Journal of Matters Relating to Felines - Valentine's 2020

Ouur Heero Inn Obbscurity Ailurophilia, the love of cats, is so great in our society that it is impossible to envision a time when they faced considerable public disdain. However, after certain historical events, this was the regretful case and feline maltreatment continued for centuries thereafter. It must be wondered why cats moved from the status of a reviled animal to one of our most favoured companions. The answer to this query is the fruitful efforts of one Victorian gentleman, Harrison Weir.

Settled amongst the chalk hills of East Sussex is the English town of Lewes wherein Weir was born and where he was to remain until his enrolment into an apprenticeship in chromatography. Despite wonder surrounding this artistic science, Weir considered it a source of great boredom and undertook the craft of wood-engraving as a leisurely-pursuit; marking a pencil illustration upon the surface of the wood and carving the inscription with a chisel. This skill was to be of great value and serve him well in the golden age of woodblock printing within the publishing industry.

In 1843, aged nineteen, Weir gained employment as an artist at the publishing house of ‘The Illustrated Weekly News’, the world's premier weekly newspaper to feature pictorial depiction of its content. The magnificence of his artistic style and ability to produce illustrations in haste without compromising on their quality allowed Weir to quickly become one of the newspapers leading artists along with being a frequent exhibitor of ‘The New Watercolour Society’ and ‘The Royal Academy of Arts’, furnishing galleries with almost one-hundred-and-twenty works of art across his lifetime.

The overwhelming subject of Weir’s art was the natural world, from showcasing the vibrant colours of exotic fauna to dreamlike portrayals of domestic animals. Weir was a Pre-Raphaelite artist, where commitment to realism and truth to nature are threads weaving through any of the art belonging to this aesthetic movement, wholly unconstrained by The Royal Academy’s loyalty towards the artistic fundamentals outlined by Raphael during the Renaissance. Weir illustrated over one-hundred volumes of literary work, his embellishments capturing the wonder, nuance and breath-taking splendour of the untamed wilderness and all that inhabit it. His marvellous ability in portraying the world with crisp precision required an advanced knowledge of animal anatomy, of which Weir possessed in abundance. So great his amateur zoology, Weir performed as a judge at competitive poultry shows and had written correspondence with Charles Darwin on matters regarding their behaviour and appearance.

Darwin rated Weir’s consultancy so highly that he made frequent reference to the artist throughout his 1871 work, ‘The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex’.

Canine and poultry shows were popular entertainment, involved the revered profession of animal husbandry and functioned as authorities on the standards of pedigree animals. Reasons for this are varied, but for dogs, they have been man’s companion since the glacier retreat of the last Ice Age, the descendants of wolves trapped and bred in successful efforts of forced domestication to force their species to physically and mentally conform to the demands of human civilization. The human-canine relationship can be easily seen in artistic and historical accounts, with dogs present throughout all social classes of society; mongrel domestic farm hounds toiling besides their owners in the field to purebred sporting dogs accompanying aristocrats on the forest hunt, with pointer, waterhound and wolfhound breeds being common inclusions in official portraiture. This historical connection has fortified the canine’s place in our society and our hearts.

Felines have a different history and therefore have a different dynamic with society. The cat joined the story of human civilisation tens-of-thousands of years after the dog, doing so on their own terms when they dwelt amongst the sand dunes of the antiquarian Middle-East, in contrast to lupine domination and subjugation in pre-historic Europe. This caused a difference in the temperament of either animal; cats being reserved and independent creatures and dogs being wanting and dependent. The contrast of the feline personality against the dog’s can be misinterpreted of cats’ possessing asocial tendencies, which can cause them vulnerability in times of desperation and panic. One situation was during the mass dieoffs in consequence with the arrival of the Black Death pandemic in 1347. Cats were one of the many groups falsely accused by religious institutions of spreading the disease and triggering pestilential outbreaks, the misplaced blame leading to their mass persecution and torture across the European continent. The residual negativity surrounding cats would persist for several centuries until the Mid-Victorian Era. In the time of Harrison Weir, cats were considered a being of purely utilitarian function providing pest control, with a popular magazine of the Era labelling them, ‘‘a necessary household appendage.’’ To the Victorians, the cat was a creature of the night performing a job in the depths of grimy alleyways and within cellars bedecked in web, frequently contact with vermin packed with illness. Regarding this information, the dynamic is understandable because it was true; the idea of physical comfort provided by a rat-catching feline is simply not appealing. Notions of evil had ebbed away, but there remained a major reputational problem that Weir sought to overcome.

He sought to do so through the release of his 1889 work, ‘Our Cats and All About Them: Their Varieties, Habits, and Management; and for Show, the Standard of Excellence and Beauty, Described and Pictured’. This fully-illustrated book is a wealth of feline information detailing behaviours in an attempt to normalise pet cats to the public. It begins with a collection of anecdotes full of charm and delight from Harrison Weir’s own experiences. One serves as the basis of his belief that cats are of higher intelligence than canines, stating that he has seen only one dog comprehend the function of a door handle to exit a room and that he has seen 'numberless' cats figure out the handle’s manipulation. This conveys to the reader that cats are aware of their surroundings, paying attention to and understanding our interactions with man-made objects alien to the realms of the natural world.

A second anecdote revolves around a cat Weir fed a diet exclusively of horseflesh brought daily to his home, excluding Sunday. Weir details that the cat observed the ritual of delivery and the subsequent arrival of its meal, and thus wait by the door at the specified delivery time for every day of the week except for a Sunday, for when no delivery would come. Weir expresses confusion regarding the biological mechanisms allowing the cat to become aware of the arrangements. The importance of this anecdote is that it shows the Victorians that cats are capable at comprehending

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concepts of time, reinstates the idea of cats having sufficient intelligence to follow through the immediate consequence of actions, but also their ability to comprehend future existence whilst accounting for irregularities and a multitude of possible outcomes. These anecdotes serve to demonstrate their intelligence to Victorian readers that cats are more than just an unthinking, rat-catching machine and something worthy of care, attention and status as a household pet.

Harrison Weir additionally uses the first part of his book to guide those owning a pet cat. It was rather unorthodox to keep pet cats for comfort and companionship before this time, so he was sure to maximise the ease of their transition into the home with the inclusion of the most basic of information, ‘‘Most cats are of a gentle disposition but resent ill-treatment in a most determined way, making use of their claws, at the same time giving vent to their feelings by a low growl and spitting furiously. Under such conditions, it is best to leave off that which has appeared to irritate them.’’ In the following section of part one of his book, Weir offers a synopsis of each of the established cat breeds of his time, detailing the appearance, heritage and unique characteristics. These profiles, together with the slice-of-life anecdotes and the explanatory guidance serve as an essential aide to the Victorian cat owner.

The second part of his book he dedicates to the professional feline fancier, a lover of cats involved with competitive cat shows, titled, ‘Points of Excellence By Which Cats Are Judged’. This section is a multitude of lists detailing the ideal requirements of the various phenotypes cats possess to guide fanciers to breed champion felines. The educational function of this section was to show that they exist as an array of different breeds each with their own physical variations and that cats can be held to breeding standards comparable to the popular canine and poultry shows. The aesthetic guidelines have no basis in biology or an overarching theory of design, but are drawn from the personal taste of Harrison Weir himself, noted by the subtitle, ‘As Specified By Myself’. However, I would not disregard Weir’s recommendations outright. His life has been immersed in the Pre-Raphaelite tradition of accordance to nature and emphasis on reality; if one was to look upon any of his artistic endeavours, they will be assured that he is a man of great taste. Being a judge on poultry shows has familiarised him to the tailoring of biological creatures to match the aesthetic desires of humans and what is excessive physical modification. Weir’s life has gifted him an eye for animal form, his judgements thus deserving of our respect.

The remaining third of Weir’s book is a miscellany of cat topics. In order, ‘The Diseases of Cats’, ‘The Wildcat of Britain’, ‘Concerning Cats’, ‘Cat Proverbs’, The Cat of Shakespeare’, ‘Superstition and Witchcraft’, ‘Weather Notion’, ‘A Cat Clock’, ‘Puss In Boots’, ‘Signs’, ‘The Law On Cat Killing’, ‘Dead Cats’, ‘The Cat as a Tormentor’, ‘Heraldry, etc.’, ‘Performing Cats’, ‘Cat Racing In Belgium’, ‘Cat Images’, ‘Lovers of Cats’, ‘Games’ and finally,‘Nursery Rhymes and Stories’.

The demand warranting Weir to write this compendium of everything feline was due to the success of the 1871 cat show designed by himself and hosted within ‘The Crystal Palace’, Victorian London’s premier exhibition centre of glass and wrought iron. In ‘Our Cats’, the motive of creating a new class of animal showmanship came from Weir’s desire to positively reform the public’s perception of felines, in hope that they would be captivated by their beauty, writing, ‘‘I wish every one to see how beautiful a well-cared-for cat is’’. Weir admits feelings of trepidation during the train journey on the morning of the contest. With no comparable show animal, he fretted about the cats’ behaviour from how they would act under prolonged confinement to their acceptance of food, ‘‘I could in no way predict to myself the scene; it was all so new.’’

Beneath the translucent canopy of The Crystal Palace, Weir was fortunately met with rows of cats reposed amongst red velvet cushions within glittering bronze cages, perfectly at ease, accepting offerings of milk and existing in an atmosphere of gentle purring.

The world’s first cat show was a tremendous success, running four times in the first two years in response to enormous public demand and reported heavily in the popular media. Soon thereafter cat shows were held across the country along with the formation of multiple cat appreciation groups, Weir forming ‘The National Cat Club’ in 1887 to serve as a unifying authority for these breeding societies. A paradigm shift had been stirred within the Victorians by the triumph of Weir’s efforts.

Weir writes in ‘Our Cats’, ‘‘It is to be hoped that by these shows the too often despised cat will meet the attention and kind treatment that every dumb animal should have and ought to receive at the hands of humanity’’. Reflecting on our present, Harrison Weir has fully achieved his aims by designing the cat show, forming The National Cat Club and when composing a book on cat ownership, all whilst rising above the frequent waves of ailurophobic prejudice unmentioned here. The feline of 2020 is an adored member of the household, enjoys favourable portrayal in our entertainment and is worlds away from the maltreated rat-catcher on the streets of Victorian society. For this, we must thank him dearly.

Composed by, Maurice Alexander, Undergraduate of Business Management

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Alll the Caats Jooin Inn The dawn of the new ‘20s has the internet raving. Everywhere on social media, people are putting out calls to bring back flapper dresses, art deco, jazz music and the Charleston. What many do not seem to realise is that the Charleston never really disappeared. While the popularity of the dance declined in the late 1940s, new life was blown into the Charleston during the swing revival which began in the ‘80s. Moreover, the ‘20s Charleston is the direct precursor of the swing dances which have become known and loved around the globe and even evolved to become a swing dance of its own. It is still very much alive!

Actually, ‘the Charleston’ is a rather misleading term. The dance underwent drastic stylistic changes as the music to which it was performed evolved and we still recognise different stages of the dance, categorised under ‘20s Charleston and ‘30s Charleston, which was adapted to the swung rhythm which became common in ‘30s jazz. The styles each have their distinct footwork, but the relation between the two and evolution from one to the other is clearly traceable. Also note that names of dances throughout swing history are not always strictly related to one dance.

Naming practices of the time were very inconsistent, so the same dance could have different, often regional, names or one term would be used for different dances, moves and routines in different contexts. There are also situations where it is unclear what a name really referred to because what little information we may possess about the term may come from conflicting accounts. Finally, certain names were also applied retrospectively and the overarching term of ‘swing dance’ only gained popularity in the latter half of the twentieth century.

