History and vintage photos of cat meat sellers in London in the early 20th century

Previously, the profession of a cat butcher was common in London and other major cities from the mid-19th century to the 30s of the last century. If you thought that these people were selling cat meat, you were very mistaken. Feline butchers traded meat for cats.

In the mid-1800s, merchants of the "new genre" began scurrying along London streets. Walking door to door, they offered food for cats and dogs. Basically, sellers of cat meat sold horsemeat obtained from slaughtering too old or sick horses that could no longer do their job in the metropolis.

Victor Mayhew, a Victorian sociologist, suggested that in 1861 there were about a thousand cat meat sellers in London who served around 300,000 cats. In general, for every London house in which the cat lived (or even several), there was one supplier. Each “cat’s butcher” always walked in a certain way, serving “his” households. The appearance of such a seller on the horizon was always marked by a bunch of hungry mewing cats: they knew that it was time for dinner.

Sellers of cat meat were undoubtedly favorites of cats, but not all. In addition to sleek pets, hungry homeless tramps often tied to them. They sadly watched life's injustice in action and often dared even try to scare away their wealthy relatives from the meal with a growl and a menacing look.

At the same time, the smells coming from the “cat-butcher” carts, attracting a huge number of dogs and cats from all over the street, did not please the residents of the district at all. Dissatisfied neighbors did not stop complaining of stench. One can only imagine what, to put it mildly, an appetite-free aroma stood in the air, especially in the summer.

Despite the fact that with the onset of the 20th century, Londoners became even crazier and more dedicated cattalkers, the field of activity of cat meat sellers fell into decay, and after a couple of decades disappeared completely.