Carnival of Cats

The town of Ypres in Belgium is known as a site particularly associated with Word War One. Many soldiers of the British Empire entered the war here, and 500,000 lost their lives on the fields of Flanders. Movingly, buglers play ‘The Last Post’ every evening at the Menin Gate in Ypres. The Gate itself is decorated with the names of 54,896 soldiers who gave their lives.

What has this to do with cats you may ask? Well, Ypres is also home to a spectacle held every third year – the largest cat festival in the world, the Ypres Cat Festival. It is held over two days commencing with a parade of floats on the Saturday evening. Shops and houses are decorated with cats; cats of every imaginable size and shape appear in windows; shops sell cats made of marzipan.

On Sunday the main event takes place – a huge procession that takes two hours to pass. Imagine the colour and spectacle of marching bands, floats, performers in costume, firework displays, and stilt walkers – all in celebration of the cat.

What makes the people of Ypres so enamoured of cats that they should hold this festival? The answer lies in the past; the 1300s to be precise, and is rather grisly. Ypres was the centre of a great textile trading area. Fleeces were collected and stored in the great Cloth Hall, and stored there over the winter, and were sold in the spring. Rodents were a problem for the townsfolk, as the rats and mice found the fleeces and ideal nesting material, and they thrived in the warmth and comfort of the Cloth Hall. All this rodent activity was a threat to future profit, so cats were encourage to live in the Cloth Hall and keep down the numbers of pests.

The cats also enjoyed the comfort, and thrived and multiplied. At the end of the season when the fleeces were sold, the people were left with a great number of redundant cats who were now as much of a nuisance to them as the rats had been previously. In order to combat the problem, drastic measures were taken. (Those of a sensitive disposition are advised to skip a paragraph!).

Right up until the 19th century, poor cats were thrown off the top of the tower of the Cloth Hall, and since nobody really wanted this awful job, the town jester was required to perform the terrible act. Makes us wonder how he managed to joke after that.

Thankfully this practice was stopped in 1817. These days people of Ypres are on much better terms with their cats – celebrating them and commemorating them. In addition to the floats and people in costume, folktales of cats are recreated in dramatic form and huge figures of well-loved characters are seen, such as a huge 15-foot high Garfield! At the culmination of the festival, toy cats are thrown from the Tower – the difference being there are plenty of people waiting below to catch these felines. This time is also an opportunity to raise the profile of cats and promote responsible ownership and respect for these great friends of man.

The next festival is due to take place in 2009.

 

There’s a Cat Hair in My Coffee

When asked if owning a cat has any negative aspects, you can guarantee cat hairs will be mentioned. Cat hairs are the bane of any cat owner’s life. All our clothes have cat hairs adhering to them. Our chairs have cat hairs on. We give refreshment to our guests and just as they are about to bring the coffee cup to their lips, you notice with horror that there’s a cat hair on the rim. Every time you open a new packet of something, why is there already a cat hair in it?

Take heart – there is a reason for this. Cat hair sticks more because it’s supposedly more electrostatic than other types of hair. A cat has 3 different types of hair; guard hairs which have microscopic barbs on the shaft making them extra clingy; secondary hairs which are very thin and floaty and thin enough to get caught in the rough fibres of human clothing; and finally awn hairs which are rough and clingy. So you see, we don’t stand a chance to we!

Of course, grooming your cat goes a long way to helping the problem, and it can also be a great thing for cat and owner for many reasons. Cats can swallow loose hair when they wash themselves, and the swallowed hair may form a hair ball, which the cat will either cough up or in more serious cases cause and internal blockage. Longhaired cats should be groomed daily, otherwise clumps of matted hair may form. This can be very uncomfortable, even painful for puss, and may necessitate a distressing and expensive visit to the vet or pet groomer to get the problem sorted, Short-haired cats should be groomed a couple of times a week – or more if your cats enjoys it! Make sure the comb ends are rounded and won’t scratch your cat’s skin.

Choose a time when your cat is feeling relaxed, not playful. When you groom your cat, it’s an ideal opportunity to check puss for fleas, and any skin problems such as scratches and sores, or any lumps and bumps. This is useful when visiting the vet – it puss is used to being handled, the visit to the vet is likely to be less stressful for all concerned. Grooming also keeps your cat’s coat healthy and glossy, and it can be a great opportunity to enjoy some bonding and quality time with your cat.

It really is worth persevering with getting you cat used to grooming, not least to avoid serving your guests with a side order of cat hairs at dinner!