The best place to start to understand the history of the swing is, indeed, at the very beginning. The earliest roots of Charleston and by extent the dances known as swing dances are a little vague. That traditional African dances brought to the Americas by slaves lie at the very foundation is certain. Specific characteristics, for example, the rhythms, shape of the movements, emphasis on improvisation and athletic posture are still recognisable. What happened between the import of African dances and the birth of the Charleston can be more difficult to trace. The arteries are trackable, but there are certain factors which make the finest veins more difficult to discern. Dancing for enjoyment was mostly done in the evenings when the masters were in their ‘big house’ and were not well-documented. What the masters did record when they watched for entertainment came from a position of ignorance and thus constructed misleading and unreliable accounts. The lack of footage can make it very difficult to retrospectively reconstruct vernacular dances, especially when many of the existing accounts are second or third hand and also often white. This is also something that continues throughout the history of swing dance, as dances varied regionally, sometimes even from ballroom to ballroom and brief dance crazes disappeared, leaving little more than a few mentions in the press.

The Cakewalk, a pre-ragtime dance popular at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, is perhaps one of the best-known plantation dance crazes in the direct ancestry of jazz and swing, due to the fact that it was incredibly wide-spread and also because it is one of the earliest African-American dances to have been captured on film. It was an expressive dance in which slaves covertly mocked their masters by copying their mannerisms in an exaggerated, comedic fashion, often done competitively for the prize of a cake, from which the name is derived.

Although frequent spectators to the dance and judges in competitions, it is said that the masters remained mostly unaware of the satirical aspects of the dance. Ironically enough, it even became adopted in popular entertainment by white people, primarily in minstrel shows. The lightheartedness and improvisational aspect of this dance were relatively novel and carried over into the later jazz and rag-time dances, whereas the use of polyrhythms and syncopation in the music carried on in those later musical traditions.

The motion we commonly associate with the idea of the Charleston, namely the alternate tapping of feet behind and in front of each other, already existed in the early 1900s when it was commonly done to ragtime and very early ‘hot jazz’. It was picked up by pianist and composer James P. Johnson, who jumpstarted the Charleston as a dance trend when he composed the song ‘Charleston’ for his 1923 Broadway musical ‘Runnin’ Wild’, which popularised the ‘Charleston rhythm’ in music. The song has been widely covered and is still known by most, as the song that plays in our heads when thinking of the ‘20s Charleston, although we may not all known its name and its creator. The accompanying steps from the musical were soon picked up and evolved into a veritable dance of its own, done both partnered and solo. Its peak years in this form were ’26 to ’27.

One must note that the Charleston was by far not the only popular dance at the time and once again, as with all vernacular dances, it also had variations. Originating in New Orleans, the Black Bottom was another popular African-American dance. It was based on the Charleston rhythm and ultimately overtook it in popularity once it had caught on in the mainstream culture. With the focus on improvisation, many such dances influenced each other as moves would be adapted and passed on from dance to dance. Perhaps the best example of this would be how the Breakaway, the third dance in the ‘big three’ of this era, eventually evolved into what became known as Lindy Hop. It featured a lot of ‘breaking away’, shifting from the then-popular ‘closed-hold’ to an ‘open-hold’ in which dancers would dance hand to hand. A way to get into this position is through a move called the 'swing out'. This move, taken from other dances, then became a foundational move in Lindy Hop. ‘Shorty’ George Snowden became known as the first great Lindy Hopper. It is said that he named the dance during a Manhattan dance marathon in ’28 when dancing with dance partner Mattie Purnell. A reporter asked him what he was doing with his feet, to which he responded: 'Why it's the Lindy!' Supposedly, it was named after Charles Lindbergh's flight over the Atlantic a year prior. Whether this is true or not, is open to speculation, but it is certainly a fun tale to tell. After this, the dance caught on, particularly in Harlem, New York. The Savoy Ballroom specifically is where things took off, as it was there that the greatest Lindy Hoppers frequently graced the dance floor. The best of the best tended to hang out in the ballroom’s northeast corner, also dubbed the cats’ corner, ‘(hep)cats’ being the term for hardcore jazz fans who were up to date with the latest trends.

When Frankie Manning was invited to dance in the cats’ corner, he knew this was the start of something. From the Savoy Ballroom dancers, touring performance groups grew. The most notable was ‘Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers’, managed by former Savoy bouncer Herbert ‘Whitey’ White,

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with Frankie Manning as a lead dancer. Other names from this group of original Lindy Hoppers stuck around, such as Norma Miller, All Minns and Leon James, but Manning has been adopted as the ‘grandfather’ of Lindy Hop. It was he who transformed the dance into the acrobatic dance it became known as by introducing some of the first aerials or ‘air steps’, as he termed them. As the dance group began touring the US and performing fast, acrobatic routines and prominent white dancers such as Dean Collins picked up the dance, Lindy Hop entered mainstream culture.

This continued into WWII, where it became a pastime among GIs, who also continued to introduce the dance in Europe. Its popularity declined after the war, in favour of other dances such as rock ‘n’ roll. It was still danced on a very small scale, but most of the great dancers had retired from their careers as performers. In the 1980s, however, the dance was rediscovered by small groups in the US, the UK and Sweden, who each sought to track down original dancers who may be able to help revive Lindy Hop. Frankie Manning, All Minns, and Norma Miller left their retirement and took up their positions as dancers again, this time to pass on their craft to others. Although off to a bumpy start, the revival slowly but steadily reintroduced Lindy Hop and numerous other swing dances, including some not mentioned in this article such as Collegiate Shag and Balboa, back into mainstream culture. Today, these dances have gained worldwide popularity.

Recently, controversies have arisen surrounding swing dance and the whiteness of current swing dance scenes, especially relating to Lindy Hop and whether or not it has been culturally appropriated. As explained above, these dances originated as African-American vernacular dances during the time of segregation, danced to African-American music. Later, they became popularised among whites, but segregation and racism continued.

The revival also was predominantly white and the dance became much more academicized than it was before. A lot of the criticism is centred not so much around the dances themselves, but more so about the music and the culture surrounding it.

In terms of music, there is a lot of disagreement about what music Lindy Hop should be danced to, the original music, new swing music or any kind of music. There is a vocal community which has agreed that if danced to music either not from the era or not closely related to it, it can be called swing dance, but not Lindy Hop, as to respect its origins. Whether or not it should be done to original tracks from back in the day or modern equivalents is still a controversial matter. On the one hand, the dance evolved along with the original music, so it is specifically designed to be danced to it. Dancers and musicians often engaged with each other, for example playing call-and-response games with music and dance. At the same time, the argument of evolution could be used against this idea of preservation, as the dance has evolved a lot since the 1930s. Then, music and dance evolved together, but preservationists today prefer to pair a constantly evolving dance with original music in an attempt to preserve the dance in its original form.

This preservation aspect is also particularly controversial as it is predominantly pushed by white dancers, for whom there is a certain kind of nostalgia attached to reviving the past. When attending any kind of swing dance event, one is guaranteed to encounter at least several people in vintage style dresses or button-ups with braces. Even bowling shirts occasionally make appearances on the dance floor. Generally, clothes and hairstyles that resemble styles from the ‘50s and ‘60s rather than the decades in which swing dances such as Lindy Hop, ‘30s Charleston and Collegiate Shag were popular. These failed attempts at creating time capsules are often experienced as alienating by black dancers, many of whom have recently begun to express how for them, there is nothing in the past. By no means should original music and vintage fashion at events be abolished altogether, many still agree that 'nobody swings like the Count (Basie)', but it is important to recognise that the past should not be idealised. If anything, the way to keep such dances alive is to allow them to evolve. As dancers and musicians educate themselves in the origins of swing and jazz, they may take them and get creative with them. Ultimately, creativity and innovation were key aspects in historical swing culture and are what allowed the dances to stay alive for several decades.

Some of the best resources to learn about swing and jazz culture are first-hand accounts from the cats themselves. Ultimately, a century ago is not so great a leap on our timeline and many of the original members have created a lot of content during the revival age. Read bibliographies, listen to interviews, watch films. It is, of course, important to remain critical and read multiple accounts, as no one-sided story ever tells the truth and times certainly change. Today, some speakers and bloggers have dedicated themselves to improving swing dance communities through sharing information on all aspects of the culture, granting everyone the opportunity to truly appreciate it. Music and dance have always been a great source of joy to humanity, so explore and get yourself those happy hormones. If you know not where to start, revisit a tune you vaguely know or type a name mentioned in this article into a search engine. Allow yourself to meander from one thing to another and let the beauty of swing dance culture sweep you off your feet.

Composed by, Loki Anne Thompson, Film & Visual Culture and History of Art

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Thhe Roomance of Feelines Three primal urges that we, humans, experience as animate organisms are to eat, sleep and to copulate. Unsurprisingly, cats are no different from us, but despite the similarities, it would be foolish to suggest that they do not have several reproductive quirks of their own.

Sexual dimorphic reproduction involves the interaction of individuals possessing either type of two sets of sexual characteristics. In human beings, achieving the form for successful reproduction is undergone by a physically altering biological process dubbed ‘puberty’. Feline ‘puberty’ is marked by the onset of their first ‘heat’ cycle, a period of sexual desire and availability. Curiously enough, the age of sexual maturity in cats correlates roughly with the ages of their human sexual counterparts, as the female feline six months being the equivalent of a human females’ ten years and male feline sexual maturity age of one year being the human male equivalent of fifteen years. Longhairs, cats of Persian ancestry have a human sexual maturation age of twenty accounting for their late ‘puberty’ at one-and-half years of age.

The exact onset of a cats individual heat varies depending on their genetic makeup but is also dependent on the fulfilment of health conditions like nutrition and socialisation with other felines The hours of daylight have been noted as playing a crucial role, with the sexual activity of some breeds of domestic cat, like British shorthairs having their first heat cycle early in the seasonal calendar with the approach of Spring, ten-hour period of continuous light being the trigger. Exotic cats like Siamese breeds can enter heat at any time throughout the year and all cats kept prisoner indoors enter the cycle of heat irrespective of the season or the changing hours of light. Male cats enter this cycle independent of the season, amount of light or condition of health; the only requirement being the detection of female cat pheromones and hearing their vocalised calls during the later stages of heat.

Pheromones are scent-based chemical communications which are secreted from various glands upon the body of the animal, deposited through physical contact. These glands are numerous on the base of the feline’s paws and on the face, concentrating on the forehead, chin, cheeks, lower ears and around the mouth. Pheromones are complicated messages containing up to forty different chemicals, with the invisible vapours being processed by the olfactory gland on the roof of the cats’ mouth, functioning as a message receptor. Lacking this oral receptacle, chemical communication goes undetected in humans.

‘Heat’ is scientifically termed the ‘Oestrus Cycle’ and is composed of four individual stages; ‘Anoestrous’, ‘Proestrus’, ‘Oestrus’, and ‘Metestrus’; all being of varying length and inducing their own effects upon the female cat. Cat breeder terminology is necessary for ease of understanding.

Male cat breeding terms are, ‘tom’, a single male and, ‘sire’, the cat fathering a kitten litter. Female cat breeding terms are ‘molly’, a single female and, ‘queen’, a pregnant female and the mother of kittens. The Anoestrous stage is normal female cat behaviour when the queen is not sexually active and the ovaries within her are inactive. For Scotland, this typically runs from the late Autumn of September to throughout the waning chill of March.

The Proestrus stage is used to describe the opening of the Oestrous immediately following Anoestrus, comparable to the ‘Waning Crescent’ after the ‘New Moon’ of the Lunar Cycle. Proestrus lasts from one to four days with induced behaviours including increased appetite, restlessness, an utterance of low, short meows and a growing desire for attention from the molly’s owner. At this stage, sexual desire beginning to stir within her brought by the promotion of egg development encouraged from increased levels of oestrogen. but be unable to breed. However, the molly will be unable to breed as the ovaries are only starting to activate and her vulva, the outer lips of the vagina, only beginning to moisten and enlarging slightly with an absence of vaginal discharge.

The Oestrus stage is when the molly is capable of becoming pregnant. This is the specific stage which the title ‘heat’ references and it lasts for ten to fourteen days. The molly will display an outpouring of affection towards her owner by rubbing her body against them and urging for frequent, extended petting. During petting, the molly will assume the breeding posture with her body held low to the ground. The molly will be vocal throughout this period, continuously emitting a high-pitched chirping similar to the cry of the Indian peacock with the intent to attract lustful Toms within and beyond your local area. Virile males will congregate on the garden wall, stand upon the windowsills of your home and wait closely outside the door for a chance to meet your gorgeous feline. Mollys will have little to no vaginal discharge during the Oestrus phase in stark contrast to female dogs.

