Catmando
{{Short description|British cat, satirical party joint leader (1995–2002)}}
{{distinguish|Kathmandu}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Catmando
| image = Cat Mandu and Howling Laud Hope.jpg
| caption = Catmando and Howling Laud Hope
| party = Official Monster Raving Loony Party
| birth_date = 1995
| birth_place = Mytchett, Surrey, England
| nationality = English
| office = Leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
| alongside = Howling Laud Hope
| predecessor = Screaming Lord Sutch
| termstart = 1999
| termend = 2002
| death_date = 2002 (aged 7)
}}Catmando (1995–2002; also spelt "Cat Mandu"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDt-n0pNCQA HOWLING LAUD HOPE Pt 7 – Catmando (Cat Mandu) – The real spelling] YouTube, 30 November 2010; retrieved 1 December 2010) was a cat who was named "joint leader" of Britain's Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) from 1999 to 2002, along with his owner, party chairman Howling Laud Hope.{{cite news
|title = POLITICAL CAT FIGHT ENDS IN DRAW FOR LOONIES
|newspaper =Toronto Star
|date = 25 September 1999
|url = http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T9112542792&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T9112542798&cisb=22_T9112542797&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8286&docNo=1
|accessdate = 18 April 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2013}} He died in 2002, serving as leader until his death.
Political career
Following the 1999 death of the party's founder, Screaming Lord Sutch, the OMRLP held a leadership election with Alan "Howling Laud" Hope (who was then the party's chairman and deputy leader) and Catmando as the only two candidates. The vote was a tie, with Hope and Catmando each receiving 125 votes. Hope, as the party chairman, had the deciding vote, and decided that he and Catmando should serve as joint leaders.Stall, Sam (2007); 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization: History's Most Influential Felines, pp.69,70. Quirk Books. {{ISBN|1-59474-163-8}}[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/455323.stm Loonies choose cat as joint leader], BBC News, 24 September 1999
During Catmando's time as joint leader, the OMRLP saw its greatest electoral performance to date, fielding 15 candidates in the 2001 general election. Catmando served as joint leader until his death as a result of a traffic accident in July 2002. Hope then became the party's sole leader.{{cite news |first= Sholto |last= Byrnes |title=The lunatic fringe |work=The Independent |date=6 October 2004 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-lunatic-fringe-535650.html |accessdate=26 December 2010 }}
Following Catmando's death, the party proposed that there should be cat-crossings on all major roads.{{cite news
|first= Jack
|last= Malvern
|title = Mandu
|work= The Times
|date = 7 August 2002
|url = http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T9112542792&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T9112542798&cisb=22_T9112542797&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=10939&docNo=25
|accessdate = 18 April 2010
}}{{dead link|date=January 2013}}
Name origins
Catmando was originally called "Catman". His name was changed after a customer at the Golden Lion (Hope's pub and guesthouse in Ashburton, Devon) asked a music question that Hope could not answer; the customer commented: "I bet Catman do [know the answer]". Consequently, he became "Catmando".{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}
The cat later moved with Hope to the Dog and Partridge public house in Yateley, Hampshire. Gurkhas, stationed nearby at Aldershot, were intrigued by a name that sounded like the Nepalese capital Kathmandu; subsequently the cat became the subject of a front-page feature in the Nepali Times. The "Cat Mandu" spelling became common through media misinterpretation, but Hope has confirmed that "Catmando" is the correct spelling.
One of the OMRLP proposed laws is that no other cat shall be called "Catmando", as there can only be one.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.theguardian.com/gallery/image/0,8543,-10504199264,00.html The 2001 Election in Pictures: Laud Hope and Cat Mandu] The Guardian, 21 May 2001
- [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/publican-shares-loony-leaders-role-with-a-cat-1121641.html Publican shares Loony leader's role with a cat] The Independent, 25 September 1999
- [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/may/21/election2001.uk3 Cat pushes for prime minister] guardian.co.uk, 21 May 2001
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/455323.stm Loonies choose cat as joint leader] BBC News, 24 September 1999
{{S-start}}
{{S-ppo}}
{{S-bef|before=Screaming Lord Sutch}}
{{S-ttl|title=Official Monster Raving Loony Party Leader|years=1999–2002|with=Howling Laud Hope}}
{{S-aft|after=Howling Laud Hope}}
{{S-end}}
{{Monster Raving Loony Party politicians}}
Category:Individual cats in England
Category:Individual cats in politics
Category:Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom