have known cats be blinded, torn, and even bitten to death by rats. I have also seen one of our own well-fed cats bring in five good-sized rats as the result of one morning's work. Let us hope that Scotland will soon wake up to a sense of the value of Puss, and that she will get her proper place as a useful member of society.

"CATS’' MEW* SHEET" Edinburgh Evening News,19th April 1932
"The Cats' Mews Sheet" is an interesting little paper issued by the Cats' Protection League, York House, Portugal Street, London, W.C.2., price one penny. It contains authentic stories sent in by readers which show the intelligence and faithfulness of the cat, and deals with everything affecting the welfare of poor puss. The Edinburgh branch of the League is at Elder Street.

PROTECT POOR PUSS! Edinburgh Evening News, 23rd April 1932
M. D. Cradock, secretary, Cats' Protection League, 15 Elder Street, writes: I am glad E. Maule's letter has appeared on behalf of poor pussy. Our cats must be protected from this random destruction. Over and over again, people call at this office complaining of this sort of thing. Cats get out for a run and are never seen again. Surely a short time should be allowed for an owner to claim a cat. We are a small society - l can count our subscribers on my fingers - but we always give a good, healthy "stray" a chance, and in cases of valuable cats even advertise them. I think people who lift cats ought to be more careful and should remember that the loss of a loving little furry friend means sorrow and distress to its owner. I would also plead with persons who gather up cats for destruction to be very careful when lifting female cats and not to do so without finding out if a little, helpless family is being left to starve to death. We have had several sad cases of this sort brought to our notice.

A HORRID TRADE Edinburgh Evening News, 28th April 1932
Mrs M. D. Cradock, hon. secretary, Cats' Protection League, 15 Elder Street, writes: Mr Langwill and his directors have apparently not read my letter properly. I did not say that complaints were made to us about the S.S.P.C.A. My statement was general, and a letter which I wrote lately to 19 Melville Street will prove that. I asked one of the inspectors to help trace a certain man who is said to be lifting valuable cats and selling their skins. I have had no reply to my letter. It is high time those of us who love cats, and who would scorn to make money out of their poor dead bodies, should band ourselves together to stop this horrid trade with all its dangers I am willing to co-operate with any other Society concerned with the welfare of our dumb friends. I wish to tender my heartfelt sympathy the Broxburn cat owners who have lost their cats in such shameful way.

A HORRID TRADE Edinburgh Evening News, 26th May 1932
The May number of "The Cats' Mews Sheet" (1d) contains notes and comments the intelligence and other attributes of the cat. Interesting little stories of the adventures of Puss are given, including that of "Alexander the Great, ' who "assumed command" of a flagship, and, incidentally, of every man on board. "The Lost Cat versus the Wanderer," deals with the trouble set up by well-meaning people who, whenever they see a cat in an out-of-the-way place, immediately jump to the conclusion that it is lost; quite forgetting that cats, like humans, vary, and that while some cats are afraid to stir from the front door, others have a wanderlust which takes them away for days, and even weeks, sometimes. "The Cats' Mews-Sheet" is issued by the Cats' Protection League, York House, Portugal Street, London, W.C.2. A minimum yearly subscription of 6d will bring this animal-lovers' paper to you every month. The local branch of the C.P.L. is at 15 Elder Street.

"CATS' MEWS-SHEET" PROGRESS IN ANIMAL WELFARE Edinburgh Evening News, 25th June 1932
"The Cats' Mews Sheet" of current issue quotes an article by Mr Robert Lynd on "Our Manners" in the " News-Chronicle," wherein he says : "As for the manners of young, one thing we can be sure of is that more of them behave well to cats than was once the case. The ordinary street urchin to-day would rather stroke a cat than set a dog on it. I cannot believe that a generation which is so considerate to cats will be inconsiderate to the old, the weak, and women." At Walworth, London, a new R.S.P.C.A. animals' dispensary has been opened, where not only are diseased, injured, and unwanted animals destroyed painlessly, but on Monday evenings a qualified veterinary surgeon attends, and gives advice and treatment, without any charge being made to the owners of the creatures concerned.

It is hoped in the near future to establish a Dog Licence Club, and possibly, also, a "Wanted" Register for animals. This idea of a Dog Licence Club is so excellent that it seems extraordinary it has not been put into operation in every town and city long ago, so that poor owners of dogs might have an opportunity of saving regularly and easily, for the price of their pets' licences, and thus obviating the necessity of parting with them when licensing time comes round.

An interesting little article tells of the happy life of cats in Jamaica, where all the cats are in excellent condition, and, apparently nobody keeps a cat who does not want it. Unhappily, the dogs do not seem to be so well eared for. Subscriptions to the Cats’ Protection League should be sent to the local branch, 15 Elder Street, where also orders should be placed for the monthly "News-Sheet," which costs 1s 6d yearly, post free.

"CATS' MEWS-SHEET" THE HOLIDAY PROBLEM Edinburgh Evening News, 28th July 1932
The "Cats' Mews-Sheet " (1d) for July deals with the yearly holiday problem of what to do with the cat when the family are away, and urges all cat-owners to take special precautions whereby their pets will not come to grief during the vacation. Boarding places for cats, although not numerous, are to be found in all large towns, and charge a modest sum for taking care of pussy, or sometimes a trustworthy and kindly neighbour will undertake to look after him; but, whichever course is followed, he must be looked after, for it is the height of cruelty to cast out a pet, used to all the comforts of home, to fend for himself. Cat lovers should apply to the Cats' Protection League, whose local branch is at 15 Elder Street, for the useful and interesting leaflets dealing with care of mother-cats, treatment, of cats and kittens, etc. A yearly subscription of 1s 6d to the " Mews-Sheet " brings it to your home, post free.

"CATS' MEWS SHEET" GREAT MEN WHO LOVED CATS Edinburgh Evening News, 1st September 1932
The current issue of "The Cats' Mews Sheet " (1d) gives many helpful hints on the care of poor puss, and emphasises the cat's need of water to drink. In all cases provision of a pan of clean water should be made. The difficulty of differentiating symptoms of mange from those of eczema are also discussed, and cat-owners whose pets are showing signs of either trouble are advised to consult a veterinary surgeon, rather than attempt themselves to cure the animals; the cost of skilled advice is trifling, and will not be grudged by any real cat-lover. An interesting extract from Carl van Vechten's "The Tiger in the House" tells how the great Samuel Butler was very fond of cats, in this respect resembling Jeremy Bentham. Butler had great sympathy with deserted animals, and adopted a wretched stray kitten found in Lincoln's Inn, London, with the happiest results. "The Cats' Mews Sheet" is issued monthly by the Cats' Protection League, London. The Edinburgh branch of the League is at 15 Elder Street.

OUR FIRESIDE FRIEND MAKING YOUR CAT INTELLIGENT Edinburgh Evening News, 20th October 1932
The "Cats' Mews Sheet" (1d), which is issued by the Cats’ Protection League, York House, Portugal Street, London, W.C.2, gives in its October issue several examples of feline intelligence sent in by readers who have experience of the intelligence of cat. One writer says: "First of all I have observed that a cat's intelligence depends upon its environment. If it has a home where it is merely 'the cat,' is not fondled, and is left to look after itself to a large extent, its intelligence does not develop. There is, my opinion, little doubt that contact with humans who treat cats as creatures with intelligence, is the only way of allowing that intelligence to develop to its full extent."

That this is true all cat lovers who are also keen observers will agree. Any animal if spoken and fondled will develop surprising intelligence, and the cat is no exception this rule. To watch the mental development of a cat is interesting. Certain things it does are, of course, pure instinct, but if it is made much of a cat usually shows that instinct is not its only guide. What, for example, would you make of cat which, when he is shut out of a room in which the family are assembled, jumps up, and, in some way never observed, rattles the handle of the door? Or of another family pet which knows from its owner's voice when it must not jump on her lap or take the dog's milk, and obeys? Or of yet another, which creates a great din outside his mistress’ bedroom door first thing every morning, and jumps on the bed, purring, as though say "Good morning"? All these cats are spending a happy existence in Edinburgh to-day, and are typical of their kind.

Of course, there are dull cats, just as there are dull humans, and we cannot expect too much from them. But is wonderful the effect little kindness and affection and care will have on even the dullest of the feline species, which, contrary to common belief, is not a cupboard-lover, but capable of remarkable devotion its human masters.

"The Cats' Mews Sheet" pays a tribute to Mrs Cradock, the honorary organiser of the Scottish branch of the League at 15 Elder Street, Edinburgh, for her devoted work on behalf of stray and unwanted cats, and to her helper, Mrs Blair. Mrs Cradock is doing very necessary and sometimes very thankless work for dumb, defenceless creatures, work which, in a more advanced state of society would devolve upon the civic authorities. Lovers of cats and all who pity unwanted felines should subscribe to the Cats' Protection League. The minimum subscription is 2s per annum; while 3s 6d per annum covers also subscription to the "Mews Sheet." - M. D.

"THE MEWS-SHEET" CATS THAT SWIM Edinburgh Evening News, 22nd November 1932
The current issue of " The Cats' Mews- Sheet" (1d), the organ of the Cats' Protection League, takes up the cudgels on behalf of the cat against his natural enemy, the gardener, who all too often thinks - quite wrongly - that cats and cat-owners have no rights, and that he can shoot, poison, or otherwise destroy dumb animals without let or hindrance. An amusing account of cats that swim in Dal Lake, Kashmir, is given, from which it would seem that the desire for fish is the cause of cats taking to the water. It is quite a common sight to see the native gondolas on the lake with white people's cats and dogs on board in charge of their servants. They all enjoy their swim together from the boat. The new cats' calendar is now ready, price 1s 6d. All contributions to the Cats' Protection League should be sent to Mrs Cradock, local honorary secretary, 15 Elder Street, Edinburgh.

A PLEA FOR THE STRAY Edinburgh Evening News, 27th December 1932
The "Cats' Mews-Sheet" (1d) for December illustrates a new and ingenious device which ensures that Puss will not be left out in inclement weather during his owner's temporary absence from home. This is a "cat's door" at the foot of the ordinary door, cut according to a diagram obtainable from the Cats' Protection League, which opens to let the cat in and out. The same idea is used indoors with much success where invalid or elderly owners are unable to let their pet in, or out, as the case may be. A plea is made for the stray cats at Christmas. If you are an animal lover, you will make it your business to feed any poor cat which is lost, and, as a further charity, befitting the time year, you may give it a temporary shelter from the elements by converting a tea chest - which may be had for a few pence - into a storm-proof shelter. The "Mews-Sheet" is published by the Cats' Protection League, London, price 1d monthly. Mrs Cradock is secretary of the Edinburgh branch at 15 Elder Street, from whom all information concerning our feline friends may be obtained, and to whom subscriptions to the cats' cause should be paid.