The Metestrus stage occurs immediately after the Oestrus stage. The female will not pay attention or accept males at this time and will return to her normal self. British shorthairs in Scotland will typically experience this reproductive cycle in April, and if unimpregnated, will occur every two to three weeks until the arrival of Autumn.

If dealing with the content detailed within the previous paragraphs is undesirable, owners can avoid it all through spaying their Molly. This is a veterinary procedure with the objective of removing the cat's uterus and ovaries. It sounds daunting, but leaves a minuscule scar on the left side of the cat's body. If kittens are desired in the future but not at present, then the molly must be kept indoors at all times, being vigilant to ensure that every escape method is closed, sealed or blocked. Cats being lithe, quick, and silent creatures, double-watchfulness should be employed when exiting or entering the home as the molly and toms will be eager to slip past you and indulge themselves in a moment of passion.

I do observe overwhelming negativity in reference to the pregnancy of domestic cats, but do remind you that in the world of feline fancy, responsible breeding maintains the healthy lineage of all the iconic cat breeds we know and love.

Human intercourse can be in multiple positions and involve a whole arrangement of different routines, costumes and devices. Cats, however, are puritan beings and perform a sole ritual, sexual routine. Feline copulation begins with the molly engaging in exploratory overtures to discern if the tom possesses genetic material worth carrying. If he impresses her, she will permit him to mount her, involving her crouching low to the ground

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and presenting her vaginal opening. The male will then stand over her, his paws clasped to the sides of her body, gripping the skin at the back of her neck by his teeth and moving his lower half around the lower end of her body until, by chance, genital alignment has been achieved. This can take a while, but they get there eventually. A scream from the molly marks the beginning of penetration. Unfortunately, this is not a scream from burgeoning ecstasy, but of immense pain due to the multiple sharp spines covering the anatomy of the tom’s penis, their function being to embed themselves in the molly’s cavity to prevent her from slipping from his grip or being pushed off by a rival tom, to secure successful impregnation.

To the molly’s relief, cat mating is very short, the ordeal lasting under a minute. After the barbed instrument has been withdrawn from within her, the molly will immediately bat the tom away and begin to roll on the ground in aid of fertilisation by sloshing the semen around her womb and along walls of her cervix.

Accompanying your cat throughout her pregnancy, comforting her during the birth and witnessing the love between queen and kittens are memories so rare and beautiful that they ought to be weighted in antiquarian gems. However, enduring the fortnight-long oestrus stage behaviours are not at all pleasant for yourself or your wanting cat and can be quite disruptive to the rhythms of everyday life. Therefore, to relieve both cat and owner, I will now describe an acupressure technique that calms the Molly for up to three hours through the induction of a feline orgasm.

Note that the procedure is non-penetrative, so do not worry about getting your hands dirty. Acupressure is an alternative medical technique originating within the realm of traditional Chinese medicine in which physical pressure is applied to points on the body. The first step is to identify that your cat is in the Oestrus stage of the Oestrus Cycle using the descriptions within this article and then perform the following technique. Place yourself behind your cat so that you are facing her rump, which will be raised when petting her back. Notice what side of her body her tail curls around and place the tip of your finger beside the base of the tail. Apply a firm downward pressure and then angle the pressure towards yourself.

If successful, your cat's body will stiffen as though rigor-mortis runs throughout her and will begin drawling out long, hoarse meows; the reaction mirroring when she is penetrated by a tom. Continue the pressure for fifteen to twenty seconds and release. She will immediately begin to roll on the ground, the same post-sex behaviour without the attack since no pain was inflicted. The pressure is applied onto the molly’s clitoris and the release triggering her orgasm. She will now return to her normal self for two to three hours before needing to be relieved again. This is an easy, quick and effective technique for cat owners, as the constant meowing from your yearning pet can keep you awake well past your preferred bedtime and the solution is as simple as lifting her onto the bed, some light petting before applying point pressure and waiting fifteen seconds. Owners can be at ease that they possess a three-hour window to enter a deep sleep and that their cat has been relieved. She will be ever so thankful.

Composed by, Maurice Alexander, Undergraduate of Business Management

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Thhe Faabric of Ouur Loove In the last 150 years, the movement of animal fancy has prompted an explosion of new breeds of our much-loved pets. Whilst mostly escaping from breeding for over-exaggeration of certain traits such as those seen in pedigree dogs, cat-fancy has still been somewhat prevalent. Unlike many dogs – take the difference between the great Dane and chihuahua and compare both to the wolf for example – cats have retained their looks and behaviour from their wild ancestors, the African wildcat. Indeed, there has been speculation that the domestication process has never truly occurred in the cat, or that it has only occurred since cat fancy became popular. Nevertheless, breeders have been able to create a huge range of patterns, colours and pedigree breeds whilst maintaining a wild cat in a (sometimes) more tame form.

The dawn of our knowledge of genetics and inheritance began in the 1850s, with the pea plant breeding experiments run by the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel. Although Mendel recognised that traits were being passed down, he was unsure what controlled them. We now call these genes.

A gene is the basic unit of heredity and alleles are different variants of a gene. Over the course of his experiments, Mendel crossed thousands of pea plants together and recorded the outcomes of the progeny each time. Analysing different traits and breeding differing plants together yielded interesting patterns – where there was not a ‘blending’ effect of traits as was believed at the time, but all first-generation (F1) offspring would show one of the traits and not the other. An example is the shape of the seed, breeding a rounded seed pea plant and a wrinkled seed pea plant would yield offspring that all had round seeds. Thus, he called these alleles ‘dominant’ and those that were not displayed ‘recessive’. It was only upon the breeding of two of the F1 together that Mendel was able to get the recessive trait to reappear in the next generation. He noticed that generally, the offspring from these crosses would show round or wrinkled seeds in a 3:1 ratio.

However, there was much more going on than meets the eye. Each seed had its own specific genotype for the round/wrinkled trait consisting of two alleles. Where two alleles are the same, these individuals are called homozygotes. Where the two alleles differ, these are known as heterozygotes. As such, the actual genotype ratio differed from that of the phenotype. The grandparents of this generation were homozygous for both the dominant (which we will call R) and recessive (which we will call r) alleles. A cross between the rounded parent (RR) and the wrinkled parent (rr) would then yield only one genotype for that trait (Rr – a heterozygote). Upon crossing two of these heterozygote offspring together, you can see that it immediately becomes a bit more exciting. There then arises the potential for three different genotypes to occur (RR, Rr and rr) because each offspring will obtain one allele from the ‘mother’ plant and one from the ‘father’ plant. Breeding these offspring together will yield a number of different outcomes depending on the genotypes combined. It is these experiments that have formed the basis of our modern understanding of inheritance. Many of the inheritance rules established by Mendel have been essential in creating many of the cat breeds and coat patterns we know and love today.

Spots, rosettes, colourpoints, white markings, shading, smoke and stripes are just some of the coat colours and patterns that we can see in our cats, but they all have a genetic basis and some general rules. The genes for coat colour, i.e. black, white, red, or blue are only found on the X chromosome. Male kittens (XY) only obtain their colour genes from their mother as they only have one X chromosome, whilst female kittens (XX) will take one variant from the father, and one from the mother. This is known as ‘sex-linked inheritance’. With some colours, such as lilac and chocolate, the colour genes must be present on both sides of the kitten’s parentage for it to be either of these colours. However, patterns can be inherited from either mother or father. Most are unable to skip generations, with the exception of colourpoint, where the face, ears, legs and tail are often a colour which has a stark contrast to the body colour. This pattern is seen in breeds such as the Siamese, Oriental and Ragdoll.

Tortoiseshell (otherwise known as calico) cats are perhaps the most interesting from a genetic perspective. Where a female cat inherits an allele for ginger fur and another for black fur, instead of one colour being dominant over the other, both will appear together. This is why the vast majority of tortoiseshell cats are female. Although tortoiseshell males are possible, this is usually due to the effects of having an extra sex chromosome (i.e. being XXY), which is essentially the same as Klinefelter Syndrome in humans.

Although we have established that cats are not as diverse as dogs in terms of their looks, there have been some interesting phenotypic departures from the wildcat. One such difference is seen in the tail, some varieties have been bred to have a residual stump of a tail, often known as a ‘bobtail’.

These breeds, such as the Japanese and American bobtails are known for their affectionate and laid-back natures, the stumpy tail does not seem to affect their fun and games. In these cases, the bobtail has occurred due to a natural mutation and as these breeds have been derived from feral stock, they have excellent genetic health. The Manx cat is an ancient breed native to the Isle of Man and a dominant mutant allele within the isolated population has led to many of this breed being completely tailless, although some have stumps like the other bobtail breeds. However, the gene for a complete tail is retained within the population as being homozygous for the tailless gene tends to be lethal, so it is not uncommon for tailed cats to be born. Unfortunately, in entirely tailless Manx, a condition called ‘Manx Syndrome’, a form of spinal bifida that often results in dramatically shortened lifespan as well as digestive and bladder problems can occur. Manx breeders are often very careful in which cats they breed from and keep a close eye on tailless kittens (affectionally known as rumpies) before they go to new homes due to this condition.

Some breeds also have variations with their facial features, one example being the ears. The American curl has a quirky look, with tufty ears that do indeed curl backwards. These cats have a fantastic, bubbly personality and are often described as more dog-like in their devotion to their owners.

This dominant mutation originated in just one moggy, which all curls can trace their lineage back to. Despite this, the dominance of the trait has allowed a large genetic pool to be established within the breed, meaning it has both a wonderful personality and fantastic genetic health. Where the curl’s ears are folded back, the Scottish fold’s are flattened to its head, making it look like a cuddly toy. The alleles responsible for the fold are dominant to those which give normal ears, but the extent to which they are is debated. It is thought that the level of gene expression will dictate whether ears are folded or not. As such, it is suspected that it is possible to have a normal-eared cat that carries the fold variant of the gene. The fold gene is responsible for a condition called osteochondrodysplasia which causes joint degeneration and bone and cartilage malformation. Where

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Scottish folds are homozygous for the fold gene, the onset of this condition is extreme and early. Even when the cat has only one copy of the allele, it is still at risk but usually less severely than homozygotes. As a result, many cat showing organisations do not permit registration of this breed.

Another controversial breed is the munchkin, which, due to a dominant mutation that causes a condition similar to achondroplasia (dwarfism in humans), has considerably shorter legs than other cats, essentially making it look like a feline basset hound. It is a relatively new breed, developed in the 1980s and is only accepted by two cat showing organisations worldwide because of the view that the breed is unethical and riddled with health issues, especially with their joints. As homozygotes for the mutation are completely inviable, domestic cats are encouraged to be used as outcrosses, so that offspring will have at maximum one munchkin allele. Cats which are homozygote recessives will have legs of a normal length.

Perhaps the most famous example of the facial difference is in the Persian and its shorthaired variety the exotic. The instantly recognisable flattened snout coupled with large expressive eyes is reminiscent of dog breeds such as the pug and bulldog, giving these cats a clownish look. These flatfaced or brachycephalic breeds have arisen due to a mutation which affects the conformation of the skull. Over the last few decades, Persians have been selectively bred to give them a flatter face, which are prized in the show ring but, as with pugs and bulldogs, severely obstructs breathing and the ability to lead a normal life. After the fallout of the programme ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’ which caused questions to be raised about the similar issues the modern Persian faces, there is now a push for Persians to have more moderate muzzle lengths, similar to the original breed.

Not all breeds have been developed based on skeletal differences, however. A mutation in the gene which causes the Devon rex to have a short, wavy coat is also responsible for creating completely hairless cats. This mutation has been fixed to create hairless breeds such as the Sphynx. The hairless allele is known to be incompletely dominant over the Devon allele – this means that the hairless gene is not expressed as strongly as it would be if it had complete dominance. As such, some Sphynx cats may have some downy hairs. In addition to this, the allele which provides the Selkirk rex with its long, luscious and curled coat also has complete dominance over both of these variants as well as that for a normal coat.

