Did you know that the Victorian Post Office once employed three cats, gave them an allowance and even put them on probation to see whether they were any good at their jobs?
I came across this rather lovely piece of Victorian history, and it made me smile. It turns out that even cats weren't entirely free from the rules and regulations of Victorian working life!
In September 1868, the Money Order Office in London was having trouble with rats and mice. These unwanted visitors were a particular nuisance in a busy office handling important paperwork, and something needed to be done about them.
The solution was wonderfully simple. The Post Office decided to employ three cats.
Although cats had probably been catching mice in postal buildings for years, these three were officially appointed and given an allowance of one shilling a week between them to help towards their upkeep.
That works out at just four old pence per cat!
However, the Post Office Secretary wasn't prepared to let them enjoy an easy life. The cats were placed on probation, and he was particularly concerned that they should not be overfed. They were expected to catch mice, which would also provide some of their food.
There was even a warning that if the mouse problem hadn't improved within six months, their allowance would be reduced.
Can you imagine three cats having their work performance assessed by Victorian government officials? I suspect anyone who has ever owned a cat will appreciate just how amusing that sounds!
Thankfully, the little workers seem to have proved their worth. On the 7th of May 1869, an official report recorded that "the cats have done their duty very efficiently".
Their efforts were evidently appreciated because, in 1873, their weekly allowance was increased by sixpence.
The arrangement proved successful enough for the official use of cats to spread to other post offices, where they continued helping to control rats and mice.
And this wasn't a short-lived Victorian experiment. Post Office cats remained part of British postal life well into the twentieth century, with some becoming quite famous in their own right.
I love discovering these little glimpses of everyday history. We often hear about Victorian inventions, factories and great achievements, but it's stories like this that remind me of the more unusual side of life.
Now I'd love to know, if you have a cat, would it have earned its Victorian pay rise, or would it have spent the entire working day asleep on the paperwork?
Image info:
The Cat - Felis domesticus, 1872. Library of Congress. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
No comments:
Post a Comment