THE MEWS SHEET. HINTS TO HELP OUR CATS. Edinburgh Evening News, 31st January 1933
The current issue of "The Cats' Mews- Sheet" (1d) gives several hints regarding cat welfare. It emphasises the need for those persons who own queens (female cats) to prevent future misery to innocent kittens by raising only the male kittens from each litter for the benefit of the mother cat and in the interests of humanity. Readers are also enjoined not to throw out empty cans that have had any kind of food in them without beating them flat. Cats and dogs have often got their heads caught in their search for food, and have been cruelly injured of have died before they were released. The "Cats’ Mews-Sheet" may be obtained from the Cats' Protection League, York House, Portugal Street, London, W.C.2. post free for twelve months for 1s 6d. Subscribers of 3s 6d and over receive copies free. The local branch of the CPL is at 17 Elder Street. Mrs Cradock is honorary secretary.

THE LATE MR ERNEST BELL. The Scotsman, 15th September 1933
Humanitarians and food reformers the world over will mourn the death yesterday at Hendon of Mr Ernest Bell , chairman of the Board of Directors of G . Bell & Sons ( Ltd . ) , publishers ( says the Times . ) Mr Bell , who was 82 , was born of Yorkshire parents , his father , George Bell , having been the founder of the publishing firm in which he and his brother , the late Mr Edward Bellb ecame partners . Since 1874 Mr Bell had been a convinced vegetarian , and in that year became hon . secretary of the local Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at Hampstead . Among the prominent positions which he held were chairman of the National Anti-Vivisection Society , treasurer of the Pit Ponies Protection Society , of the Cats Protection League , and other animal societies . [His funeral was attended by Mrs Avery of the Cats’ Protection League]

CATS’ MEWS SHEET. Edinburgh Evening New, 24th October 1933
The Story of "Mr Winks" This little magazine is issued by the Cats’ Protection League, which exists for the purpose of protecting puss in every way. That its existence is very necessary no humane person will deny, for almost daily one reads in the newspapers of some poor, defenceless cat being subjected to cruelty or neglect. In the current issue a tribute is paid to the late Mr Ernest Bell, treasurer of the League, and well known champion of the rights of all animals. It is proposed to dedicate a stall to Mr Bell’s memory at the Animals’ Fair to be held in London on December 2. An example of a cat’s affection for his master is given in the magazine. A black Persian cat, rejoicing in the name of "Mr Winks," was owned by a gentleman who fell ill. Winks used to sit for part of each day as near to his master’s bed as could be allowed. His master died, and the bedroom was closed. Six weeks later the door of the room was left open one day, and Mr Winks got in. Heart-breaking cries rent the air, and on members of the family running up to see what was wrong, they found "Mr Winks" on the bed wailing piteously. This happened each time he could get into the room. This story is only one of many that can be told illustrative of feline affection, and goes to prove that the cat is no means the cupboard-lover he is sometimes said to be. It is only necessary to own a cat, and treat it kindly to learn how affectionate and intelligent, as well as obedient, it can become.

"CATS’ MEW-SHEET" Edinburgh Evening News, 28th November 1933
It has been left to enthusiastic protectors of the neglected cat to start at Slough a Cat Week, during which various lectures and entertainments were given on behalf of the Cats' Protection League. The activities are described in the current issue of "The Cats’ Mews-Sheet," where also are to be found anecdotes and notes of all kinds relating to our fireside friend. Mention is also made of the League's "Velvet Paws" calendar for 1934, the price of which is 1s. The local branch of the League is at 17 Elder Street.

XMAS HOLIDAYS AND CATS. Gloucestershire Echo, 22nd December 1933
As shops and business premises will be closed from Saturday till Wednesday, the Cats Protection League suggest that provision should be made for cats to be supplied with fresh food and water each day during the vacation. It is breaking the law to leave animals unprovided for.

THE CAT Edinburgh Evening News, 30th January 1934
"The Cat" The Cat is the new title of the little "Mews Sheet" of other days. The magazine, which is now issued monthly, costs 2d. and, as before, is devoted entirely to the welfare of puss. The current issue contains all kinds of cat "news." and deals at length with the poison menace. It is not commonly known that the law protects domestic animals from harm by poison and other ills. "The Cat" is issued by the Cats’ Protection League, 42 Dolphin Road, Slough, Bucks (annual subscription 2s 6d).

THE CAT Edinburgh Evening News, 27th February 1934
The little magazine formerly known as "The Mews-Sheet" has lost none of its interest since it was renamed "The Cat." As heretofore, it is devoted to the rights of poor puss, whose only fault is that there are too many of him. The magazine now costs 2d monthly. In the February issue the question of collars for cats is discussed, with the verdict for the wearing collars. It is distressing to owners to lose their pets, and unless these carry some kind of identification mark the risk of losing them completely is very great. Many hints on cat care are given in "The Cat," and a practical article on the danger of indiscriminate advertising for cats for film and other work, as a result of which the cats are as a rule the victims, shows the suffering endured by puss because his owner thinks to make a half-crown by him. "The Cat " is issued by the Cats’ Protection League, 42 Dolphin Road, Slough. The Edinburgh branch of the C.P.L. is now at 17 Dean Park Mews. Mrs Cradock is the hon. organiser.

SCHOOLMISTRESS WHO BEFRIENDED CAT. VICTIM OF ASSAULT. GATE HELMSLEY MAN SAYS HE WAS IN A TEMPER. Yorkshire Evening Post, 30th May 1934
Trouble over a cat at Gate Helmsley, near York, resulted in a farm labourer, Harry Barker, being summoned at York to-day for assaulting Miss Lawrie, assistant mistress as Gate Helmsley School. He was fined £2, or a month [in gaol], and was bound over for 12 months. It was stated that ion June last year Barker went to live at Dunnington, and left the cat behind, straying about the village. Miss Lawrie, who is a member of the Cats' Protection League, was asked by someone to look after it, and she had looked after it for the last months. Wednesday last, Barker returned and asked for the cat. He admitted having had it in a bag, but said that it had got out. Miss Lawrie went after the cat, which had run away up the road, and when she came back it was alleged that Barker got hold of her with a view to getting the cat, knocked her down, dragged her down the garden path and eventually fell on top of her. Some trellis work was broken down, and Miss Lawrie was bruised about the legs, arms, and neck. Barker, it was alleged, got hold of the cat and swung it by the legs and tail, but it eventually got away again. In the course of the scuffle, it was alleged, Barker said "he would do Miss Lawrie in and swing for her" [be hanged for her murder.] Barker said he was "quite puzzled over the thing just for the sake of a cat." "If I did it," he said, "it was under the temper I was in." [at a guess he was drunk]

BOARDING CATS The Scotsman - Wednesday 27 June 1934
Cat’s Protection League, 17 Dean Park Mews, Boards Cats from 3/- Weekly.

CATS AS SCARECROWS CRUELTY CHARGE DISMISSED. Chelmsford Chronicle, 16th November 1934
On Friday at Chelmsford Petty Session, E. E. Farringdon, Esq., in the chair, James Buchanan, Fristling Hall, Stock, pleaded not guilty to cruelly ill-treating two cats between Oct, 14 and 18. Mr. D. Ward represented the defendant, and Mr. D. Ryan appeared for the Cats Protection League. Mr. Ryan, Inspector for the Cats Protection League, in evidence, said he visited Hall on Oct. 18, and in a field about 30 or 40 yards from the road found a cat tethered in a place where wheat had been sown. The material round the cat's neck was white cotton about 3ft. long, attached to a peg which was driven into the ground. There was box 18 inches long and 15 inches high to which the cat had access. He saw another cat fair condition pegged to ground with cord about 3ft. long. This cord was round the cat's neck. He went to defendant and said : " You are cruelly ill-treating two cats by making scare-crows of them on your farm." Defendant replied: "It good for them, and they must remain there until the grain comes through."

Witness and P.s. Mumford removed the two cats, which were handed over to defendant's wife. In witness's opinion it was wanton cruelty. In reply to Mr. Ward, witness agreed that the defendant denied there was any cruelty. Witness added that apparently it was a practice in the district, and it was desirable that it should be wiped out. In answer to Mr. Ward, witness did not know if the material with which the cats were tied was old stockings. P.s. Mumford, Ingatestone, said defendant told him his trade paper recommended stuffed cats as scarecrows. Witness told defendant they were not dealing with stuffed cats, but domestic animals, and advised him to remove them. Defendant said, "I shan't remove them. Get on with it; what you like. I can go to prison, it will a change from farming. Replying to Mr. Ward, witness said he considered the cruelty was the exposure to which the cats were subjected. The Chairman: Is it usual to chain or tie a cat up? Witness: I have never heard of it. (Chairman) Do you consider it cruel tie a cat up? (Witness)I think it is cruel to tie up any domestic animal in an exposed condition.

Mr. Ward, addressing the Bench, said Buchanan had been plagued with rooks. He had read in a farming journal that stuffed cats were excellent scare-crows. He did not want to shoot his own cats, and so he tethered them there with excellent results. He was not the only one who did it. Defendant had done it for a considerable time in full view of the public, and no one had complained except a lady from London and Mr. Ryan. There was no more cruelty tying up a cat than a dog. Farmers had had a bad time, and if they could find something that protected them from pests they should not be stopped from using it as long as it was done in a proper way. Defendant said had tried every method of scaring rooks, but found it unavailing except for a few hours. The cats were tied with silk stocking. The box was removed from the cats each morning and replaced at night. He did not think he was doing anything cruel. When Mr. Ryan called witness thought he had come for a subscription.

Reginald H. Spalding, Great Baddow, said he had kept Siamese cats for years, and during the day they were on a line because they were so nervous. There was difficulty in training them. Francis G. Haines, Margaretting, said the cats seemed contented, and in his opinion they had adequate shelter. It struck him that this was a new method of scaring rooks, and he was interested in it. He did not think it cruel. After a retirement the Chairman said the Bench found that defendant did not have guilty knowledge, and the case would dismissed. The Bench, however, did not approve of this method of scaring crows. Domestic animals should not be tied in this manner.