There is also the Cornish rex, which has a similar waved coat to the Devon rex, but this is a result of a different mutation, a deletion (where some of the DNA is accidentally removed) on one of its chromosomes. Cornish rexes only have one layer to their coat, whereas most breeds will have three. Due to this, they are extremely soft but also tend to lose hair. In contrast is the impressive coat of the LaPerm, a breed which originated from a natural mutation in pest control cats in the 1980s. This breed was allowed to naturally propagate for ten years until a proper breeding programme was established. LaPerms exhibit a wonderful long coat of a mixture of waves and loose and tight curls. Wirehaired cats have also been produced the American wirehair arose from a mutation in a litter produced by two American shorthair parents. However, it is thought to be exceptionally unique as there are no reports of wirehair cats anywhere else in the world. Development of the breed produced fur has a texture similar to that of wirehaired terriers. It also has charming crinkled whiskers.

A mixture of mother nature and efforts by breeders have provided the diversity in colour, pattern and breed that we see in cats today. In terms of genetics, the cat world provides a number of interesting examples and here we have only just scratched the surface. Despite the efforts of humans to tame them, cats still resemble their ancestors fairly closely, retaining hunting instincts through play and catching unfortunate birds and rodents that dare cross their paths. Regardless of breeding, you can take the cat out of the wild, but you cannot take the wild out of the cat.

Composed by, Thea Mainprize, Undergraduate of Zoology

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Cllaws of Stteel Claws are an essential part of a cat's anatomy. They need them not only for self-defence but also for climbing, hunting and mapping out their territory. Onychectomy is the name of the process by which a cat’s claws will be removed. Owners may do this to stop them from scratching furniture or strangers they may encounter. However, it does them more harm than good, it reduces their ability to climb trees and maintain balance and forces them to use their teeth a lot more than they would normally do potentially resulting in head injuries. It also reduces their ability to defend themselves against predators. The Humane Society estimates that declawed cats are 75% defenceless. Thankfully this practice is becoming increasingly frowned upon, not least because of the pain it causes the cat but also because cats are adventurous creatures and need to defend themselves against the unknown.

The debate about guns may seem more relevant to the United States than on this side of the pond but we are today at the other extreme to our American cousins. The British Olympic shooting team now has to train in France because firearms regulation in this country is too strict. I am in no way advocating that we adopt similar gun legislation to that of the United States but rather we find a middle ground where people can own firearms as a means to defend their homes and families. Of course, this must be done with the appropriate licensing and training.

The Firearms Act 1997 was a culmination of more and more restriction on firearms and resulted in the effective banning of the private possession except in certain limited circumstances, such as for historical interest or use in sports. It came in the wake of the Dunblane School shooting. At the time it was certainly the right thing to do. However, new gun-related dangers are presenting themselves and it may be time to rethink restrictive firearms legislation to counter this.

Since the act was passed, our culture has always been very anti-gun, with many, especially those on the Labour benches, seeing it as a great achievement that no future government should change. This attitude towards guns can work in societies that are very much at peace and where the police are also disarmed. While there may have been less of a need for firearms in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which is not the case today. We are seeing a rise in gun crime and knife crime coupled with terrorist attacks at the heart of our capital. Arming the police alone will not solve it.

People need to have the freedom to defend themselves.

Despite its association with the constitution of the United States, the right to bear arms goes back to the days of King Henry II with the Assize of Arms in 1181 obliging all English subjects to keep and bear arms in service of the King. The right to bear arms was later enshrined in law with the British Bill of Rights passed in 1689, 100 years before its American counterpart. The Act came after the overthrow of King James II of England; “Whereas the late King James the Second, by the Assistance of divers evil Counsellors, Judges, and Ministers, employed by Him, did endeavour to subvert and extirpate the Protestant Religion, and the Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom ... (b)y assuming and exercising a Power of dispensing with and suspending of Laws, and the Execution of Laws, without Consent of Parliament ... (b)y causing several good Subjects, being Protestants, to be disarmed, at the same Time when Papists were both armed and employed contrary to Law ... (a)ll which are utterly and directly contrary to the known Laws and Statutes and Freedom of this Realm ... the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons, pursuant to their respective Letters and Elections, being now assembled in a full and free Representative of this Nation, taking into their most serious Consideration the best Means for attaining the Ends aforesaid, do in the First Place (as their Ancestors in like Case have usually done), for the vindicating and asserting their ancient Rights and Liberties, Declare, ... That the Subjects which are Protestants may have Arms for their Defence, suitable to their Condition, and as allowed by Law.” Blackstone said in his commentaries that “The fifth and last auxiliary right of the subject, that I shall at present mention, is that of having arms for their defence, suitable to their condition and degree, and such as are allowed by law. Which is also declared by the same statute I W. & M. st.2.

C.2. and is indeed a public allowance, under due restrictions, of the natural right of resistance and self-preservation, when the sanctions of society and laws are found insufficient to restrain the violence of oppression.”

The right to bear arms was not only viewed for the defence of oneself but also necessary for the collective defence of the people against tyrannical governments. This explains the timing of such rights being enshrined into law. In 1689, England had just removed a King they regarded as tyrannical, similarly in 1789 when the American bill of rights was passed, they had just spent 8 years fighting a war of independence and wanted to ensure the population could defend itself from a potential re-invasion by Britain. As weapons became more advanced, it was necessary to control who could possess them. Licensing regimes were introduced in the 19th and 20th centuries and while people were allowed to own a gun for hunting or self-defence, people could be excluded from owning firearms on the basis that they were of ‘‘intemperate habits’’ or ‘‘unsound mind’’.

In recent years, there has been a move to the opposite extreme. Not only with the Firearms Act 1997 but also with the Scottish government's recent decision to introduce a more stringent licensing regime for air weapons than the rest of the UK. While deaths caused by guns may have declined since the 1997 Act, new technology is making it easier for criminals to get their hands on guns and they are increasingly being used in non-lethal crimes. Guns are increasingly being purchased on the ‘dark web’ and being imported into the UK from countries in Eastern Europe. Other developing technologies such as 3D printing will likely make guns more accessible to criminal gangs.

Going forward, I would suggest that firearms laws be liberalised along the following lines. People with the appropriate level of training from a suitable provider, who have no mental conditions which may lead them to act irrationally and have no previous criminal convictions, be allowed to own firearms in their homes for self-defence.

Composed by, Derek Gardiner, Postgraduate of Law

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Fllowers of Evvil Traditionally, Valentine’s Day consists of flowers being given to express one’s love for another. Roses are popular for this occasion. However, beautiful as they may be, there is a darker side to some flowers, many of which are indeed given in various bouquets or kept in our gardens. Many toxic plants evolved their poisons as an avoidance mechanism from hungry herbivores, and as we will see, they have often been effective. These plants have been used throughout history for various purposes ranging from recreational to cosmetic, to downright dastardly. These ‘flowers of evil’ often have a fine line between helpful medicinal properties and toxicity. Many serve as star attractions in so-called ‘poison gardens’ where they are kept as unusual commodities, the most famous of these being Alnwick Garden in England owned by the Duchess of Northumberland. She has stated rather sinisterly that it is “much better to know how a plant kills” than what medicinal properties it has. Many of these flowers provide an interesting insight into the ancient and ongoing relationship between plants and people, as we delve into the realm of (potentially) fatal flora.

The foxglove is one such plant. With its beautiful pink, purple or white bell-shaped flowers, it is often kept as a showy addition to any garden. All foxglove species contain a cocktail of potent toxins, including digoxin and digitoxin. Within the human body, an overdose of these toxins can wreak havoc with the cardiac system in even the healthiest human, causing arrhythmias – unusual heart rhythms – as well as increasing the potassium levels in the blood to the point of fatality. In addition to cardiac problems, foxglove overdose can cause severe pain in the digestive tract as well as hallucinations. Often, a victim of an overdose will suffer from these symptoms for around 5 days before effects subside, but death is also a distinct possibility.

The potential for misuse of these flowers for recreational use was identified as early as 1785, and there was a spate of cases of overdose of foxgloverelated toxins, both deliberate and accidental as recently as the 1970s, due to the herbal tea craze. However, such compounds (known collectively as glycosides) have been historically used in small doses to aid various heart conditions, such as congestive heart failure. In modern medicine, glycosides tend to be overlooked in favour of alternatives due to there being no evidence for an increase in survivability of patients with these conditions. On the contrary, they may still be used in low doses to treat arrhythmias. Glycosides are not unique to the foxgloves, however. They are present in many other plants, but often fulfilling different roles thus making them a little safer (and occasionally more dangerous) for human consumption.

A flower which is as toxic as it is culturally important is the lily (species of the genus Lilium). Lilies are very attractive flowers that are often given as gifts or are out in the garden. They represent purity and have a deep-seated basis in religion. In Christianity for example, lilies are popular plants for Easter services as a floral representation of Jesus’ resurrection. This historic view of the lily as a symbol of purity even goes as far back as ancient Greece and they are still important in Greek wedding ceremonies. However, these stunning flowers have a darker side for the cat owners out there. They are highly toxic to cats and ingestion of two petals is enough to be fatal, although all parts of the plant are dangerous, including the pollen. The somewhat terrifying aspect of lily poisoning is that the way that the toxins work is unknown. However, the symptoms that occur are related to kidney failure, the onset of which is not immediate but generally between two and three days. Due to this, if your cat has even suspected to have ingested lily it is a veterinary emergency and time really is of the essence in this situation. True lilies tend not to be so fatal to humans, but other species labelled as lilies, for example, the peace lily is very poisonous to cats, dogs and humans. Ingestion can cause swelling of the mouth and tongue, which can block airways and cause death. It is therefore prudent to keep anything labelled as a lily out of the reach of pets and children.

Several seemingly innocuous and popular garden residents are extremely poisonous. Spring brings with it the flourishing of bright yellow daffodils.

Not a flower we would likely equate with toxicity due to their favourable representation in art, poetry and prose, but these plants, along with other members of the Narcissus genus, contain a variety of alkaloids including the poison lycorine. Lycorine is most commonly found in the bulbs of daffodils but may also be present in smaller quantities throughout the plant. Superficially, the bulbs are very similar to those of onions and there have been cases of people confusing the two, leading to accidental ingestion. As with lilies, the actual mechanism of toxicity and metabolisation is not known. Lycorine is known however to prevent neurotransmitters from working adequately and also highly suppresses protein synthesis.

Whilst small doses are generally a minor inconvenience and symptoms such as nausea are resolved quickly, high doses can be fatal.

When we think of dangerous flowers, the plant Atropa belladonna often springs to mind. Its species name means ‘beautiful lady’ in Italian and is a stark contrast to its common name and one you will likely know is deadly nightshade. Despite its name suggesting its effects (and is certainly an accurate name, this plant is one of the most poisonous found in Britain), the deadly nightshade plant has been used extensively throughout history.

There are stories of early humans as well as the Romans using it as a poison both to hunt and to commit some rather nefarious deeds. Famously, Emperor Augustus’ wife, Agrippina, is thought to have used this plant to murder her husband. More commonly, women would use nightshade eye drops to dilate their pupils. Nightshade acts upon the eye as a muscular blocker and prevents the pupils from changing size in differing lights.

Large pupils were seen as attractive, although blindness from overuse of this plant probably not so much.

Nightshade is a strong hallucinogenic which may be appealing to some. Typically, curiosity kills the cat. Or human in this instance. It is highly recommended that people do not use this plant as a recreational drug due to its radical effects on the nervous system and high propensity to cause death. One of the main compounds in nightshade is called atropine and whilst this is, in fact, used as a genuine medical intervention for pesticide poisoning in both people and cats, overdoses can cause heart conditions, seizures and potentially coma. It also suppresses important parts of the nervous system responsible for the control of breathing and other essential activities. Belladonna is so deadly that just two of the sweet-tasting berries can be lethal for children.

