Join us for a purr-fect day filled with fascinating stories and insights into the mysterious world of our feline friends. Hodge the Cat, the renowned feline storyteller, invites you to an event like no other.
On Saturday, 11 October we will gather at the beautiful Southwark Cathedral in London, home of Hodge the Cathedral cat. This iconic venue will provide the purr-fect setting for a day dedicated to celebrating our beloved cats.
Ticket-holders will throughout the day, have the chance to hear captivating tales about cats, their adventures, and their unique personalities. Renowned cat experts, storytellers, and enthusiasts will take the stage to share their experiences and knowledge.
Whether you are a cat lover, an aspiring cat owner, or simply curious about the world of cats, this event is for you. Don't miss out on this meow-nificent opportunity to immerse yourself in the enchanting world of cats.
This event is in-person only and won't be streamed or recorded.
Our speakers so far...
Catland: Feline Enchantment and the Making of the Modern World with Kathryn Hughes
Some called it a craze. To others it was a cult. Join prize-winning historian Kathryn Hughes to discover how Britain fell in love with cats and ushered in a new era.
‘He invented a whole cat world’ declared H. G. Wells of Louis Wain, the Edwardian artist whose anthropomorphic kittens made him a household name. His drawings were irresistible but Catland was more than the creation of one eccentric imagination. It was an attitude – a way of being in society while discreetly refusing to follow its rules.
As cat capitalism boomed in the spectacular Edwardian age, prized animals changed hands for hundreds of pounds and a new industry sprung up to cater for their every need. Cats were no longer basement-dwelling pest-controllers, but stylish cultural subversives, more likely to flaunt a magnificent ruff and a pedigree from Persia. Wherever you found old conventions breaking down, there was a cat at the centre of the storm.
Whether they were flying aeroplanes, sipping champagne or arguing about politics, Wain’s feline cast offered a sly take on the restless and risky culture of the post-Victorian world. No-one experienced these uncertainties more acutely than Wain himself, confined to a mental asylum while creating his most iconic work. Catland is a fascinating and fabulous unravelling of our obsession with cats, and the man dedicated to chronicling them.
Kathryn Hughes is the prize-winning author of four previous books on Victorian social history, including a biography of Mrs Beeton which was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize and adapted for the BBC. She regularly writers for the Guardian, the New York Review of Books and the Times Literary Supplement. Kathryn is currently Professor Emerita at the University of East Anglia, and a Fellow of both the Royal Literary Society and the Royal Historical Society.
Cats in the Cathedral - Then, now and always! with Dr Kathleen Walker-Meikle
Hodge potters around Southwark Cathedral, master of all he surveys. Hodge is a descendant of a long line of ecclesiastical forebears, who have clambered over the choir stalls and tripped over the flagstones for centuries. Focusing on the Middle Ages, this lecture will covers cats (with a couple of clerical canines, parrots, and squirrels thrown in for good measure) who have rampaged from the lowliest church living to the very highest reaches of the curia. Find them running amok in monasteries and nunneries, pressing their paws on tiles and inky pages. Learn why you really can’t have a Last Supper or the Annunciation without one. Packed with magnificent illustrations drawn from medieval illuminated manuscripts, this talk promises to be both informative and very entertaining, a must for every animal enthusiast!
Dr Kathleen Walker-Meikle (PhD History, UCL) is a specialist in the history of animals and medicine in the medieval and early modern period, She is the author of several books, including Medieval Pets (Boydell & Brewer, 2021 paperback), Cats in Medieval Manuscripts (British Library Publications, 2019), Dogs in Medieval Manuscripts (British Library Publications, 2020), The Cat Book: Cats of Historical Distinction (Bloomsbury, 2015), The Dog Book: Dogs of Historical Distinction (Bloomsbury, 2014), The Horse Book: Horses of Historical Distinction (Bloomsbury, 2017). She works both at the Science Museum Group and the University of Basel.
The Cat's Tales: Feline Fairytales and Folklore with Charlie Creed
Once upon a time, the enchanting creature that is the cat infiltrated our lives - and our folklore.
Cats have a long associaton with the supernatural - from being worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt to vilified as witches' familiars in Europe - and they appear in countless fairy tales throughout history. Every part of the world has it's own stories whether it's 'Dick Whittington and his Cat'; Japan's 'The Boy who Drew Cats' or the Icelandic story of 'The Cottager and His Cat'.
These felines might appear as companions, guides or demons; they are contrary, malevolent, enigmatic; they are both friends or foes, beloved and reviled. But whether winning kingdoms, falling in love or outwitting giants, they are all the etipome of what we know the cat to be.; mysterious, rouguish and endlessly lovable.
Charlie Creed is a writer from Bristol. He studied English literature at Cambridge University before embarking on a career as a musician. He now works as a subeditor for several national newspapers and as a ghost writer specialising in picture books and stories for young children.
What is Your Cat Thinking? Understanding the Feline Mind with Lucy Hoile
Join Lucy Hoile who will delve into the mysterious world of our feline friends. Ever wondered what goes on inside your cat's head? Lucy will share her expertise on understanding the behavior and thoughts of cats.
Lucy Hoile is a feline behaviourist and author of The Book Your Cat Wishes You Would Read. A leading expert in her field, she has been helping cats and their humans live happier, more harmonious lives since 2010 by resolving behavioural challenges with compassion and expertise. Lucy holds a Master’s degree in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling and is one of only a handful of fully accredited, feline-exclusive behaviour practitioners in the UK. Lucy regularly shares her knowledge through international lectures, talks, books, and articles, making the science of cat behaviour accessible and engaging. Lucy lives with her family, including two charismatic cats – Fig and Sparx – a Labrador named Bucky, and a pink axolotl called Peach.
Plus we are delighted to welcome the following pawsome charities and hoomans on the day...
Catcuddles Cat Sanctuary
You can also meet the volunteers from Greenwich based cat charity The Catcuddles Sanctuary who will be selling cat related items, including homemade cat toys, to raise funds for all the wonderful work they do in rescuing and rehoming cats in London and the surrounding areas including our very own Hodge!
Find out more about Catcuddles at their website
Photograph of Hodge in the Cathedral (c) Bridget Davey.