CATS AT STOCK. ALLEGED DISTRICT USE AS SCARECROWS. Essex Newsman, 10th November 1934
To-day, at Chelmsford Petty Session, E. E. Farringdon, Esq., in the chair, James Buchanan, Fristling Hall, Stock, pleaded not guilty cruelly ill-treating two cats between Oct. and 18. - Mr. D. Ward represented defendant, and Mr. D. Ryan appeared for the Cats Protection League. Mrs. Maud Martin, East Ham, said she was in Swan Lane, Stock, with two dogs, which ran into a field and began worrying a cat. She went over and found a cat tied a pail, and got so entangled that the freedom of the cat was only about four or five inches. The cat was rather thin, and was crying pitiously. The dogs did not worry the cat long because she got them away. Next morning she returned to the Lane, and the dogs went into the field again and worried the cat, but she got them away. - In reply to Mr. Ward, witness said the cat was not tangled because the dogs worried it. She did not notice a piece of sack or felting. There was a food recepticle, but she did not know if it contained food.

Mr. Ward : Are you an authority on cats? - Witness: No, but I know a little about animals. In reply to the Chairman, witness said she did not think the pail was fixed to the ground. Mr. Ryan, an Inspector to the Cats Protection League, in evidence, said he visited Fristling Hall on Oct. 18, and in a field about 30 or 40 yards from the road found a cat tethered in place where wheat had been sown. The material round the cat's neck was of cotton about 3ft. long, attached to peg which was driven into the ground. There was a box 18 inches long and 15 inches high to which the cat had access. The animal was in poor bodily condition. It was crying, and appeared frantic to get away. He went to another field quite near defendant's house and saw another cat in fair condition pegged to the ground with cord about 3ft. long. This cord was round the cat's neck. He went to defendant and said: " You are cruelly ill-treating two cats by making scare-crows of them your farm. You are causing them unnecessary suffering and you must remove them." Defendant replied: "It is good for them, and they must remain there until the grain comes through." Defendant refused to remove the cats. Witness fetched a police officer, , and when he returned to the first field he found that the box had been removed so that the cat could not take shelter in it, and the pail was several yards away. The second cat was still tethered. Defendant refused to remove the animals for the police officer, but eventually agreed that he would remove them if no prosecution took place. Witness and the police officer removed the two cats, which were handed over to defendant's wife. In witness's opinion it was wanton cruelty. - ln reply to Mr. Ward, witness agreed that defendant denied there was any cruelty.

Witness added that apparently it was a practice in the district, and it was desirable that it should be wiped out.- In answer to Mr. Ward, witness did not know if the material with which the cats were tied was old stockings. P.s. Mumford, lngatestone, stated that in the first case the cat was crying pitifully, and was very thin. The tether was not long enough to allow the animal to get into the box. He interviewed defendant, who said, "I put them there, and they are going to stop until the wheat grows. Our trade paper recommends stuffed cats as scarecrows." Witness told defendant they were not dealing with stuffed cats, but domestic animals, and advised him to remove them. Defendant said, "I'll remove them on two conditions; firstly, you'll advise me of the name of the informer, and secondly, you guarantee that I shall not be prosecuted." Witness told him that was not in his power. Defendant answered, "I shan't remove them. Get on with it; do what you like. I can go to prison, it will be a change from farming. Defendant also said that the cat near the highway had been tethered a week, and the other two days. Witness removed the cats and took them to the farmhouse.

Replying to Mr. Ward, witness said he considered the cruelty was the exposure to which the cats were subjected. Mr. Ward: Mr. Buchanan was most indignant? - Witness: You use that word, sir; I should have said he was pig-headed.

The Chairman: Is it usual to chain or tie a cat up? - Witness: I have never heard of it. - Do you consider it cruel to tie a cat up?" - l think it is cruel, to tie up any domestic animal in an exposed condition.

Mr. Ward, addressing the Bench, said Mr. Buchanan had been plagued with rooks. He had read farming journal that stuffed cats were excellent scare-crows. He did not want to shoot his own cats, and he tethered them there with excellent results. He was not the only one who did it. Defendant had done it for a considerable time in full view of the public, and no one had complained except the lady from London and Mr. Ryan. There was no more cruelty in tying up a cat than a dog. Farmers had had a bad time, and if they could find something that protected them from pests they should not be stopped from using it as long as it was done in a proper way.

Defendant, on oath, said he had farmed all his life, and seven years in England. He had never been in Court before. He had tried every method of scaring rooks, but found it unavailing except for a few hours. The cats were tied with silk stockings. The box was removed from the cats each morning and replaced at night. He did not think he was doing anything cruel. When Mr. Ryan called witness thought he had come for a subscription. The case was dismissed.

BAZAAR Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette, 25th October 1935
The Countess of Aylesford opened a bazaar at St. Mary's Church Institute, on Saturday in aid of the local branch of the Cats' Protection League, whose headquarters are at Prestbury Lodge, Church-street. The object of the league is to raise the status of cats generally to ensure their proper understanding and treatment, and assist in the formation of Cat Clubs. Veterinary advice and treatment are provided by the league, homes are found for stray and unwanted cats, and the most humane and effective destruction guaranteed for cats suffering from incurable complaints.

CARE OF CATS Nottingham Evening Post, 3rd January 1936
As a member of the Cats' Protection League, may I appeal to those of your readers who are cat owners to try to keep their cats in as much as possible, particularly during the winter? Cats are sensitive animals, and have actually been found frozen to death in a severe frost. If the cat is allowed out see that there is a shed, or box lined with an old blanket, which should be frequently changed, placed where she can go for shelter. - ANY CAT'S FRIEND. Beeston.

WILLS Chelmsford Chronicle, 26th February 1937
Mrs. Amelia Blyth,. Ingatestone, left the residue of the property to her daughter Grace Amelia Blyth, whom failing, various personal gifts and the balance equally between the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Society, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, the Battersea Home for Horses, and the Slough branch of the Cats Protection League - £2,911

PRESENTATIONS FOR BRAVERY. Bucks Herald, 16th July 1937
Col. Warren presented Stanley George Wright, of 57, Beech Road, High Wycombe. with the [R.S.P.C.A.’s] bronze medal and certificate for rescuing a cat at Loudwater on February 22nd. 1937. He also presented the Society's silver medal and certificate to James Lorimer, of 11, Orchard Road. High Wycombe, for rescuing a cat in London Road, High Wycombe, on March 19th, 1937. They were also presented with a certificate from the Cats’ Protection League.

< B>PRESENTATIONS FOR BRAVERY. Bucks Herald, 29th July 1938
"It is with great pleasure that [the R.S.P.C.A.] announce the presentation of the Society's silver medal and certificate to Mr. Lorrimer, of High Wycombe, for bravery in rescuing a cat from under a flooded bridge, and the Society s bronze medal and certificate to Mr. Wright, of High Wycombe, for bravery in rescuing cat from the top of a high tree. In both cases the men had taken a considerable risk to themselves. They also received certificates from the Cats’ Protection League."

DOGS OR PETS IN LETHAL CHAMBERS Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 27th May 1939
Sir, - ln reference to letters relative to humane destruction of cats or dogs, the Cats' Protection League, Slough, Bucks, has mentioned very favourably, in a monthly circular or periodical (which has been issued for a number of years), that a drug, "nembental" by name, taken in tablet form, can be used prior to lethalisation, but always by arrangement with a veterinary surgeon or chemist, and it is said to be expensive, bottle containing 25 capsules costing 7s. 6d. But anything to lessen the agonies of intelligent pets, when they have to be destroyed, might be given consideration by their owners. I feel grateful to the writer the letter from "Sedlescombe in your issue of the " Observer," dated May 20th, for bringing to the notice of the public that there this drug, which is, presume, similar to the one mentioned above. A.W.

THE CATS' PROTECTION LEAGUE IN DOVER. Dover Express, 28th July 1939
(To the Editor the Dover Express.) Sir, - As organising Secretary, may I make known through your columns that the Priory Hill Home for Cats, Dover, supported by the Cat Helpers' Fund, has now by consent and approval of the Committee been affiliated to the Cats' Protection League. A meeting of subscribers to the Cat Helpers' Fund was held in Biggin Hall on June 29th last, and, after an address by Mr. A. A. Steward, Secretary of the Cats’ Protection League, it was unanimously agreed that we should do well to be affiliated, for the C.P.L. is a society devoted entirely to the protection and welfare of cats. It endeavours to promote the better understanding and treatment of cats by educational propaganda; to check the present over-production of unwanted kittens; to organise a satisfactory system of home finding for cats; and to promote the establishment of suitable boarding homes. These last two aims specially appeal to us, as our Cats' Home is intended to provide comfortable accommodation for boarder cats and the strays for whom finders wish homes to be obtained. By affiliation with the League, we shall be linked up with a recognised charity organisation; we shall be entitled to advice on the ailments and treatment of cats; and to help in special need. Further, the Secretary of the C.P.L. will annually inspect our Cats' Home and report on its work at the annual public meeting. We shall conform to the rules of the Society, and a statement of accounts will be audited and submitted to headquarters. Though working under the League, our policy will be one of co-operation with other societies for the protection of cats. - R. CHAPMAN. Hon. Organising Secretary of the Cat Helpers' Fund. 1, Priory Gate Road, Dover,

THE CAT" CATS IN WAR-TIME Edinburgh Evening News, 28th August 1939
The problem "What shall we do with our pets?" was referred to on the Radio the other evening, when Air Raid Precautions for Animals Handbook No. 12 (obtainable from H.M. Stationery Office, George Street, price 3d) was brought to the notice of listeners. Animal owners will also be interested in the Emergency publication No. 2 (Equipment) issued by "The Cat," the journal on cat welfare issued by The Protection League, 29 Church Street, Slough, Bucks. Gasproof kennels, travelling boxes and baskets, gloves, sheeting, tinned and packed foods and milk powder, and first-aid requisites are all mentioned in the publication, with the names and addresses of suppliers. Fortunately, most chemists and stores keep stocks of the various articles and foodstuffs likely to be required if the worst should happen. This list is contained in the August issue of The Cat (2d monthly)

A cat with wings, which has lately been born, is so unusual that it is bound to create great interest, and showmen on the look-out for novelty are likely to compete for its ownership. The Editor of "The Cat," writing on this subject, says that the Cats’ Protection League, being anxious to save the cat from an unnatural and trying life in exhibition booths under the glare of publicity, is making inquiries about this cat with the object of buying it to protect it. Nothing has been settled so far, but it is likely that the price put on this cat will be prohibitive. "Self-Appointed is the title of a charming article on a cat that adopted a family, and there are numerous cat anecdotes, as well as good advice on cat care, in the magazine.