The deadly nightshade may sound a bit frightening but is not the most poisonous in the UK. That accolade falls to the unassuming native plant known as monkshood or wolf’s bane. Monkshood flowers are typically purple-blue or white in colour and as its name suggests, look like a hood.

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Although relatively unpalatable, this plant contains the dangerous toxin aconitine which causes neurological symptoms and heart conditions due to affecting the body’s ability to regulate sodium effectively. Although symptoms generally appear within a few hours of ingestion, with high doses death may occur rapidly. Even direct contact with the plant can cause symptoms, so gardeners should handle it very carefully. Historically, monkshood species have been used as effective poisons for hunting. Many indigenous peoples have made use of aconitine, including Aleutian whaling and for hunting bears by the Ainu in Japan. Despite its highly toxic properties, monkshood is still used in Chinese and Indian medicine to treat conditions such as asthma and the cold. It is often boiled first before being taken in small doses to reduce the effects of aconitine.

There are also several non-native species to watch out for. As with other plants, hemlock has certain medicinal properties such as the ability to counteract the rat poison strychnine. However, hemlock is as invasive as it is toxic, it can be found in a variety of places such as gardens, riverbanks and landfills. Ingestion of just a small amount of any part of this plant may cause death due to its ability to prevent breathing via lung paralysis.

This highly poisonous relative of the carrot has small white flowers which are spread in a fan shape and looks similar to many harmless species.

Famously, this is the plant that the ancient Greeks used to execute prisoners, the most notable being the philosopher Socrates. There have even been cases of people dying after eating birds which have consumed the seeds of this plant. Its unassuming appearance does not belie its poisonous nature at all. Truly a flower of evil if ever there was one.

Most poisonous plants within the UK tend to cause small rashes on the skin, or digestive upset if consumed, but those we have explored are much more sinister, with the potential to cause death if consumed in higher doses. Despite this, people still pick and use them for their medicinal properties, some of which we have seen can be lifesaving in certain situations. There is a high chance that perhaps one or more of these plants are growing in your own garden if so, handle with caution. With these ‘flowers of evil’ there is a fine balance between cure and death, so pick your poison carefully.

Composed by, Thea Mainprize, Undergraduate of Zoology

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Fuurry and Faamous Although millions of people are familiar with at least a number of animal internet sensations such as Grumpy Cat, Loki the Wolfdog or Juniper the Fox, it remains baffling exactly how popular this content has become. The most popular ‘pet influencers’ have amassed several millions of followers and continue to grow. Big brands have recently joined the party upon realising that balls of furry joy make us just that tad more likely to spend our money. But where does this all come from? Is there more to this world of miserable cats and stylish dogs than meets the eye?

It is difficult to define who the first true animal internet stars are. Home videos of animals exhibiting comical behaviour or doing tricks are definitely one of the earliest formats of critter content on the internet. Before the rise of online video sharing platforms, this kind of media was already popular on mainstream television shows such as ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’, ‘You’ve Been Framed’ and animal-specific video clip shows like ‘Animals Do The Funniest Things’. When Youtube grew in popularity, the transition to this new platform was logical. As opposed to with clip shows, home videos uploaded to Youtube were guaranteed a platform. Although videos did not quite go ‘viral’ in Youtube’s early days, the platform had two features which television did not have, namely the possibilities to replay and to share videos. Like so, the foundations for today’s viral videos were laid. Some of the earliest famous animal videos, in fact, did originate on home video clip shows, with a notable example being ‘Oh Long Johnson’. The video features a long-haired black and white cat, growling at an opponent. Its sounds resemble English gibberish and in some versions are clarified in subtitles, with ‘Oh Long Johnson’ as the most notable line and origin for the title.

The stars of such videos, however, often remained nameless. Either their names were only revealed years later or not at all, as is the case with the Long Johnson cat. Among those who did become famous by their name, many belong to Youtubers who feature them in their content. One early example would be Jenna Marbles, whose channel name is partially derived from her chihuahua’s name, Mr Marbles. He has been featured on her channel since the very beginning in 2010 and overtime has amassed a following of his own, along with Jenna's three other dogs. They have their own merchandise including dog-safe stuffed animals and T-shirts. Numerous others have featured their pets in merchandise, with many even designing special or limited edition merch to raise money for animal welfare charities.

Social media celebrities’ pets, however, are not the only furry social media stars these days. Many Youtube channels and social media accounts are, in fact, dedicated to animals, with their owners staying out of the limelight as they take on the roles of director, camera person and manager, only revealing small sections of themselves when interacting with their pets. If they do not have an already famous owner to give them a little boost, how do these animal superstars gain such a following? The key lies in uniqueness. Any special quality, when played right, can attract attention. Unusual pets such as raccoons and foxes are good candidates. Sometimes, a unique appearance will attract attention, as happened in the case of Tardar Sauce, aka ‘Grumpy Cat’. Due to feline dwarfism and a severe underbite, her flat face bore a permanent scowl. She took the internet by storm when she caught on as a meme, with pictures of her often featuring cynical texts such as ‘‘I had fun once. It was awful.’’

Briefly returning to ‘Oh Long Johnson’, the trend of animals exhibiting specific funny or cute behaviours has continued to grow. The standards continue to rise, as more and more ‘special talents’ are discovered. Animals who can ‘paint’ or ‘play’ and instrument are a common occurrence these days. A rather remarkable example is ‘Nora the Cat’, who plays the piano on her own accord, seemingly for her own enjoyment. Her owner is a music teacher and Nora shows a preference for joining the students in a duet when they practice Bach. The sounds she creates can hardly be classed as music, but seeing a cat purposefully push down keys and showing preferences for certain notes is fascinating nonetheless, to scientists and the regular viewer.

What is perhaps the most niche genre of content, however, is animal ASMR. ASMR in itself is already an incredible niche genre of Youtube videos. The acronym was coined on an online forum by a user named Jennifer Allen and stands for ‘autonomous sensory meridian response’, but is by no means scientific, as it has only recently become the subject of research. ASMR is a sensation somewhat akin to mirror-touch and auditorytactile synaesthesia. Not every individual can experience this, but those who do explain it as a tingling sensation on the scalp which travels down to the spine, like being touched without any actual physical presence. This pleasant feeling occurs when coming into contact with certain so-called triggers, of which there are perhaps as many as there are individuals who experience ASMR. Youtube videos are created featuring such triggers, examples of which are whispering and ear-to-ear repetitive sounds such as tapping objects with one’s nails, someone performing their daily skincare routine and point of view roleplays in which the viewer undergoes various procedures such as medical examinations, massages or makeovers. One of the latest and perhaps most bizarre trends in ASMR is eating sounds. Whilst many find them absolutely revolting, a whole community has been established around the sounds of people crunching, smacking and slurping down various types of food. This trend has carried over to animal creators, who are perhaps more palatable.

One particularly popular format in this community is the ‘doggo taste test’, with Samoyed Maya Polar Bear being the top dog of this genre. The premise is simple; a dog is filmed being fed different pieces of food such as meat or vegetables. A hi-fi microphone captures the sounds which appeal to ASMR fans, but the videos are equally popular due to the comedic captions added to the videos. The captions are written in ‘meme speak’ including words such as ‘monch’ and ‘hecc’ and are a supposed monologue by the dog, who then rates each piece of food at the end. Maya Polar Bear has amassed an immense following in this genre. Her Youtube channel alone has 1.53 million subscribers and her videos average between several hundred thousand and several million views.

These numbers are not unusual for such animal superstars. Grumpy Cat's most-followed account is her Facebook page, which has 8.5 million followers. Maymo the beagle, the Guinness World Record holder for most views of Youtube videos featuring animals had a total of just under 700 million views at the time the record was confirmed. What is it that reels in these absurd numbers? The answer is mostly straight-forward: we adore animals. Pets raise our endorphins and make us feel warm and fuzzy inside, regardless of whether we watch them on our screen or have them nestled in our arms. As we forget about the human presence behind their social media accounts and view them as true personalities, we deem them

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immune against scandal and do not see them as objects of envy. Because of this, we feel much more invited to engage with them via likes and comments, which pushes them to the top of trending pages.

These characteristics, of course, make them extremely attractive as brand influencers. By associating products with the happy feelings generated by cute animals, brands make their products more appealing. Higher engagement rates also mean a further reach as audiences are more likely to tag friends or share content on their profiles. This creates two-way growth for both the brand and for the influencer, as each respective audience is prompted to engage with the other’s audience. Of course, the influencer also gets paid for such content. On average, pet influencers make around £800 per 100.000 followers per post, so it is clear that the owners are often not just in it for the fun of things. Veritable pet influencer agencies have cropped up during the past few years and they receive hundreds of applications daily from hopeful owners who are desperate to land their pet a spot in the limelight.

Thankfully, this is not as dark and exploitative as it sounds. Leading agencies have clear statements on animal welfare and owners generally appear to be very attentive to their pets’ needs. An unhappy pet is ultimately not as appealing to an audience. One major negative outcome is the rise in desire for ‘designer breeds’, many of which have severe health issues and end up in shelters when their owners realise the amount of money and time that goes into pet care. On the other hand, however, the ‘adopt, don’t shop’ movement has also gained more attention through pet influencers who were featured as figureheads and advocates for shelters and rescue centres. Moreover, advocates for disabled pets such as Grumpy Cat and Lil’ Bub have drastically increased awareness of animal disabilities by showing their audiences that they too are just as worthy of love and care as any other pet. The outcomes of this trend are far from all bad.

Ultimately, it also comes down to the consumer to make sensible decisions and educate themselves before making any kind of commitments to pets. It is also always worth having a closer look at the past conduct of pet owners before following their social media accounts. The world of animal internet stars is immense and filled with all kinds of critters living their best lives, but it is always worth doing a small background check on creators’ past content and to keep one’s eyes out for any red flags. Finally, of course, the most important thing is to check on ourselves: Is this the right moment for cat videos, or are we procrastinating again?

Composed by, Loki Anne Thompson, Undergraduate of Film & Visual Culture and History of Art

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Brroken Heearts Cats as sentient beings keep the memories of traumatic events that happened to them. They are impacted by bad domestic situations, abusive environments and neglect. Veterinarians and Animal Behaviour Experts proved that animals can suffer from post-traumatic stress, trauma-driven fear and anxiety. Traumatized cats often try to escape when they are frightened or become aggressive when they are interacted with or forced to do something. They can show different behaviours such as hide, freeze, shaking or jumping up. Despite the pieces of evidence of emotional trauma in cats, researches are lacking in that field because of the language barrier. Like Dr Frank McMillan, a research veterinarian and director of wellbeing studies at Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, Utah, says: ‘‘The animal can't tell us what happened to him earlier in life and whether his fears now come from a traumatic experience or something else.’’

Amanda Lovelace, poet by day and cat lover by night, believes in women independence and shares it with her series of three collections of poems titled Women are some kind of Magic. The most well-known collection of poems “The Princess Saves Herself in this One” published February 14th, 2016. She declares in an interview by Bustle, ‘‘if there is one thing I'm trying to do with this particular poetry series, it's to show the richer inner lives of women with a focus on our hidden everyday struggles.’’

The winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for ‘Best Poetry’ is a poetry collection composed of four sections: the princess, the damsel, the queen and you. The three first sections are an exposé of the author's life and struggles. The last section, ‘You’ is written like a note from the poet to the reader. With the use of recognized female archetypes, Amanda Lovelace retells the narrative of these different women seen in fairy tales and princess in danger story in a modern, feminist and empowered way. In ‘The Princess Saves Herself in this One’, Amanda Lovelace tackles various subjects such as love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment and inspiration. The first collection’s narrative follows a princess who is learning to become her own saviour, focuses on the resilience of women in the patriarchal society often abusive towards women. The four sections are showing the princess's progression in agreement with an overlying theme which the growth of a woman. The part called ‘Princess’ focuses on the author and her battles in the past, her relationship with her family members, her childhood. It tackles the abuses committed by her mother. In the poem ‘You may be gone, but I still have a stomach-ache’, she gives a definition of abuse based upon her own experience, ‘‘That is what abuse is: knowing you are going to get salt but still hoping for sugar for nineteen years.’’

