British Pathé

Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows a strange American competition in which grown men see who can “put the cat out” the fastest.

Reality Cats: This very bizarre competition has men dressed in nightgowns jumping up from a row of beds and running to a line of doors some distance away while carrying cats.

Kitty Carnage Warning! Once at the doors they throw the cats through then race back to the beds. Unfortunately the cats are thrown pretty roughly through the doors.

The contest was reportedly inspired by an incident in England when a cat called on Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain during a Cabinet Meeting.

A clip of this newsreel was seen in the film On Approval (1944), although that footage had the men competing in a town whereas this footage appears to be in an open field (all except for the shot of the cats being thrown through the doors; the crowd is clearly visible and the men behind the doors gathering the cats in the long shot are not present, so it’s clear that clip was taken at another time and place).

Final Mewsings: The cats would rather that the people were put out!

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