AND CATS TOO The People, 28th January 1940
Thousands of cats may be shipped to France to fight side by side with the B.E.F. at the Front. But they won’t fight Nazis; they will help rid the trenches of rats! The plan is sponsored by Mr. A. A. Steward, organising secretary of the Cats’ Protection League, who is conducting an official inquiry into the uses of cats in war-time. Cats were successfully employed to rid the trenches of rats in the last war," he told me. "We should offer to arrange the purchase of the cats; and not only would our vets see that they were shipped to France in a humane manner, but that they were properly fed and looked after."

CATS IN THE TRENCHES. The People, 4th February 1940
In last Sunday’s issue of "The People" a story was published suggesting that thousands of cats might be shipped to France to fight the rat pest in the trenches, and it was stated that a plan on these lines was being sponsored by Mr. A. A. Steward, organising secretary of the Cats’ Protection League. Mr. Steward now informs us that he did not, in fact, make the statements attributed to him in the story, and that, far from being in favour of such a scheme, he and his organisation would be definitely opposed to it. We regret the trouble caused to Mr. Steward by the publication of the story referred to.

THE CAT. INEVITABLY FEMALE CATS. Nottingham Evening Post, 23rd March 1940
A periodical called the "Cat," the organ of the Cats' Protection League, has a note on the colouring of that animal which may be news to many readers. The now famous ship's cat on H.M.S. Exeter was a tortoise-shell pussy, and a journalist rashly described the creature as "he." But, remarks an article in the Cat, "all tortoise-shell cats are of the female sex. . . . The colour that is almost exclusively male is what is incorrectly called ginger."

SHOULD A PREMIER PAT A CAT? Daily Herald, 22nd September 1941
Although much was expected to follow Churchill's historic meeting with Roosevelt in the Atlantic, who would have imagined one thing would be a rebuke Winston about the way he treated a cat? Millions saw, on the screens, pictures the Premier's encounter with "Blackie," the feline pet of a warship, without expressing a reproof. That has been left to the Cats' Protection League. Admirers of Mr. Churchill," writes the editor of " The Cat," the league's monthly journal, "will forgive the remark that he seems about to commit a faux pas by bestowing that caress abhorred by all cats, a pat on the head. " Instead he should have conformed to the etiquette demanded by the occasion and offered his hand and then awaited a sign of approval before taking any liberties with feline dignity!

FOR CATS Dundee Evening Telegraph, 16th June 1944
Sir, - I have been asked the Secretary of The Cats' Protection League to draw the attention of your readers to the medicinal value of Cocksfoot Grass. It is a real necessity for keeping cats in good condition, especially in these days of changed diet and absence of oils etc. This grass can be grown in pots or boxes. Packets will be supplied free, on receipt of a 2 and a halfpenny stamp to cover postage from:- The Secretary, The Cats' Protection League, 29 Church Street, Slough, Bucks, England. - I am, etc., Grace Scrimgeour. Dundee, 15/6/44.

CATS’ PROTECTION LEAGUE Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald, 21st July 1944
[Lord Grey de Ruthin] will be the first president of a local branch of the Cats’ Protection League, a nucleus committee being chosen, with Mrs. M. Hand, old Hall Rd, Brampton, Chesterfield, as hon secretary and treasurer.

WIDOW OF FORMER VICAR Western, 16th August 1946
Death of Mrs. Field It was with deep regret that many Dorset people heard of the death of Mrs. Sarah Ellen Field on Saturday at her residence. . . . It was Mrs Field's wish that there should be no mourning or flowers but it was suggested that any who would have sent flowers should send a donation to the Cats' Protection League, Church-street, Slough.

LICENCES FOR CATS? Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 7th October 1946
Sir - As one of your readers I agree with the suggestion made by Our Dumb Friends League that a licence should be imposed on cats. But not because I love these animals or should I call them vermin? I would like to see cats under stricter control. I am on heavy work for 47 hours per week and need all the sleep I can get. But I am kept awake at night by the mournful cries of cats. Once I counted them and there were no fewer than twelve. Not content with keeping me awake at night a number of these cats on the spree have broken a pane of glass in one my windows which has cost me twelve shillings to replace. I wonder if any other readers have the same opinion about these creatures. – "TIRED"

Sir - The petition to Parliament for licences for cats will, I hope, have good support. The chief cause of the cruelty and misery from which cats suffer is that there are too many of them. Iy is not possible to find good homes for all. It is the thoughtless, though kindly, people who are responsible for the homelessness of thousands by giving kittens away. Free information and advice can be given on application to Cats' Protection League, 29 Church Street. Slough. - "HOPEFUL."

HAPPIER LIFE FOR CATS. Nottingham Evening Post, 11th April 1947
A group of Melbourne cat-lovers is planning a campaign to regulate kitten birth, and promote a happier life for cats. The sponsor of the campaign is Miss Kate Greer, of South Yarra. A local branch of the English Cat Protection League is to be formed to seek heavy penalties for ill-treatment of cats, and a check on production of unwanted kittens. Miss Greer has distributed pamphlets which provide a recipe Tor a milk nightcap to induce cats to stay at home at night.

KEEPING THE CAT HOME Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette, 11th April 1947
A group of Melbourne cat lovers is planning a campaign to regulate kitten birth and promote a happier life for cats. Sponsor of the campaign is Miss Kate Greer, of South Yarra. A local branch of the English Cat Protection League is to be formed to seek heavy penalties for ill-treatment of cats and a check on production of unwanted kittens. Miss Greer has distributed pamphlets which provide a recipe for a milk nightcap to induce cats to stay at home at night. If people had to pay to keep cat there would be fewer starved strays and the standard of cat behaviour would be raised." says Miss Greer.

WILLS Chelmsford Chronicle, 16th May 1947
Mrs. Irene Agnes Carroll, of Roxwell Vicarage, Chelmsford, left £16,268 (net personalty £16,211). She left £100 to her godson Kim, an annuity of £25 lo Florence Seeker, her personal effects to her husband, and the residue to him for life, and then £400 each to the Hit Ponies Protection Society; National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Spoils; National Council for Animals’ Welfare; Humane Education Society; International League against the export of horses for butchery; Performing and Captive Animals Defence League; Cats Protection League and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The balance she left to the children of her brother Kenneth Bell.

WILLS Western Daily Press, 25th September 1947
Miss Ella Eveleen Louise Brownrigg, 8 Forester Road.,Bath, who died on April 6 left £1,132 l1 2d gross, with net personalty £1,075 13s 5d. She left £50 each to the Pet Cemetery ,East Molesey; the P.D.S.A., Our Dumb Friends' League, the Cats' Protection League, Miss Chester's Refuge for Worn-Out Horses, Stansted; the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, Canine Defence League ,Miss Moyes' Night Shelters for Poor Women, the " R.U.K B." Association and Lloyds Patriotic Fund.

DISAPPEARANCE OF CATS Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, 25th October 1947
Sir. - l was glad to see that Mr. S. F Allen followed up his advertisement in the "Observer" recently by a letter regarding the loss of his little cat. It brings the matter again before people who may not have seen the advertisement. This disappearance of cats has been going on for some time in our town, and is a matter of deep concern to cat lovers, as we know two fates which may await them if they fall into the hands of certain thieves. As a member of the Cats Protection League I would ask anyone who sees a suspicious person lifting or enticing a cat to interfere at once. Happy and well-cared for cats do not usually leave their homes to stray away, and It is therefore heart-breaking for the owners when a much-loved feline friend suddenly vanishes and Is not seen again.

While on subject of cats may I be allowed to make another appeal to all who own females, not to save the litters of kittens and if they must save any let it be a male. Food gets more and more scarce, and it is cruel to allow numbers of kittens to live, and be given away, or sold for a few shillings, and thus enter homes in many cases not fit to have the care of an animal at all. This is no time to sentimentalise. It is quality we want, not quantity, if are going to make life worth living for our feline friends Therefore cut down the breeding. - D G. HOPLEY, 26 Barrack-road.

EDINBURGH CAT PROTECTION LEAGUE The Scotsman, 12th December 1947
EDINBURGH CAT PROTECTION LEAGUE. Sale Of Work in 33 Melville Street Saturday, 13th, 10 a.m. to 6 p . m . Morning Coffee; Afternoon Tea . Admission, 6d .

CAT PROTECTION Nottingham Evening Post, 6th April 1949
I agree that something should be done to try to stop the mysterious disappearance of cats. The trouble is to catch the cat-stealers. After many years’ experience, the Cats’ Protection League has adopted as one of its slogans, "Keep your cat in at night, safe from cat thieves." I think this is one of the most effective ways in which cat-lovers can safeguard their pets. (Miss) A. KITCH, 4, Cavendish-place, Beeston.

CALLING ALL CAT LOVERS Leamington Spa Courier, 8th April 1949
CALLING ALL CAT LOVERS! If you are a cat lover you should Join THE CATS' PROTECTION LEAGUE 29 CHURCH STREET. SLOUGH, BUCKS. Telephone: Slough 20173.

£15,000 FOR ISLAND CATS. Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 16 June 1949
£15,000 for Island Cats. Miss Constance Elizabeth Lucy Aston, of Shanklin, who died in February, in her will, published to-day, bequeathed £15,000 to the Cats Protection League for the endowment and upkeep of a clinic for cats in the Isle of Wight. She left £51,904. The Organizing Secretary of the Cats' Protection League, told a reporter that Miss Aston had been a member of the League since 1932. It was the biggest legacy ever received by the League. The Isle of Wight clinic would be the first set up by the League outside its headquarters at Slough.

$60,000 LEGACY TO CATS. The Ottawa Journal, 17th June, 1949
Miss Constance Elizabeth Lucy Aston of the Isle of Wight has left £15,000 ($60,000) for a clinic for cats. Her legacy is the biggest received by the British Cats’ Protection League since its foundation 22 years ago.

CATS PROTECTION LEAGUE Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 24th September 1949
CATS PROTECTION LEAGUE Support the at the South Western Cat Club Show WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28th. 2 - 6, PENGELLY HALL, TORQUAY.

"CATS' PARTY" Aberdeen Press and Journal, 3rd January 1950
ALICE, who found the Hatter's tea-party altogether exasperating, would be equally surprised were she by chance transferred from the pages of Wonderland to the first cats' party which is being held here soon. At this function in a London hall twelve feline beauties are to the guests of honour of 150 cat-lovers. Not only are the cats to be feted and fed, but they are to join in the spirit and activities of the party. They will have coloured ribbons round their necks, and at tea-time will have special party fare. Entertainment will include a dancer's interpretation of the Egyptian cat dance, and party games range from "twenty feline questions" to cat charades. The function, arranged by the Cats' Protection League, has the aim promoting the welfare of cats throughout the country. One of the first objectives is introduce a specialised form first aid.