It ends with the princess locking herself in a tower and waits for a ‘knight in shining armor’ to come and rescue her. It is followed by the ‘Damsel’.

The Princess confronts the issues that have come in her life. They are represented in the idea of the 'Big Bad Wolf' which the man who she thought was a prince but transformed into a monster, symbolizing an abusive relationship. They are also characterized by dragons, like in fairy tales, who terrified her as well, they are people, more particularly men with “half-truths” that pretend to care and love when they used and added more to her list of trauma. Furthermore, she comes back to her childhood and the abuses that her mother, who just passed away at the moment of the narrative after the oldest sister killed herself, committed on her and her sisters. The mother’s death raises sadness and anger: because of the trauma and abuse, the author wonders who she would have been without her mother. Moreover, death takes away the possibility of having a do-over, having the mother she deserved and will never have. After the pain and the tears, it is a moment of reflexion that rises with the poem “She never needed those wings”. The princess jumped from the tower & she learned that she could fly all along.

‘The Queen’ is the part of the acceptance, of self-love and worth. It is the realisation that after everything that happened and her survival, the author can survive anything. She is the Queen, powerful and in control of her life and destiny in “How’s that for a happily ever after?”

Once upon a time, the princess rose from the ashes her dragon lovers made of her & crowned herself the motherfucking queen of herself.

Finally, in ‘You’, Amanda Lovelace takes the time to speak to her readers, ‘‘I will take the blood-tipped thorns they stuck in you & from them I will teach you how to weave together the crown deserves’’ She exposes the abuses she has faced in a really vulnerable way, to a point that it can be almost uncomfortable for the people reading. She encourages the reader to be vulnerable, true to themselves. She highlights that they can deal with anything as long as they believe in themselves and their strength. The title of the series is not chosen for anything: women are, truly, some kind of magic. To sum up, for this Valentines ‘day, be your true, best, most confident self, confront the world with strength and greatness like Amanda Lovelace. And since cats are better than most people, get yourself a furry companion. When treated right, it will be your most loyal friend.

Composed by, Cécile Fardoux, Undergraduate of English Literature and Creative Writing

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Coonserve Myy Heeart Ayn Rand is considered one of the founding philosophers of modern conservatism, her ideas of a small state, protection of civil liberties and a free market were, until quite recently, what conservatives around the world stood for. She was also a lover of cats and contributed to a cat-related magazine in 1966; “You ask whether I own cats or simply enjoy them, or both. The answer is: both. I love cats in general and own two in particular. You ask: “We are assuming that you have an interest in cats, or was your subscription strictly objective?” –“My subscription was strictly objective because I have an interest in cats. I can demonstrate objectively that cats are of great value, and the charter issue of Cat Fancy magazine can serve as part of the evidence.” As the decade concludes in a rather epic fashion with a general election, I think it is time to reflect on the journey that made me a conservative, a journey that has been about one decade long. So, I will tell you how I ended up at the count on the 12th of December hoping for a Conservative majority government.

I first got into politics around 10 years ago at the 2010 general election. At that time I was just interested to see how things were progressing, I didn't have any strong feelings either way, I was just curious to see who the Prime Minister would be after the election and it turned out that it took 5 days for us to finally have a change of government. This was unusual considering that for most of my life there had been a Labour government and you either had a Prime Minister with a majority in the House of Commons or you did not. But we were in the position of having one that did not have a majority in the House of Commons for 5 days so I wondered how things would progress. I was somewhat disappointed that it was resolved so quickly with the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition but I just left it at that for the next year or so before getting back into it.

Like most young people my age, I'd experimented with the ideas Socialism. This started when I was buying a Mars bar with one of my friends after lunch at the Abertay University shop, near my old high school. I noticed the price of a Mars bar had gone up from 70p to 80p which was quite annoying considering I hadn't budgeted for spending the extra 10p. I asked my friend why the prices had gone up and he said it was because of capitalism. So I immediately concluded from that; capitalism was a bad system and that we should change the system so that putting up the price of a Mars bar is illegal. Although, that overlooked many of the factors of Socialism, for example, the fact that socialists would probably tax the Mars bar and thus make it more expensive, as they are planning to do with the sugar tax, but it was a simplistic worldview. I just thought that everything should be fixed in a way that was affordable for everyone else. I do still believe everything should be affordable for anyone who wants it but I don't think the government makes things any better. I also noticed a lot of anger around me towards public spending cuts which many believed were making things less affordable for the poor. I also thought the coalition government was illegitimate since it hadn't been voted in with the majority and I was also angry about the tuition fee rise even though it didn't affect me.

It wasn't until about a year later that I started learning about the rise of communism in history and about the Cold War that ensued after it. I did a lot of research into the history of the Soviet Union from the 1917 revolution to the start and finish of the Cold War as part of my ‘Intermediate 2’ history course. Part of that course was a trip to Berlin where we saw what remained of the Berlin wall and I noticed that on one side of what was once the wall looked far better and developed; there were skyscrapers, office buildings and affluent houses on that side. On the other, I noticed it was flat concrete there wasn't much to see. I went into the communist museum there and learned a bit about what life was like under communism with the secret police, grey concrete buildings and people often didn't have enough to eat, the shops were empty and the fridges were empty. People had to get by on the most basic of things necessary to survive and not anymore. When I returned home, I watched a documentary about the rise of Margaret Thatcher in the 1970s: it was called ‘The Night the Government Fell’ and I saw that before the rise of Mrs Thatcher the country was in dire straits; the dead were left unburied there was a three day week for electricity and everybody seemed to be going on strike. After the vote of no confidence where James Callaghan’s government lost by one vote thanks to the Scottish Nationalist Party. A fact they try so hard to forget, Mrs Thatcher was elected into power in 1979 and brought radical new ideas to the country: ideas of free markets and property ownership, they had been dormant for about 80 years in the country's thinking, since the rise of the welfare state and the ‘something must be done’ mentality which created a culture of government intervention.

This also began my desire for Britain to leave the European Union, I saw the EU as something that Mrs Thatcher had opposed in her later years for the reason that it imposed the bureaucracy that she had worked so hard to roll back. The EU does not give people control over their own lives it is governed by an unelected commission who's final word is law and a parliament that can do little more say yes to a piece of legislation that the Commission proposes or say no to it and send it back to the commission ending up with a slightly watered-down version which they will probably vote yes to in the end. I did not consider this a model for democracy and certainly not compatible with British ideals of parliamentary supremacy.

When David Cameron announced the referendum about this time I was very much in support of it going ahead.

The Scottish Independence referendum was when I first became politically active. In August that year, I decided to do my first bits of political volunteering; I got involved in the ‘Vote No’ campaign, ironically enough many of the activists I worked with were Labour supporters and members. Although the party now does not support the union and seems to be becoming sympathetic to a second referendum. I was passionate that Scotland must remain within the United Kingdom and that's something I believed ever since I became politically aware. The main reason I believed it was not because of so-called ‘project fear’, I always thought we should be more positive about the union, I wanted it because I saw no reason why two nations that shared so much in common; speak the same language, watch the same television programmes, work for the same companies and fought side by side in two world wars should be torn asunder. I also found it hypocritical that the SNP wanted an independent Scotland to be in the EU despite saying that the purpose of independence was for Scotland to have the governments that we voted for. Why then would we be in the EU, where a government that we didn't vote for could override a government that we did? It seemed quite strange to me.

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I finally joined the Conservative Party officially on the 1st of January 2015 but I had reservations about doing it in the past because many of my family were against them and there was little chance at that time of them winning in Scotland. When the election came that same year it was a disappointment, the Conservatives did not make much headway on the one seat they had gained in the previous election, however the SNP dominated taking 56 seats and so it's was understandable when all the mainstream UK parties lost all but one of their seats. It was that same year that I started university and became involved with the Aberdeen University Conservative and Unionist Association, an organisation that would dominate most of my time there.

My Conservative beliefs were further reinforced when the referendum was announced in 2016. I always believed that Britain should leave the EU but I knew that there may be some economic damage in doing so, therefore I decided to wait for David Cameron to return from Brussels with his renegotiation. I thought that it might put us in a better position in Europe but it turned out it was thin gruel, as Jacob Rees Mogg so well described it. I made up my mind that I was going to campaign for ‘Leave’ and got involved in active politics again. I can understand why the Brexit issue divided the Conservative Party and people who identified as Conservatives around the country: it is because a conservative case can be made for both staying in and leaving. The case for staying in would be that most Conservatives believe strongly in free trade and the EU is a vehicle of free trade in the continent of Europe. Conservatives also believe in a strong economy and staying in the EU would arguably strengthen that but it's more traditional Conservatives who value such things as national sovereignty and judicial independence from the EU who would vote leave. I always saw Brexit as a means to an end; the EU is, in my opinion, holding us back from our economic potential without EU rules and regulations which were designed for a different set of circumstances on the continent, then we could prosper. We could be Singapore without the sunshine; cut taxes, red tape regulations and create a more patriotic conservative country and, not only, that but have a chance to reintegrate with the Commonwealth. The nations we so, in my view, wrongly abandoned to be part of the European project which was never designed with us in mind, to begin with: You're better to stay with our own family of nations and that is Commonwealth. I met many lifelong friends over this campaign. I was pleased with the result but I never believed that Theresa May was the right person to implement it. I thought she was too close to the remaining camp to implement an effective Brexit.

Another reason why I am a conservative is because I believe British liberties and rights and the glorious revolution of 1689, both the people of Scotland and England established that there are certain inalienable rights that the state can not infringe upon, such as the right to freedom of speech and the right to elect parliaments to represent us. These principles I hold dear and I believed were being eroded by the liberal left. A good example of this is campus hate speech policies. It seems the left is now against having a debate. If they fear it may offend certain groups of people, whether it does or doesn't is not important to them, it is just whether they perceive that it might be offensive. There is no excuse to sacrifice our hard-earned freedoms. If somebody wants to express unsavoury views then they have every right to and if somebody wants to express contrary views they too have a right to. That is how a democracy works. The other reason I was so against the liberal left is because in the aftermath of the referendum.

Until roughly a few weeks ago, when they were soundly defeated in an election, they were open about wanting to overturn the results of a democratic referendum; they did not respect democracy when it didn't go their way. They wanted either a second referendum, where they banked we would vote to remain, have a Brexit in name only deal or just revoke ‘Article 50’ altogether as Jo Swinson proposed. These ideas go against what was decided in 2016 and that is why the people voted for the Conservative Party because they stood up for democracy.

I did continue to campaign for the Conservative Party, having friends who stood for council elections in 2017 when the general election was called, whilst I thought it was the wrong decision. I believed Theresa May had a majority and she should not push her luck by holding an election. She should have used the majority she had to try and get Brexit done. Unfortunately, this did not happen. She sacrificed her majority in a futile attempt to increase it and, in normal circumstances, the Prime Minister who had done this would have no choice but to resign. Theresa May did not and that was another bad mistake. The results in Scotland were good. It was good to finally have some Conservative representation North of the border, including a ‘Brexiteer’ Member of Parliament in Aberdeen South.

When the Brexit deal came in November 2018, I decided it may be time to leave the Conservative Party. I could not support this deal and I thought it was time for Mrs May to go when the vote of no confidence was called for her. I decided that if the party voted against her continuing as a leader then I would stay but if the party voted to keep her then I would have to leave. I left. If you are part of a team whose leader you don’t support, then you should not be part of that team. This goes for many people in the Labour Party as well.

I set on a new path as an independent conservative. I still believed that we needed to leave the EU either with a good deal or with no deal, as Theresa May herself had said. We need to cut taxes and we needed to fight the battle for free speech, something that I felt the Conservative Party was not doing as well as it could be. I campaigned and voted for the Brexit Party at the European elections and I have no regrets about doing so. I believe that at the time, they were the only people who had a proper ‘Brexit’ in mind. This did trigger the leadership election of 2019 and I did feel some sympathy for Theresa May when she resigned knowing she could have spared herself all this if she just resigned 2 years earlier and the country would have been spared 2 years of uncertainty. When Boris Johnson came to the leadership I did view him with some scepticism. I wasn't sure if, having voted for Theresa May's deal on the 3rd time of asking, that he would try and negotiate a new deal or just recycle her old deal.

