Cat's meat shop

[curious4]

Hello all,

Readng my way through a dictionary of Victorian slang (as one does) I came across the following definition of cat's meat shop. "cat's meat shop - an eating house". Up until now I have accepted that Mrs Hardman sold meat for cats, but on the face of it, that does seem unlikely - up until at least fifty years ago cats were expected to live on whatever mice they could catch plus a few table scraps. The poor of Whitechapel had a hard time finding meat for themselves. Would they really have bought meat for their cats?

Was Mrs Hardman in fact running a greasy spoon/Victorian takeaway in the front room in Hanbury street? Couldn't see any reference to this on the site, but perhaps this has been debated before?

Best wishes,
C4

[Jon Guy]

Hi C4

This is from the Ripper Wiki:

In 1888, No.29 consisted of eight rooms with a total of seventeen people living inside. The ground floor was occupied by Mrs. Harriet Hardiman and her 16 year old son. Both of them slept in the front room which doubled as a shop where they sold cat's meat. The rear room was used as a kitchen.

Mrs Hardiman sold the cat`s meat through the front window of 29 Hanbury St.
Definitely, no greasy spoon cafe although Mrs Richardson had some kind of meetings in the downstairs back room. There was one on the night before the Chapman murder.

[curious4]

Hello Jon,

Wouldn't the fact that the rear room was used as a kitchen point to food being served in the front? Even Wiki can be wrong on occasions.

Apparently "cat's meat" meant the body. Maybe she had the first Body Shop?

Cheers,
C4

[Albert]

Hi all, Check out this site:

http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/cats-meat-man-part-1-of-2.html

Says it all
Cheers
Albert

[curious4]

Cat's meat shop

Hello Albert,

True, but he didn't have a cat's meat shop, which is the expression. And I don't think he would have had his round in Whitechapel. http://www.victorianlondon.org/publications/sinks-2.htm (Flash dictionary) - "cat's meat shop".

Cheers,
C4

[Albert]

Hi C4,
Thanks - I'll dig deeper!
Regards
Albert

[miss marple]

Cat 's meat was supplied by horse slaughterers. Horse slaughtering was a major business in Victorian London as horses were one of the main sources of transportation. Thousands died or were put down in London alone every year. All parts of the animal were used, meat, skins and hooves for glue. The Cat's meat man on his cart sold skewers of meat for 'cats' but I dearsay some of it ended up in the stomachs of the poor.

One of the most famous horse slaughtering businesses was rum by a man called John Acheler. He was dead by 1888 but Dickens wrote an article about his business called 'Jack's Castle up the Lane in his magazine 'All the Year Round' in 1865. They slaughtered 20 horses a day from 120 to 130 a week.

Quote' He chuckles audibly over the notion of making horseflesh the ordinary food of cats and dogs:at the same time delivers a decided opinion in preference of a meal of a good sound horse, to one of any number of diseased cows of which he often sees a number in the adjoining cattle market'

Miss Marple

[curious4]

Cat's (and dog's meat)

Hello Miss Marple,

Fascinating stuff. Must look up the Dickens' article.

Your comment on the poor reminded me of my childhood. We were a large family and while home-grown veggies were plentiful, meat was not. I remember being sent down to the butcher's shop to ask for "six-pennorth of bones for the dog, please", which my mother then turned into a stew. (Very nice it was, too!)

Best wishes,
C4

[Albert]

Hi C4, Found this site:

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Collections-online/object.aspx?objectID=object-742735&start=2&rows=1

Shows a photo of a shop in Paddington.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Albert

[curious4]

Cat's meat shop

Hello Albert,

Thank you. Great photo!

I wonder how long it was before this particular example of slang disappeared from London? Everyone knows what a greasy spoon is these days, but in a hundred years or so will people think it referred to someone who didn't have a dish-washer?

Cheers,
C4

[C. F. Leon]

At least the term wasn't referring to meat made FROM cats...

[Cogidubnus]

"Wallah, Wallah Catsmeat" was the cry that preceded the visitation of the catsmeat salesman (or woman)...

Dave

[Digalittledeeperwatson]

Ha!

At least the term wasn't referring to meat made FROM cats...

Lets's hope not. I bet my cat tastes awfully awful.

[John Wheat]

I wonder if the Ripper ever worked in a cats meat shop?

[sdreid]

I wonder if the Ripper ever worked in a cats meat shop?

Hmm