WILLS Gloucestershire Echo, 3rd March 1950
Miss Dorothy Hewins, of 16, Church Close, Kensington Church-street, London, W.B, who died on September 11, daughter of the late Professor W. A. S. Hewins, left £7,793 gross, £7,694 net value. . . . She also left £50 to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association; £50, and such of her books and other literature relating to cats or other animals as it may wish to have, to the Cats' Protection League; £100 each to Our Dumb Friends' League and the P.D.S.A.

MOTOR MENACE Nottingham Evening Post, 30th March 1950
So correspondent LAU won't again endanger life by swerving his car to avoid a (mere) cat. "There are hundreds of cats which are a menace to road users." he says. None so big a menace, say I as the motorist-fiend who thinks the road made for his use exclusively, and that it is just too bad for anything - human or animal - - which dares to get in his way V. LYNN, Cats Protection League, 39 Bridlington-street, Nottingham

BELL THE CAT Aberdeen Press and Journal, 3rd April 1950
SIR. - By all means bell bird-hunting cats, but mount the bell on elastic (not tight), so that the cat is not hanged on a branch or railing. And take the collar off in winter and when the cat is in at night. Many cats never chase birds - are, in fact, afraid of them. Others, if treated as companions and spoken to habitually, are easily convinced that the bringing in birds is not approved. Few cat-lovers in the North of Scotland seem to know of the Cats' Protection League, 29 Church St., Slough, Bucks. - Felina, Aberdeen.

STRAY CATS Nottingham Evening Post, 21st April 1950
The Cats’ Protection League does not appeal to anyone for the collection of stray cats. No one is authorised to use the name of the League in such a connection. The League aim is to educate cat owners who do not realise the pitiful state of a cat when it becomes a stray. How many people still believe it is the proper thing to turn their cat out at night to crouch in wind and rain in a hedge bottom? (Miss) V. LYNN. Cats’ Protection League, Nottingham.

DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF CATS Kensington Post, 19th May 1950
Barrister to give legal lecture. Have you noticed the self-satisfied, super-comfortable look about the feline population of the Holland Park area these days? We have. In fact we would like to warn the dogs and dog-lovers of Kensington that if they do not look to their guns this season they are due to take a back seat and fade into obscurity. Secret of the satisfied looks is the work of the recently-formed West London branch of the Cats’ Protection League. From the headquarters of the branch at 21, Holland Park, officials are planning a summer campaign that should make Kensington cats the best cared for in the country.

For some time now the branch has been working up to this summer campaign with its feline first-aid classes. A well-known vet has come along many times to tell large audiences of cat-lovers how to tell if their cats are just "foxing" or are really ill and how to nurse sick cats. Already the vet has told his audiences the correct cat drugs to keep in the house and how to deal with broken limbs. He has lectures with diagrams of skinned cats and skeletons. Model on many occasions was a placid Russian cat belonging to Mrs Frances Clifford, the social organizer of the London area of the League. This steel-grey long-haired cat has often lent a paw or tail to show exactly how difficult it is to bandage those limbs.

The start of the summer campaign will be on Saturday, June 3, when Miss Kit Wilson, president f the Kensington Kitten and Neuter Cat Club comes to Holland Park to lecture on "The origin and history of the cat." Tickets for this afternoon party when it s hoped paintings and photographs of cats will be on show and there will be a tea afterwards, cost 2s. 6d. A few weeks after this party there will be lectures by a cat photographer and artist who will tell how to get a cat to pose and how to represent a cat on canvas. The photographer will talk on the technical side of cat photography. The league hope to get the well-known cat photographer, Miss Elizabeth Chat, of Hampstead, and cat artist, Mrs Carnell-Jones, to give the lectures.

The publicity campaign for cats will reach its climax later in the year, however, when a well-known barrister will give a special lecture on "The Cat’s Position in Law." He will probably tell people how they stand if their cat kills the chicken next door and what to do if their cat is chased and injured by a dog. Probably he will also tell the history of the cat and the law through the ages from the time when a cat was valued at 2d. until it had killed a mouse and then was worth 6d.

CATS' PROTECTION. Nottingham Evening Post, 3rd June 1950
At the Cat Protection League’s information centre, which is open until June 3rd, a representative is willing to advise any owner of a female cat who has had. or about to have, kittens on the best and most humane method of disposing of the young ones. V. LYNN (Miss) C.P.L., Birkin-avenue, Nottingham.

LAST ROUND UP Nottingham Evening Post, 17th June 1950
We seem to be hearing a lot about the Cats' Protection League lately. How about the officials starting a campaign for the rounding up of the thousands of unwanted, stray cats in the city? TOO MANY, Nottingham

CATS’ PROTECTION LEAGUE Nottingham Evening Post, 2nd October 1950
Keep your cat fit to fight the rats that ravage the nation’s food stores – Cats’ Protection League Representative, 4 Cavendish-place, Beeston, Nottm.

WARNING! CAT THIEVES Leamington Spa Courier, 5th January 1951
WARNING! CAT THIEVES may be operating in this town - mostly under cover of darkness - and many cats have been lost. Please heed this warning and keep your cat safely indoors at night. The Cats Protection League 29. Church Street, Slough.

PRESIDENT HONOURED Northern Whig, 26th May 1951
President honoured - Mrs Egerton-Bird, president, the Cats’ Protection League, Northern Ireland was the guest of honour at a party given in Belfast by Mrs. Katherine Simms, hon. secretary, and the Committee and members of the C.P.L. Miss Maureen Smith behalf of the League presented Mrs. Egerton-Bird with gifts of Irish linen.

ANIMAL LOVERS, NUDISTS, ALL GET INTO ACT AT BRITISH ELECTIONS. The Daily Clintonian, October 9th, 1951
[Satirical piece on Britain’s forthcoming general election] Dog-loving, cat fanciers and goat experts, among others, are planning to make their weight felt at the polls come Oct. 25.

The secretary of the Cats Protection League, Miss "Kitty" Wilson, expressed singular concern about steel nationalization when she advised thousands of members: "When you go to election meetings, always find out what the parliamentary candidates are going to do for cats. Remember, we must help the candidates who help us." [. . .] A spokesman for the Dumb Friends League expressed no interest in "politicians," then hastily explained: "The 'dumb friends’ referred to in our organizational title means 'animals’" [in the USA, 'dumb’ mostly means stupid, in Britain it mostly meant 'voiceless.’]

THE MISSING RARE CAT. The Lethbridge Herald, 16th October, 1951_
Male tortoiseshell cats are so rare that when Miss IX M. White, a Welsh lady, reported she had one, Professor J. B. S. Haldane of London University, was so interested that he begged the loan of him for a breeding’ experiment. One year later Tommy became the father of a litter of kittens by a black mother. That was a year ago, and Tommy remained in the professor's home where there were six other cats. One of them became ill, and for safety's sake Tommy was sent to a veterinary surgeon's cattery.

All trace of him has been lost. The vet happens to be in a penitentiary for five years on a larceny conviction, and is unable to give any information. Professor Haldane and his secretary have made many enquiries without success. The governing council of the Cat Fancy with which the, cat was registered, and the Cats' Protection League have made continuous1 investigation, and hundreds of letters and phone calls have been received, but none of the clues have produced Tommy Tortoiseshell, Miss White is justifiably vexed about it.

There was a popular song long ago called "The Cat Came Back." It was all about a cat that survived many attempts to get rid of it, "but the cat came back." Maybe if someone had tied a brick around Tommy’s neck and heaved him in a pond he would have come back.

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS Dundee Courier, 18th February 1952
Dear Sir, - I would like to support the letter from "Animal Lover," Alyth, in your paper on Monday, February 11. Recently I have been horrified by the great cruelty of children to cats reported in your paper, and feel it is time something is done to prevent its constant recurrence. Children should be taught at home and at school the reasons why they should be kind to all animals, but if this is not sufficient a birching might bring their cruelty home to them. - Yours sincerely, A Member of the Cats' Protection League. Dundee, 14th February 1952.

Here is the case referred to:
CRUELTY TO ANIMALS , Dundee Courier, 11th February 1952
Dear Sir, - Is it the case that the birch can longer be used as punishment for crime ? The report in today's paper of a boy who killed cat with a knife prompts my question. Surely the only way to teach children that cruelty to animals is wrong is to make the culprits feel pain themselves. I feel that a lot could be done in schools by teaching children to be kind dto umb animals. - Yours, Animal Lover. Alyth, February 7, 1952.

BOY STABBED CAT TO DEATH Dundee Courier, 7th February 1952
For stabbing a pet cat to death with a sheath-knife, a 15-year-old Tayport boy was yesterday sent to an approved school by St Andrews Juvenile Court. Mr J. Davidson, Cupar, the prosecutor, said it was an act of deliberate cruelty. The cat was a pet one, which would go to anyone. The boy saw it some distance away, called to it, and it came to him. He picked it up in his arms and carried it for a distance. Then he laid it down on the ground and deliberately took out a sheath-knife and stabbed it. Mr G. P. Adam, Guardbridge, who presided, said it was one of the most revolting cases they had ever had to deal with. He wished the Justices had been able to order birching and the boy's name placed in the papers. The boy had been at the Juvenile Court 1950 on a charge of malicious mischief and had been discharged. Evidently he had paid no attention to the warning. Mr Adam asked the boy if he had pets and the boy replied that he kept pigeons.

NOT KINDNESS Dundee Courier, 23rd February 1952
Dear Sir, - In your issue of Monday you published a letter from a member of the Cats' Protection League who "feels it is time something is done to prevent great cruelty of children to cats." It is a well-known fact that many dogs suffer the same fate. .Why kindness to animals? In the wild there is no kindness, but there justice, love, devotion and a fair balance in all things. Kindness is the very last thing any animal would ask for. It is this complacent term kindness that results in puppies and kittens being dragged around by young children because they must learn to be kind to animals. It is very often kindness that results in dogs and cats being kept closed up drab small rooms and free wild warblers in unroomy cages by people who are unaware of the fact that this is neither kindness nor charity. Would a fellow-human appreciate captivity even with the ability to read, write and listen to the radio? Why not put a tax on cats? Surely this would solve the problem of cruelty. In my opinion the tax on cats should be half a guinea, and the tax on dogs should be increased to one guinea. Then only those who really wanted to own one would do so. - Yours sincerely. _ A. Williamson. Muthill, Perthshire. 20th February 1952.

FOR ANIMAL LOVERS Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 27th September 1952
A Service will be held the Free Christian Church. South Terrace. Hastings (opposite Cricket Ground) on Sunday. October 5th, at 6.30 p.m. Speaker: Muriel Barber (Author "The Cosmic Cat," etc.). Subject: "Have Animals A Future Life?" Collection for P.D.S.A. and Cats’ Protection League.