When he won the premiership and did come back with a new and improved deal, I decided this was the best chance to get Brexit done so that's why I campaigned, again, for the Conservatives Party in the general election of 2019. While we did suffer losses in Scotland, we have a huge majority now in the UK parliament and we can finally get moving again in getting Brexit over the line.

The 2019 election may also be a turning point in the political philosophy of the Conservative Party: we may be moving away from Ayn Rand's limited state ideology. This is understandable, given that the majority was largely won by working-class voters, who favour more state intervention, but we should not forget that they will benefit from more freedom to create their own businesses and keep more of what they earn. That is how you raise people up and not drag them down to the lowest common denominator. The fight for free speech must not be forgotten either. Many conservative voters did so because they were fed up of being called racist, sexist, homophobic and so on, just for expressing commonly held beliefs. We must continue the fightback against the criminalisation of speech. I, writing for this magazine, and anyone else who publicly expresses their opinions are all in danger unless we live in a truly free society.

Composed by Derek Gardiner, Postgraduate of Law

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Loove Alll Annimals The English writer Terry Pratchett once said: ‘‘In ancient times, cats were worshiped as gods. They have not forgotten that.’’ Indeed, during the Ancient Egypt period, cats were venerated by the human populations. First, cats were seen as the incarnation of the goddess Bastet on Earth, a feline-headed woman. She was the representation of home, the sun’s warmth, maternity and the protector of pregnant women and children. But most importantly, cats were used to protect the crops from what was considered as pests. Thanks to the resonance of Bastet’s symbolism and their utility, cats were domesticated; allowed into the human circles. By being domesticated, they were being elevated from other non-human animals.

The fact that they were even sometimes mummified demonstrates how serious the exception was, considering how mummification was a very sacred, noble rite – assuring that the body could be found again by the soul, in another life. What do you say if I tell you this is an early example of Speciesism?

The writing of this article was inspired - in addition to a personal philosophy - by one of the many consequences engendered by the fires in Australia, which started in September 2019. On the 8th of January 2020, it was announced that 10.000 camels would be killed by snipers; a decision supported by the Australian State Environment Ministry. Looking for water, the camels are getting closer to sources of water - precious at such times – and so closer to human populations, creating a risk since they move around the lands in large herds. In distress, they also fight around the water sources and so corpses contaminate the water. Even if the very first introduction of camels in Australia in the 1840s by colons was an enormous mistake since they perturbated the Australian natural ecosystems – and still do - now they are there, and so they are our responsibility.

We put them on Australian territory so that their exploitation would help exploring and transporting goods. Of course, the massacre represents a quick and easy answer! However, I believe we shall never take the quick and easy path when sensitive, intelligent beings’ lives are at stake. The risk cannot be ignored, the camels represent a problem and I would not be able to provide any realistic solutions myself – but I’m sure there are, probably demanding more effort and consideration. But I can ask some questions: can we really kill other animals so easily? Can we reduce them to objects to get rid off when they are only trying to survive? The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once said: ‘‘the assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.’’

Speciesism is, ‘in applied ethics and the philosophy of animal rights, the practice of treating members of one species as morally more important than members of other species; also, the belief that this practice is justified’. Philosophers Richard Ryder and Peter Singer, who respectively introduced and popularized the idea, speciesism is to be understood as a discriminatory practice on the same level as sexism or racism. Our modern world and systems rely on a speciesist hierarchy, and the species at the bottom do not deserve our moral consideration: we are legally authorised, for instance, to kill them in mass. Around 65 billion animals are killed every year, only for our alimentary consumption. This hierarchy created by human beings for their own advantages, like all the hierarchies that have been created to classify and thus assign a value to any living, sensitive and intelligent being, is absurd and cruel. As Alice Walker said: ‘The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.’ Moreover, even if we, as human beings, are animals who distinguish themselves from the other species among the animal reign by certain characteristics, we are still part of the animal reign ourselves.

Thus, treating other animal species differently is as discriminatory as treating a woman or a person of colour differently from others – except, on a larger scale.

Here comes Anti-Speciesism: the animal reign is no longer to be divided into a pyramidal hierarchy but is rather considered as a circle, in which all the species, human or not, must cohabit. A circle in which human beings must applicate their moral values to their attitude not only towards other human beings, but towards all animals. “But Speciesism is a right given by our superiority”: anti-speciesists will ask you how do we call someone who only declares himself superior and makes it a fact. They will tell you there cannot be question of superiority and inferiority in terms of living beings who all feel pain, fear and stress. They will tell you what we consider being factors of superiority are only differences. And it is not about ignoring these differences, but about celebrating them. They will ask you how should we call someone who mistreat whoever who is not them, based on the other’s difference.

And here lays the main anti-speciesist idea: difference cannot justify discrimination. We do differ from other animals, for instance, by a certain level of intelligence – even if other species’ intelligences allow them to achieve purposes we couldn’t and these intelligences are often our main sources of inspiration to make technological achievements. But intelligence is not only the means to technique, exploitation and profit. Isn’t intelligence what also brings us our moral conscience and the sense of moral duty? And isn’t moral conscience – allowing the emergence of the notions of what is bad or good – the actual only thing that we cannot find in other animals at all? Therefore, shouldn’t we seriously consider, morally, the way we treat other animals? Anti-speciesist French philosopher Aymeric Caron would even ask: have we not a duty to protect these who cannot differentiate good from wrong? “But we, as the human species, always lived like this”: It is not about judging thousands of years of human societies and how they treated and how we still treat other animals, but it is about questioning the human being, looking into the future and imagining a more moral version of ourselves. Does it not reside in our relationships with the other species? What justifies the right we gave ourselves to treat them differently – and violently, deadly?

Speciesism is not only an ‘us against them’ practice. It also concerns the way human beings changes their attitude in terms of morals depending on what categories of other animals they face – categories which are cultural constructs, not based on any biological facts. For instance, antispeciesists often take the example of domesticated animals: would we be able to kill and eat the cat? The dog? Why don’t we have the same empathy for cows and chicken? Anti-Speciesism picks up on the absurdity of our pyramidal vision of living beings. Occidental countries are in shock every year when they hear about the Yulin Festival in China, where dog meat is consumed. Why are we only shocked for dogs? Because they are part of the ones we chose to elevate? Anti-Speciesism picks up on the absurdity of our pyramidal vision of living beings and the illogical aspect of our behaviour.

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Actually, anti-speciesists will not ask you to ‘love’ all animals. They’ll refer you to Darwin. There is irony in how humanity often uses the argument of the Theory of Evolution to detach itself from any God and thus to raise, to ascend to a sort of all-powerful status. Darwin wrote “Man in his arrogance believes himself to be a great work worthy of the intervention of a god. It is more humble and I think more true to consider it as created from animals" (Origin of species). Darwin’s theory debunks the myth of human beings as a special oeuvre, a great masterpiece. We are linked to the other animals and this has great philosophical implications that the concept of Speciesism and Anti-Speciesism try to consider. Perhaps we shall not kill our pairs? Freud in his Introduction to Psychoanalysis, talks about Darwin’s theory as one of the three ‘narcissistic wounds’ of humanity, something hard to accept. “The second denial was inflicted on humanity by biological research, when it reduced to nothing the claims of man to a privileged place in the order of creation, by establishing his descendants from the animal kingdom and by showing the indestructibility of its animal nature.” Perhaps we need to kill Narcissus.

The anti-speciesist question deserves, at least, to be asked; especially when ecology is already contradicting our current systems, how we chose to evolve, when the ecological emergency proves that systems that have been active for many years are not necessarily the good answers. What is more, the ecological question and the anti-speciesist one share one answer: veganism. If some anti-speciesist movements argue that meat consumption is not incompatible with Anti-Speciesism because the animal nature of human beings is partly made of being able to eat meat, others will argue that human beings doesn’t need to eat meat, they are omnivorous and doted of a moral conscience and thus, they can choose what to eat and completely erase the human participation to other animals’ suffering. Anti-Speciesism is the most radically different point of view from which we can try to imagine another world, and so by contrast, a better world? There is something else to be built, there is a task: and for Albert Einstein: ‘‘our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.’’

In an article for Forbes, David S. Anderson says: ‘‘The iconic image of an Egyptian cat arises from objects such as the leaded bronze statuette from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Numerous statuettes such as this were made during Ancient Egypt’s Ptolemaic and Late periods as vessels to hold the mummified remains of domesticated cats. The commonality of this form, and the dark coloration of the metal, lends to the popular impression of ancient Egyptian cats as black furred.’’ In our collective imagination, ancient-Egyptian cats are pictured as thin and black-furred, and this, only because of one depiction that is more popular than others.

Actually, cats in ancient Egypt had tabby coats. This is the truth. The black thin cat is just a construct anchored in the wider culture. But the human being is a creature of habits, even when their habits are based on lies, tales or wrong facts. Almost unable to completely change and almost unable to admit its faults. But the human conscience, again being the main distinguishing trait of our species, enables evolution. Perhaps it is time to recognize that the Egyptian cat is not black-furred.

Composed by, Déborah Lazreug, Undergraduate of English Literature and History of Art.

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Beehind the Smmile Although it is easy to believe that the idea of the smirking cat was something that came purely out of Lewis Carroll’s (or Charles Dodgson’s) arcane imagination, the term ‘grinning like a Cheshire cat’ actually predates Alice in Wonderland. It appears in print as early as the late 1700s, in works of the satirical writer William Thackeray and the author and essayist Charles Lamb. However, the exact origins of the phrase are still a source of debate. The favoured theory among natives of Cheshire county is that the cat’s grin was brought about by the abundance of dairy farms in Cheshire. Another popular explanation is centred on Cheshire cheese, which was traditionally moulded in the shape of a grinning cat. This explanation is particularly fitting in the context of Alice in Wonderland, as it is said (in Cheshire) that the cheese was consumed tail-end first, its smile left till last. The emergence of the smiling cat may also have evolved from the poorly-drawn lions (the rampant lion being a symbol of England) depicted on signs in the Cheshire area in the early 1800s. Lewis Carol was no stranger to the ancient monarchical symbols; his sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, portrays a lion and a unicorn (the heraldic symbol of Scotland) fighting for the White King’s crown. No matter its origins, which seem as mysterious as the disappearing cat itself, the grinning cat seemed to appeal to Dodgson’s prolific fantasy, and it became an iconic figure in his curious, intriguing children’s novel.

Dodgson's Cheshire cat has become so iconic that it is applied to represent ideas in a variety of subject areas. One simply has to look up the words ‘Cheshire Cat’, with any scholarly search engine, and an abundance of articles will appear, from as disparate fields as psychology, or strategic security, or service industry studies, or even nuclear physics. These have all taken advantage of the iconic cat figure as a useful way to represent complex ideas. Andrew Silke uses Dodgson's Cheshire cat in his article Cheshire-Cat logic: The Recurring Theme of Terrorist Abnormality in Psychological Research, which addresses terrorist psychology. Silke explores how ‘‘attribution’’ error is supposedly seen in the way we perceive people who have committed acts of violence. Upon meeting Alice, the Cheshire cat decides that she must be mad because everyone in Wonderland is mad (‘‘but we're all mad here’’). With our ‘‘Cheshire-cat logic’’, we have expectations about someone's personality based on their actions (or in the Cheshire Cat's case, Alice's personality is associated with her location). Hassan Aref's article, Order in Chaos, also uses the Cheshire cat to describe his research in fluid dynamics, and the ‘‘recurrent patterns created using electromagnetic forces”. I won’t pretend to understand anything about efficient laminar mixing’’ (and neither should the reader feel obligated to) and will simply quote Aref: ‘‘The periodic laminar flow exhibits chaotic advection within which a persistent pattern recurs once per cycle of the forcing. The pattern gradually fades out over about 100 cycles’’, however, ‘‘the striations maintain constant thickness”. Such constancy in the striations is then compared to how the body of the Cheshire cat disappears, whereas the smile is still visible.