A PLEA FOR THE ANIMAL WORLD Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 11th October 1952
Sharing the Gift of life’ A PLEA FOR THE ANIMAL WORLD "Have animals a future life?" This was the subject address given by Miss Muriel Barber, author of "The Cosmic Cat" at an Animal Lovers' service at the Free Christian Church, South-terrace, on Sunday evening:. Animals, she said, shared with us the gift of life, and knew that the burden of suffering was laid upon them equally as on us. All the great teachers of the world had pointed out that the active part of religion must come before the contemplative, and the active part was always and everywhere concerned with the relief of suffering. Animal lovers had always had a hard time. Today the chief charge against animal lovers was sentimentality, but she believed there was nothing sentimental in being proud of our animal dispensaries supporting the Bill for the abolition of cruel sports and the Bill to stop vivisection, and in educating young and old in the care of domestic pets, and so on. "My work in life has been concerned with the relief of human suffering. Nobody laughed and sneered. As soon as I became interested in animal welfare I was called a crank. Those who could not understand my research work about cats said I was crazy about cats. For the sake of the animals we must prove we are not crazy, not cranks, not sentimentalists. We are in deadly earnest." Speaking of the cat, she said It sought friendship, love, affection. Could those things be destroyed? A collection was taken for the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals and the Cats' Protection League.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PUSSY YOU ARE. Yorkshire Evening Post, 31st July 1953
After the ugliest cat in Leeds the prettiest. This daring claim is made by his proud owner, Mrs Hilda Lewis, of Chapel Lane, Headingley, for three-year-old Mickey, a smoky tom, whose chief hobby is sitting on the garden wall and bowing to a gallery of admirers. "The neighbours say he is the prettiest cat in Leeds, and they have urged me to put him in the paper," says Mrs. Lewis. "He's everybody's pal. In his manners and ways he's just like a child and knows everything you say to him."

Mickey's claims to pulchritude according to Mrs. Lewis, are that he is "very flurry, and has a lovely face - very round, with big green eyes, pointed ears, pink now and long white whiskers." The description bears a broad general resemblance other cats but I daresay other owners think their cats are the prettiest in Leeds too. Mickey's popularity and charm are undoubted. When the neighbours see Mrs. Lewis they ask '"How's Mickey today?" On Sunday afternoons there is sometimes a whole group of people chatting with him by the garden wall. They queue up in line to stroke him. Mickey assembles these admirers by bowing and nodding and making throaty remarks to people passing by.

Wearing a little red collar with his name and address, Mickey follows Mrs. Lewis to the shops, waits for her outside, and If a dog comes climbs a tree. There are lot dogs in Headlngley but fortunately there are a lot of trees too. When Mickey takes his Sunday morning walk, his owner carries a stick to resist dogs, and when this stick appears Mickey jumps for joy and sets off eagerly down the road, and all the neighbours say "Look, there's Mickey going for his walk."

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis haven’t had a holiday for three years because they won’t go away and leave Mickey. I think they are overestimating the difficulties. I have taken dogs for walking tours, and we always found somewhere to stay at night. Usually the dog slept on my bed. He carried his own sheet, of course or rather. I carried it for him. As for hotels, I stayed in them all over the country, the management's only proviso usually being that he shouldn't be admitted to the dining room. I remember, he spent one evening In the cloak-room of the Duchess Theatre London. I told them he was the dramatic critic of the Dog World. I suppose cats are more troublesome, and they don't usually like travelling. I had difficulty with all parties when I once kept a kitten for twenty-four hours in the ward robe of a Dublin hotel. But lists of holiday hotels and boarding houses that welcome pets are published by animal societies . I have before me now one issued by the Canine Defence League, of Seymour Street, London. It includes Scarborough, Bridlington, Morecambe, Blackpool, Grange-over-Sands, Harrogate, Grassington, Gargrave. I suppose the fact that they take dogs may mean, in some cases at any rate, that they exclude cats. But there are places that take cats, and I suggest that anyone interested In the compilation a list should get In touch with the Cats Protection League, Church Street, Slough, Bucks.

TALK ABOUT CATS. Northern Whig, 26th September 1953
With 5 rats each to "support," we need pussy. Men and women met in Belfast this week to talk about cats. They were the members of the Ulster branch of the Cats Protection League and Tailwavers. One of the aims of the League is to lessen unintentional cruelty to cats by promoting a better knowledge of their management, treatment and feeding. The members of the League describe the cat as "an animal essential to us in the interests of health, as well as for its gentle companionship." They point out that five rats, and as many mice, are supported by every one of Britain's 48,000,000 people, the vermin eating and destroying every week approximately £1,000,000 worth of food and merchandise. Mrs L. M. Carson, president, attended the branch meeting, and Miss Jury, of Dunmurry, gave a talk on animal welfare.

WILLS Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 14th November 1953
Mrs. Constance Emily Clarke widow, of 224 Bohemia-road, St. Leonards, formerly of Collier Green Farm, Staplecross, who died on May 6, left £10,817 gross, £10,736 net value. She left £50 to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and £25 each to the R.S.P.C.A., P.D.S.A. Dumb Friends' League, Ada Cole Memorial Stables, St. Dunstan's and the Cats Protection League.

IN THE WORLD OF WOMAN. NEW DEAL FOR CATS. Derry Journal, 30th November 1953
When a man bites a dog, they say, it is news but this week the headlines have gone to the cats. Cat-lovers have been registering their pets with the recently-formed Irish Feline Club, the aim of which is to improve conditions for the domestic cat. The Club’s Show in the New Year will include domestic cats as well as pedigree varieties, and there will be a special prize for the prettiest kitten.

This news must have caused purring in the cat-world where conditions are extremely unfair. The cat-world has many aristocrats who do very little work, if any, and receive many privileges. Then there is the great mass of cats who are forced to depend on mice’s mistakes for their income; if a mouse doesn't put its head out of a hole at the wrong time an impoverished cat will go hungry. Its home is a doorstep, to which it is banished each night after working at the hearth all day. With advancing age its problems increase. Wealthy patrons are only interested in keeping old retainers who have, themselves, very exclusive fur-coats, so that a working cat is unlikely to have a pampered retirement. Imagine the delight among oppressed cats at the formation of the Feline Club, which plans to be affiliated with the Cats’ Protection League.

Says Mrs Sylvia Connolly, hon. secretary of the club: "Cats are the Cinderellas of the domestic animal world and don’t get all the care they need. We aim to change that. For years, of course, there has been an effective whispering campaign against cats. People say they are" selfish and will go to a new home if it has a warmer fire or - if they are old cats who like peace - if the new home has fewer children. In many ways they are much cleverer than dogs; they very seldom expose themselves to the same risks (such as jumping into a river or a burning house to rescue their owners.) Indeed, unlike the dog (who is not news if he merely bites a man), the cat makes not only news but history by scratching people. In a churchyard at Lifford, Co. Donegal, is a tombstone which says "Beware of the Cat," because the lady who underneath died from the scratch of a cat. That, at least, is the usual explanation for the odd inscription. Yes, there is this disapproval of cats - even recorded on tombstones - but we would be a very lonely people without them. Cats, perhaps we could banish, but it would be an odd world without kittens, playfully knotting the yarn from which old ladies are knitting Christmas pullovers.

CATS! CATS! CATS! Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 2nd January 1954
National Council For Animals’ Welfare Hastings and St. Leonards Branch. Invitation Talk and Tea at the Upper Tea Room, White Rock Pavilion, Hastings, on Wednesday. January 13th, 1954 at 3 p.m. Speaker: Albert A. Steward (Secretary of "The Cats’ Protection League"). Chairman: Muriel Barber. Hon. Secretary of Local Branch of N.C.A.W., 81a. Beaufort-road, St, Leonards-on-Sea.

[CPL] SILVER CUP FOR SHOP CAT CHAMP! Kensington Post, 19th February 1954
Kensington shop cats have their points it seems-apart from catching mice. The Cats Protection League (London Area) is offering a silver challenge cup for the best-cared-for shop cat in Kensington. For particulars of the competition and entry forms, cats, their masters or mistresses, should write to the Hon. Secretary. C.P.L. (London Area). 29 Craigen Avenue, Croydon, Surrey. Closing date for entries is March 30. Miss I. Barras, Secretary of the Cats' Protection League told the Kensington Post this week that she had already had a number of enquiries about the competition. "I should like to make it clear that this is a competition for the best-cared-for shop cat in Kensington, but it is not a cat show. The animals are not expected to be sent anywhere," she said. The judge will be Miss Kit Wilson who lives in Kensington and is chairman of the League. She will call and see the cats in their shop surroundings and award the Silver Challenge Cup to the one she considers the best.

[CPL] NOT JUDGING Kensington Post, 5th March 1954
Due to previous commitments. Kensington's well-known worker for animals, Miss Kit Wilson, will be unable to judge the Cats' Protection League competition to find the best-cared-for shop cat in the borough. Name of the judge will be announced shortly.

[CPL] SHOP CATS WILL BE SEEN AT HOME Kensington News and West London Times, 19th February 1954
The Cats’ Protection League have had a good many enquiries following the announcement in the "Kensington News" that they are to award a Silver Challenge Cup to the best shop cat in the area. Now the League has asked us to make it clear that this is not a cat show the cats will not be required to go anywhere The Judge, Miss Kit Wilson, will visit them in their own home i.e. shop surroundings and award the prize to the one she considers the best cared for. So now all you Toms and Tiddles lurking behind the counters - polish your whiskers and sleek your fur - for Miss Wilson may be calling on you any day now!

THE CAT AND THE CYMRO Glamorgan Gazette, 30th July 1954
Sir, - the cat on the hearth is the symbol of homeliness but the Welsh people not seem to appreciate it, there being no cat societies in Wales. To encourage and ensure proper understanding and treatment of cats in Wales, a South Wales Branch of the Cat’s Protection League has been formed. All cat-lovers who are interested are invited to drop me a line.
Yours truly, Cecil Pugh-Hones, Organising Secretary, Cats’ Protection League, 118, Splott Road, Cardiff.

CAT STEALING Northern Whig, 8th October 1954
£25 REWARD will paid by The Cats’ Protection League (Ulster Branch) for information leading the arrest and conviction of any person or persons stealing cats In Belfast or elsewhere in Northern Ireland. Information to the : Honorary Secretary 46, Carnamena Avenue, Belfast.

HOPING FOR CATS’ HOME IN BELFAST. Northern Whig, 27th October 1954
Mrs. L. M. Carson, speaking to the Ulster branch of the Cats Protection League last night, expressed the hope that "in the not too distant future" someone would endow a home in Belfast for the protection and welfare of cats. Mrs. Carson gave an account of the Boote Home In Liverpool, which was founded for the protection of cats as a result of a £15,000 legacy left by an Alderman Boote.

THE CAT IN POETRY. Northern Whig, 11th December 1954
A talk on "The Cat Poetry" was given by Dr Robb to the Ulster Branch of the Cats' Protection League and Tailwavers at their meeting in Belfast this week.

CATTY THING TO DO. various US publications, December 1954.
Winston Churchill was rebuked by the Cats’ Protection League, an organization of English cat lovers, for fondling a cat during the Atlantic Charter meeting with President Roosevelt. The league charged that Churchill, by picking up the cat before it showed any interest in him, had failed to conform to cat etiquette.

TRAVELLING CATS Belfast News-Letter, 28th September 1955
Sir - l have read with interest but regret of the man in Lurgan who, you report, was bitten on the hand by a cat. Cats are extremely nervous, and it is always advisable to transport them in baskets with lids Any cat owner who finds it necessary to travel with a cat and who cannot obtain a basket locally can always borrow one for this purpose from the Cats' Protection League, the Ulster Branch of which I am president. All we ask for an assurance that the basket will be returned -Yours., etc, (Mrs.) Lilian M. Carson, The Cattery, Old Dundonald Road, Dundonald, Co. Down,

TAIL-WAVERS IN LEAGUE – Greeley Daily Tribune, 29th June, 1955
Britain's more than 2,000 Tail-Wavers — cats enrolled by their owners In the Cats' Protection League — are helping to expand a home for convalescent cuts at Haslemere. Leader of the drive for funds is a nine-year-old Yorkshire cat named Spencer. Through her owner she has "informed" the secretary that she will give ten cents for every new Tail-Waver on the 1955 cat-roll. The League rescues and cares for stray cats, helps needy cat-owners to pay vets' bills and runs cat clinics.

CAT STRANDED ON QUEEN’S BRIDGE – THREE ORGANISATIONS TAKE PART IN RESCUE Belfast News-Letter, 28th September 1955
(Not C.P.L. but an interesting aside)
A cat which was stranded for a considerable time on one the stanchions of Queen's Bridge, Belfast, last night, is now comfortable in the U.S.P.C A. shelter in Hamilton Street, thanks to the combined efforts of three organisations. The animal's plight was first reported to the R.U.C. at Musgrave Street barrack. They enlisted the help of the harbour police, and Harbour Constable A Wright took a motor boat to the bridge and rescued the cat. A telephone message to the U.S.P.C A. brought an official to Corporation Square barracks, and the cat rode in a taxi-cab to its new home.

NOISES IN THE NIGHT. Dundee Courier, 1st October 1955
Dear Sir, May I support Miss Margaret A. McCutchen regarding the destruction of unwanted kittens at birth. It may be easy to persuade someone take a pretty kitten, but when it comes to the scranny, leggy stage and wanders no effort is made to find it and it becomes a homeless cat. I would suggest one kitten in a litter should be kept for the mother’s sake, preferably a male. Quick drowning is the simplest home method, but an animal clinic will do the deed. The night caterwauling is done by unneutered males. It is very cruel to put cats outside on wet or snowy nights. - Yours truly. Local member of The Cats’ Protection League, Slough, Bucks, Dundee.

MORE FOOD ASKED FOR BRITISH CATS. The Times Record, April 19th, 1956
The London committee of Britain’s Cats’ Protection League is launching a big campaign to persuade farmers to feed up their cats. The committee estimates that there are at least a million working-cats in Britain — that is mousers who work for their living on the nation’s farms. But the committee feels that with the near-extinction of rabbits through myxamatosis the farm cats are not getting enough to eat. Mice and milk are not considered enough for a hardworking cat — there should be a balanced diet of meat and fish too. To spark the campaign the committee will award inscribed feeding bowls to the best-fed farm cats within 100 miles of London.

CATS’ PROTECTION LEAGUE Belfast News-Letter, 2nd May 1956
Mr. J. King Carson, hon. treasurer of the Cats' Protection League (Ulster Branch) thanks those who contributed to the collection made at he Arts Theatre, Belfast, and he asks cat lovers to join the League.

BETTER FOOD FOR CATS. The Ludington Daily News, 5th May, 1956
A diet of mice and milk is monotonous and not nearly adequate for an animal with nine lives, the London Committee of the Cats Protection League has decided. The League is launching a drive throughout the United Kingdom for better food for all cats, with especial emphasis on "working cats" of which there are about 1,000,000 in warehouse**, offices, shops, on the docks and on the farms.

We suppose these good people have considered the terms of employment of the working cats. As we understand them, the terms are to catch the mice that eat the food in the warehouses, the glue on the envelopes in the offices, the cheese in the shops, the grain on the docks and the produce on the farms. Cats that are sleek from other food aren’t likely to bother chasing mice and cats that don’t chase mice are likely to become unemployed cats.

Aside from the possibility of an unemployment problem for British cats — which Uncle Sam could take care of anyway with a bit of overseas aid — we fancy the cats will like the suggestion that they should get other things to eat than milk and mice. And we're pretty sure the mice will think well of it.

TREED CAT FREED. Alton Evening Telegraph (USA), 11th July, 1956
Thirteen-year-old Edwina Lougher of Chippenham, Buck[ing]hamshire, England, has been awarded the 1955 Brave Deed Award of the Cats’ Protection League In Britain. She got the award for rescuing a cat from a tree. The cat had been there for three days.

EDUCATING CAT OWNERS Belfast News-Letter, 19th September 1956
A drive to educate people who keep cats is being carried out by the Ulster branch of the Cats' Protection League and Tailwavers, which held its annual meeting at Bryson House, Belfast, yesterday. In her report, the secretary, Miss M. E. Neill, stated that members were constantly on the alert for situations in their own districts requiring help or advice. Baskets were available on loan, strays and unwanted kittens were provided for and veterinary fees paid.

ARE YOU A CAT-LOVER? Belfast News-Letter, 21st September 1956
If so you are cordially invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Cats’ Protection League (Ulster Branch) In Bryson House, 28. Bedford St., Belfast, on Tuesday, 25th Sept., at 7.30. Address by A. A. Steward Esq (Slough). Secretary of the C.P.L . on the work of the League. Retiring Collection for Branch Funds.

TEETOTALLER. The Ottawa Journal, 22nd October 1957
Although she comes from a long line of brandy drinkers "Sabrina" [St. Bernard Dog] is a strict teetotaller, and drinks only milk. As shown here, the two-year-old St. Bernard uses her traditional brandy barrel as a collection bank — she helps to raise funds for the Cats Protection League. She is owned by Mrs. Cissy Walledge of London.

THE NATIONAL PETS CLUB HONOURS A GREAT WORKER. MISS KIT OF THE CATS. Daily Mirror, 7th March 1959
Homes for unwanted animals! That is the constant crusade of the National Pets Club. It is a crusade that YOU can join- that every animal-lover MUST join-to stop all the needless suffering and pain to helpless pets. And today we honour a woman in the a forefront of the campaign: a woman whose example can be an inspiration to all who love animals. She is MISS KIT WILSON, a member of the Cats’ Protection League. Her devotion to animal wins her the N.P.C.'s Certificate of Merit.

A number of animal lovers wrote to tell us of the wonderful work Miss Wilson has done since the Cats’ Protection League was first formed in 1927. Apart from helping the League to find homes for unwanted strays, Miss Wilson, with her pet cat-a stray called Bubble-has collected £800 for cat welfare during the past three years. In that time she has driven her car 27,000 miles to speak at meetings and organise fetes. She has travelled in Ireland and on the Continent, and given advice to cat protection societies as far away as Israel and America. It is partly due to Miss Wilson’s hard work that the Cats’ Protection League-a tiny organisation thirty years ago – has twelve branches and more than 30,000 members. The League, with headquarters at 29, Church-street, Slough, Bucks, pays veterinary fees for cat owners who cannot afford private treatment for their pets, and finds homes for unwanted and abandoned cats.

"At present, we have more cats and kittens on our lists than we have people willing to adopt them," Miss Wilson told me. "Anyone wanting a kitten should contact their nearest League branch or, failing that, the headquarters at Slough." The League has placed more than 10,000 cats in good homes during the past ten years. "But the astray cat problem is still a sad and serious one," Miss Wilson said. "Home finding helps, but the only real answer to the problem of stray cats is for pet owners to have their kittens neutered (an operation which will prevent them from breeding)."

STAN DELAPLANE'S POST CARD. Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah, 24th May, 1963
There is something about a cat that gives a room a cozy look. Cats are very settled animals — when they settle. I get along with cats. There are 26.7 million household cats in the U.S. The world is divided between cat lovers and cat haters. There are very few people who vote "no opinion." The cat lovers are dismayed at news from London where there is a campaign against them. The National Feline Society is afraid it may spreads to the States.

Said Dr. J. H. Sheldon, addressing the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene: "I have nothing to say in favor of the cat as a pet, especially for old people. It is a positive danger and should be avoided." He said older people often tripped over the cat and broke their legs. This set off a terrible uproar in England. Dr, Sheldon has since regretted his statement. He said recently that he is not against cats as pets. He thinks an occasional busted leg is a small price to pay for years of companionship.

Some of the London county councils have banned cats if the neighbors complain about them. This upsets the Cats' Protection League who countered by putting up a huge sign in their windows: "Have your cat neutered." The London county councils say there are getting to be too many cats.

OPERATION OFFICE CATS. The Oil City Derrick, 29th December, 1964
Operation Office Cats has been carried out in London, bringing aid to dozens of stranded felines — and one pet monkey. London’s Cats Protection League realized that many office cats might suffer during the long Christmas holiday, when many firms shut down for five days. The league contacted offices, obtained keys, and 35 volunteer cat feeders distributed shrimp, fish and chips, and sardines. They took fruit for one office monkey.

DIVIDED BY 3 GROUPS. The Bridgeport Post, 13th February, 1966
A retired architect who died last December left 2,000 shares of Martins Bank stock to his cat "Dot" to provide for her during "the next 20 years," his will published Saturday disclosed. But, alas, Dot died more than a year ago. The legacy — worth $5,390 — from the estate of Hugh Healey will instead go to the Cats Protection League; the Tailwavers,
a humane organization; and the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals [Cats Protection League and Tailwavers were parts of the same organization, perhaps this American publication confused it with tailwaggers (dog-oriented) organizations].