Dodgson himself may have been applying the Cheshire cat smile to mathematical principles. He would often embed mathematical theories into Alice in Wonderland as he was himself a tutor of mathematics at Christ Church College Oxford. It is said that the smile of the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland was also about a mathematical theory, that of the catenary: the curve of a horizontally-suspended chain. One might ask why the Cheshire cat is so colourfully used as an analogy for such a variety of concepts. It seems that the ideas presented in Alice in Wonderland are so abstract and thus so applicable to the real world.

When I was younger Dodgson’s Cheshire cat would scare me. Its ceaseless eerie smile gave the impression of slight, indistinct malevolence.

Instinctually, we are prone to feel distrustful of someone who smiles constantly, as this can only mean that they must be hiding something. Another reason why the cat is discomforting is that cats are not often associated with smiling. Alice comments on this herself when she says: ‘‘I have seen a cat without a grin but never a grin without a cat.’’

There was also something about how the cat watched over everything that happened in Wonderland, in a sort of omnipotent position perched on his branch. However, this really did capture the precise essence of cats. They give the impression that they are the possessors of a whole world of knowledge of which we lowly humans cannot even begin to comprehend. Dodgson’s cat may be smiling because it is mad, (which it admits itself), it may also be a sadistic, snobbish smile and a way of patronising the ignorant Alice.

Whatever the case may be concerning its symbolism or origins, Dodgson has created a wonderful character in his children's book. The figure captured many a child's imagination, even if it was in slight horror or uneasiness. It was grounded in fascinating mathematical as well as symbolic ideas, and at the same time, is the perfect representation of the cats we know of and maybe even live with. It is also based on folklore and English culture, and it has then gone on to affect many other cultures and subject matters, finding its way into all manner of disciplines that offer a variety of perspectives on our complex world. I sincerely hope that this cat will continue to exert its magical influence on humankind - mathematicians, poets, philosophers and children alike.

Composed by, Freya Lindroos, Undergraduate of English Literature

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Heearts of the Chhocolate Brritish Loonghair The heart, with its two lobes and pointed end, is the universal symbol of love embellishing everything in the approach of Valentine’s Day. Yet, we must wonder why such an abstract shape has come to represent one of our principal interpersonal emotions and why cats would possess almost ten of them. Here, I present some theories and explanations for these phenomena are accompanied by a recipe inspired by the heart itself and all its meanings, alongside embodying the nine lives a chocolate British longhair would possess if the popular myth of cats having nine lives was anatomically correct; nine chocolate bread hearts with chunks of dark chocolate suspended throughout their pillowy forms- the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the feline fancier.

A popular explanation for the origins of the iconic heart outline is drawn from antiquity with a large fennel plant, Silphium. Now extinct by excessive cultivation, Silphium was sourced from the North African coasts by the Ancient Greeks and Romans for use as a spice and as a botanical birth control, with the shape of its seeds providing the basis for the loveheart design we know today.

This primary connection to human intercourse is not so distant from the heart’s modern connotations, as sex and love are typically intertwined with one leading the other, but it is not an exact parallel with the heart’s associations being a purely emotive love separate from carnal passion and desire. The territorial conquest of the Roman Empire would have transplanted a lot of culturally Greco-Roman ideas with them taking root in the European mind with the teachings of Ancient Greece and Rome serving as the foundation for European education.

The collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 530, silenced the narrative of Greco-Roman Mediterranean cultural influence and the direct connection of these symbols to their original meanings was severed. Over seven hundred years later, the symbolic heart finally returned in an appearance in an illustration of the 1250 poem, ‘The Romance of the Pear’. A manuscript of rich illumination, the poem details a love story set within a pear orchard, with the central scene of a maiden and her suitor deskinning a pear with their teeth. The accompanying illustration depicts the suitor offering the maiden his heart fresh from his cavity, the heart itself bearing the familiar shape of two lobes and a pointed end.

The residual Greco-Roman ideas of the heart and its connection to human intimacy survived the winter of civilizational collapse, emerging from centuries-long hibernation to the heart symbol adorning the whole of the European continent. From this point on, lovehearts featured in all areas of civil society, from its inclusion in architectural facades, appearances in art, engravings upon tombs, incorporation into heraldic crests, woven into clothing and etched onto pendants, with the charm of the loveheart is still as vigorous now in 2020.

Cats are said to have nine of these hearts, one for each of their lives, but the point of origin of this belief is forever lost in the mists of time. A notable theory for these beliefs widespread popularity was a reference made in William Shakespeare's 1591 work, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, where in Act 3 Scene 1 of the play, Mercutio, kin of Romeo Montague, taunts Tybalt, kin of Juliet Capulet: ‘‘

TYBALT:

What wouldst thou have with me?

MERCUTIO:

Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine lives.

’’

Mercutio refers to Tybalt’s name being similar to the character ‘Tibert the Cat’ in ‘Renard the Fox’, another late 1200s poem, and makes the feline connection of them having nine lives. The popularity of Shakespeare’s works would have planted this seed of thought into the readers’ minds.

Published in the late 1500s and early 1600s, these notions have grown into independent beliefs of their own, which would explain why various cultures possess beliefs that cats have multiple lives with the exact number varying. Spain, for example, believes that they have 6 lives and in the Arab world it is commonly believed that cats have 8 lives. A second theory is that the traits universal to cats, their intelligence, pliability, agility and evasiveness have provided a substrate from which organic, yet similar, beliefs that cats have more than a single life can grow forth, in a method of conveying that cats have the ability to cheat death.

Irrespective of the origins, the following recipe is in honour of these myths and heritage of love and felines.

Ingredients Dried active yeast: Lukewarm water: Caster sugar: Strong white bread flour:

one teaspoon 250ml two tablespoons 350g

Cocoa powder: Maldon salt: Melted unsalted butter: 75% cocoa chocolate:

two tablespoons half of a teaspoon 25g 100g

Method Before starting, measure all of the ingredients and have them at hand. Begin with activating the yeast; placing the yeast, caster sugar and lukewarm water into a bowl and allowing to stand for 10 minutes to give the yeast time to come alive. I recommend rinsing the bowl under very hot water before the contents are added, as it will give heat to the ceramic and prevent it from becoming cold whilst it stands, placing away from a window to avoid wind leeching away heat from it. It is necessary that the yeast is vigorous and awake for it to produce the carbon-dioxide bubbles within the resting dough and do resist the temptation of purchasing ‘fast-acting’ yeast because that type is specifically for bread-making machines.

Whilst the yeast mixture is standing, place the flour and salt into a large bowl, sieving in the cocoa to remove any lumps it may have before mixing well. I use Maldon salt as the crystalline formations mean that less salt is actually used per measurement in comparison to the use of granulated table salt, which is prone to over-salting. Think of it as the primary school explanation of spatial area with rocks versus sand in the tall, glass column. However, Maldon salt directly from its shimmering box will not dissolve into the dough, so I recommend taking the half-teaspoon

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measurement and grinding it with the use of a mortar and pestle before adding to the flour and cocoa. Flour sieving is unnecessary because the lovehearts’ buoyancy are provided by yeast activity and not from trapping air by raining flour into the mix like when making a cake.

With the 10 minutes passed, check that the yeast has expanded and taken on a form similar to a mound of wet sand beneath the water. Do not fret if the bowl is lukewarm now, the previous precautions were made to foster the conditions to ensure the yeast would have the ability to take this form. Melt the butter either by melting it on a low heat over the stove within a butter-melting pot or subjecting it to medium heat for 20 seconds in the microwave, as it is essential for full incorporation. Form a well in the centre of the floury mix and pour in the water-sugar-yeast mixture along with the melted butter. Mix well with a large spoon until the dough is soft and sticky, bordering on wet. Resist the temptation to add flour in an attempt to dry it because the dough will absorb some during the kneading process.

Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky, appearing in the way we are familiar with how a bread dough should be. Kneading will be difficult at first due to its gelatinous composition, but I urge you to persevere.

To those who have never made any type of bread before, kneading is very much in the muscle and not the mind so I recommend watching a demonstration video from the internet.

Once the desired consistency has been achieved, place this dough into a large bowl greased with unsalted butter and leave to rest in a warm place for an hour to allow it to rise. Cover the bowl with clingfilm to prevent the air drying out the dough's surface. I recommend cleaning the large bowl used in the previous mixing process and rising it with hot water before drying and greasing to heat the inside ceramic of the bowl to get the rising process started ten yards in front. I also grease the clingfilm that may come into contact with the risen dough to prevent it from sticking. It can be difficult to find a perpetually warm place in Scotland, so I create one; turn the oven to 100 Celsius and allow it to heat for 5 minutes, before opening the door widely to allow the bundled heat to escape. Test the internal atmosphere with your hand until you're comfortable with the temperature before placing the covered bowl in the centre of the oven. Usually, I open the door again 5 minutes after placing the bowl as steel body of the oven radiates the considerable heat it absorbed during the warming stage, allowing an excessive level of heat to collect. You need the chamber to be warm, not hot as too high a resting temperature will cause the surface of the dough to form a crust.

Whilst the dough is rising, break the 75% cocoa chocolate into roughly 1cm shards. I wouldn’t recommend a higher cocoa content as it would be too bitter, disrupting the sweetness of the treat, and I would refrain from going any lower as the chocolate flavour would be too mellow and thus lose the speciality warranting its inclusion. When the hour is up, the dough should have doubled in size and may or may not be touched in clingfilm depending on the dimensions of your large bowl. It will look very greasy, but just turn the dough on onto a lightly floured surface and knock the air out of the inflated mass, I do this by punching it, before kneading for 5 minutes, incorporating the chocolate shards a handful at a time. Divide the dough into 9 equal spheres, they will look very small but they will triple in size during the next rising process, and roll them out into a teardrop shape before flattening them down. Cut a line from the bulbous end of each flattened teardrop to their centres, separating the two newly formed lobes. They will look ridiculous, but you must have faith in me when I say they fill out into a proper heart shape during the next rising. Do this on three separate baking trays lined with parchment each holding three well-spaced lovehearts. You need to account for their drastic increase in size because if you overcrowd the tray they will inflate, coming into contact with each other, preventing a proper heart formation, and morph into whatever, non-loveheart shape they happen to form. Cover each tray will a large sheaf of parchment and place all three into a warmed oven for an hour.

After the hour-long incubation, withdraw each tray from the oven and lift off the parchment. Each loveheart should have risen well, tripling in size shaped like the iconic loveheart, with their dark forms studded with the semi-melted shards of chocolate.

Pre-heat the oven to 175 Celsius for fan-assisted ovens, 195 Celsius for conventional ovens, or gas mark 3½ for gas-supplied ovens. Place however many trays your oven can hold on its centre level and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, allowing them to cool on a wire rack. The lovehearts surface will feel hard but will soften as it cools. As a gift, the hearts of the chocolate British longhair can be presented encased within a copper-tin with magnificent crenulations, lined with pink tissue paper flourishing from its lid. They are best enjoyed with the warmth of the oven, their pillowy bodies ever so soft and the dark chocolate chunks melted. Serve accompanied by coffee, tea and with raspberry jam of the highest quality.

Composed by, Maurice Alexander, Undergraduate of Business Management

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Feline Bestiary This page aims to be a collection of portraits visually documenting all the cats that can be seen across the city of Aberdeen. Future editions will be furnished with submissions from the general public.

Send in your own photographs of the cats you see during your daily life in Aberdeen. Photographs can be of any angle, distance or location; whether the cat is sunbathing at the beach, partaking in some urbex in the city centre, smelling the roses at Seaton Park or enjoying a haunt at the Springbank Cemetery!

Those behind this Valentines’ 2020 issue of the Journal of Matters Relating to Felines: President: Secretary: Editor: Writers:

Maurice Alexander Simona Hristova Cécile Fardoux Freya Lindroos, Déborah Lazreug, Derek Gardiner, Thea Mainprize Loki Anne Thomson

Email: Instagram: Facebook: Twitter:

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journalofmattersrelatingtofelines@outlook.com @journalofmatters Journal of Matters Relating to Felines @journalofmatter