GIFT TOO LATE. Independent Press Telegram, 13th February, 1966
Retired London architect Hugh Healey who died last December left 2,000 shares of Martins Bank stock to his cat "Dot" to provide for her during "the next 20 years," his will published Saturday disclosed. But, alas, Dot died more than a year ago. The legacy will go to the Cats' Protection League.

VICTORIA, B.C., WOMAN LEAVES $10,000 TO CATS. The Daily Chronicle, 20th June, 1961
A will leaving $10,000 to a protection agency for cats on condition that it "take care of all the cats I may own at my death as long as they shall live" has been contested in Supreme Court here. A lawyer for Mrs. Marion A. Clegg filed a writ Monday challenging the will of Mrs. Clegg's sister, Mrs. Marguerite Crawford Alexander, who died last March. Mrs. Alexander, a former nurse, left an estimated $10,000 to The Cats Protection League. Her will stipulated that the felines are "not to be boarded out, nor are they to be given away."
Mrs. Alexander is thought to have owned about a dozen cats at the time of her death. The writ seeks to make void the will on the grounds that Mrs. Alexander was "not of sound mind, memory or understanding."

KITTEN TALE NEWS. Van Nuys Valley News, 16th February, 1967
Rosalind Hill writes that during the Middle Ages in England, it was a common practice to commemorate one’s dead friend by contributing to the "Month’s Mind," a provision to the poor of one month’s ration of food.

"In memory of Kettle, dearest of cats, I have pleasure in sending his ration of approximately 50 cents a day — his boarding fee with friends — for 31 days." This letter was written to The Cat, England's cat magazine also known as The Cat’s Protection League and Tailwavers, founded in 1927 and a registered charity.

We do not have the "Month’s Mind" here or even The Cat Magazine, but this idea sounded so good that I thought I’d pass it along.

GUESS AT CATS. The Ottawa journal, 19th January, 1968
The British Cats' Protection League estimates there are now about 9,000,000 domestic cats in the country. "Nobody went around counting — it isn’t possible to make a census of cats," said secretary A. A. Steward. "But after 49 years work in the cat world I was able to arrive at the figure by instinct."

LEAVES FORTUNE FOR CAT CARE. The Van Nuys News, 21st May, 1968
More than $150,000 has been left to the Cats' Protection League, in the will of Mrs. Lettice MacNeal who lived in Jamaica. The league was formed in 1927 to educate the public in the art of caring for cats.

CATS ARE BACK IN THE BAG. El Paso Herald Post, 28th May, 1969
By Don E. Weaver
Even house cats aren't safe from mod fashion fads. Latest craze for cheap "fun fur" coats made from cat skins has made the market soar. Tortoiseshell, tiger, black and spotted cat skins sold for as much as $8 in a recent warehouse sale in London, the News of the World reported.

Those skins, 15,000 of them, came from Russia. British cat fanciers see danger for their pets. Prices surprised even the auctioneers. Buyers were from all over the world. The demand arouses mixed feelings among conservationists. Cat fanciers are horrified. Bird lovers, who regard cats as enemies, welcome the prospect of cutting down the cat population.

High prices encourage cat stealing, Albert Stewart, secretary of the Cats Protection League, said: "This whole thing is repulsive. There are so many old people who depend on their cats for company. I urge them to keep their pets in at night."

"While people want cat skins, they'll be supplied," said Julius Landau, whose London firm, Hide, Fur & Skin Brokers Ltd., bought 11,000 of The Russian cat pelts at the recent auction.

It takes 20 cat skins to make a "fun fur" coat. Spotted or yellow pelts are preferred. If the market snaps up Russian cat skins at high prices, cats in Britain — or the U.S. — aren’t safe. The Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has promised a full inquiry.

ENGLAND IS GOING TO THE DOGS. Various USA newspapers, April 1970
There are an estimated 5 million dogs and 5 million cats in Britain, but it remains very much a dog’s country. In a nation where class still counts, pedigree dogs outnumber pedigree cats 10 to 1. Moves are afoot to breed more blueblooded cats. Criticism of stray dogs in the public prints is a rarity. But recently a woman wrote to the Sunday Observer suggesting that cats and pedigree cat breeders be licensed. Breeders retaliated by calling for the neutering or spading [spaying] of all stray cats — the Cat Protection League estimates there are 1.2 million "homeless" felines.

A large poster about dog pet food first catches the eye upon entering the Cat Information Center, a commercially-backed service organization that encourage sales of pedigree cats.

A motorist injuring a dog in Britain is legally bound to notify the police. A cat doesn’t rate such notification. In the eyes of the law, a British cat is considered a wild animal. Dogs are apparent throughout British history. Cats have had fewer noteworthy moments: Queen Victoria had a Persian cat and Charles I was so afraid of losing his pet black cat that it was always guarded. "My luck is gone," Charles said the day the cat died. The next day the king was arrested.

The Cat Information Center says there are 250,000 pedigree cats in Britain — only 5 per cent of the total cat population as best it can be numbered. It’s easier to tell a pedigree cat's personality," said Michael Hibbs, executive director of the center. "But an ordinary tabby cat, given the proper care, can be just as happy a pet." A pedigree cat must have five generations of consistent breeding behind it. "British cats are taking on some Americanisms," he said, "some owners are quite eccentric and cats are getting unnecessary things like cloth coats and booties. This is bad because cats shouldn’t be exposed to extremes – their natural fur is enough for warmth."

Another fairly recent development in Britain is a surge in cat hotels, or catteries. Some that cater to pedigree cats exclusively have rates approaching $8 a day. A comfortable London hotel room for humans can cost less. "Some of these cat hotels give the cat as much attention as a patient in a private nursing home," Hibbs said.

IN PARTS OF THE SOVIET UNION, HOMELESS CATS BECOME HATS. Indiana Gazette, 29th October, 1980
Brace yourself. In the Soviet Union, the cat IS the hat.
But the good news is that not all Soviets like felines turned into fedoras, and in a kind of "purr-es-troika," members of a Moscow cat club are in animal-loving Britain seeking advice on how to promote better treatment of their furry friends.

"The position of homeless cats in the Soviet Union and in Moscow is very difficult,’' said Nikolai Nepomnyaschy, vice chairman of the Fauna Club.

"The sanitary inspectorate is very strict on homeless cats and they destroy a lot of them. They poison them with different poisons and they make hats out of them," Nepomnyaschy said.

Dogs are no better off. "It's not just cats they’re after, but also dogs," Nepomnyaschy said. "They’re very bad people, even people who have been setting up cooperatives" to make and sell cat hats.

Such profit-making cooperatives have become possible under President Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s policy of "perestroika," or social and economic reforms. While cruelty to cats is illegal in the Soviet Union, it’s not against the law to make hats out of them. "Nobody is actually going to punish you if you turn a cat into a hat," Nepomnyaschy said.

How did the problem start?

"As we don’t have a tradition of looking after cats, some parents buy cats for their children simply as toys. So it happens that children can play with the cats until they get tired of them and then they let them out into the street and parents don’t say anything about it," he said.

Nepomnyaschy brought a film crew that is making a movie about cats. They arrived Tuesday and will stay until May 2, visiting cat rescue centers and talking to experts. "Three or four years ago such contacts between our countries would not have been possible. They probably would have said, 'You’re completely mad. You can’t do that," Nepomnyaschy said Wednesday, "It’s only been possible since the process of perestroika starting in our country in 1985-86."

Britain is the first non-communist country the club has visited. "We couldn’t have possibly not come to England, because there are almost legends about how (well) people treat their pets," Nepomnyaschy said.

"We were very pleased indeed that we were approached to ask if we would be willing to hold their hands a little," said Philip Wood, deputy chairman of Britain’s Cats Protection League. With uncharacteristic British immodesty, he said: "We do have quite a good international reputation."

Cats are increasingly popular in the Soviet Union, where perhaps 30 million people keep felines as pets, Nepomnyaschy said. Fauna Club, the Soviet Union’s oldest and biggest cat club, was established in 1986 and has attracted 1,000 members. Its opening cat exhibit was attended by 80,000 people, he said. "And the cats they were queuing to see were just household cats," he said.

The film is targeted at young people and will be shown in movie theaters, and perhaps on television. "The film we are going to make is a continuation of this propaganda of the advertisement of cats," said Nikita Voronov, the film’s director and a Fauna Club member. "We'd like to make a film that shows that everything alive has a right to life."

Incidentally, it's not just tough being a cat in the Soviet Union. Owning one isn’t easy either. For starters, there’s no canned cat food, said Nepomnyaschya. The club recommends boiled hake, a kind of fish.

OBITUARIES The Stage, 25th January 1990
Pamela Dale, Actress. Suddenly died 19th January 1990. Donation to Cats Protection League.

OBITUARIES The Stage, 8th August 1996
On July 29th [died] peacefully at his home, Stephen Jeffrey (Hanley) aged 49 years. Dearly loved Son of Jeffery and the late Margaret and loved Brother of Vivienne and Christine. Cremation was at Croydon Crematorium on Monday 5th August 19%. Donations for Croydon Cats Protection League, may be sent to J.B. Shakespeare Ltd, 67 George Street, Croydon

OBITUARIES The Stage, 12th September 1996
Stephen Hanley's death on July 29 has robbed the world of entertainment of one of its most popular and talented artists. . . . Stephen was direct of manner but full of evil humour, and his talent extended far beyond performing. He was a first-rate designer, dressmaker and DIY man in short, immensely gifted. He loved his cars, his telephones but, above all, his darling cats, and he was justly proud of his fundraising efforts on behalf of the Cats Protection League in Croydon, the town he regarded as home.

CINEMA CAT Illustrated London News, 1st November 1996
The Curzon cinema in Shaftesbury Avenue is patrolled by Flicks, a small, sleek, affectionate, jet black cat. "Like all London cinemas, we had a big problem with rodents," says manager Ron Reeves, "and we lost a fortune in food-stock from the kiosk. Pest control services are expensive so we decided the simple answer was to get a cat, and since April, when we acquired Flicks, we’ve not lost one bag of popcorn." Flicks was a rescue cat provided by the Cats’ Protection League. She has been so successful at catching mice that the Mayfair Group has now employed a cat in each of its West End cinemas and theatres. Flicks’ work begins in earnest at night. She patrols the corridors and auditorium of the vast cinema, chasing round the tip-up seats in search of mice. For this she receives a special allowance from petty cash. Flow will Flicks spend her first Christmas at the Curzon? "Working," insists the manager. "She will have special food delivered and maybe cat toys, but there is still a job to be done, even though we’re closed on Christmas Day."