Dog on Wheels (1951)

Dog on Wheels (1951)

British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage from Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England, features Willie the dachshund who uses a little chariot to get around. Reality Cat: Willie, whose back legs are paralyzed, is shown scampering around aided by a small chariot. In one shot Willie is running by a fence, apparently barking at a tuxedo cat who is […]

Farm Life (1922)

Farm Life (1922)

British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage features a man on his farm somewhere in England. Reality Cat: At the beginning of the segment the unknown man is seated on a gypsy caravan with two dogs and a longhaired cat. The man turns the cat to face the camera. Final Mewsings: All farms should have cats! To […]

Catty Comments (1939)

Catty Comments (1939)

British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage features cats and kittens at the Paddington Cat Show in London. Reality Cats: The segment starts with some blue Persian kittens in a basket trying to climb out. A variety of cats are shown in close up. A Siamese cat struggles in its owner’s arms as the narrator says, “A […]

Film Star Animals (1963)

Film Star Animals (1963)

British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage showcases performing animals at the Cats’ and Dogs’ Drama School (F.A.C.T.S.) in Benson, Oxfordshire, England. Reality Cats: Many different animals are seen being trained. A fox cub is eating from a dish of food with a long-haired white cat with tabby markings. A black cat is sitting next to a […]

Youth on the Keys (1946)

Youth on the Keys (1946)

British Pathé Synopsis: A nine year old boy from Leicestershire performs on the piano. Reality Cat: The boy, Colin Sherratt, climbs in through the window and then sits at the piano where he performs a song. Moments later a white and orange tabby cat also comes in the window. Actually someone pushes the cat through […]

Pets! A Canadian Cameo (1930)

Pets!  A Canadian Cameo (1930)

British Pathé Synopsis: Silent newsreel footage highlights Pet Day in Toronto, Canada, with a parade of animals and their owners. Reality Cats: Dogs are the focus of much of the newsreel segment, but a tabby cat dressed in knitted baby clothes apparently won first prize in the Toronto Humane Society Pet Parade. There is a […]

The Pets Perform! (1938)

The Pets Perform! (1938)

British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows animals performing tricks at a zoo in Prague. Reality Cat: The animal tricks are part of a circus show put on at the Prague Zoo for the amusement of its young patrons and the zoo animals as well. Among other animals, a tabby and white cat is shown jumping […]

Queer Companions (1932)

Queer Companions (1932)

British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows a woman who owns cats, dogs, a rat, a tortoise and a rabbit as pets. Reality Cats: In the opening scene a woman is holding three cats on her lap; a black one and two tuxedos, as well as a dog. The rabbit, rat and tortoise are all sitting […]

Mobile Pet Clinic (1957)

Mobile Pet Clinic (1957)

British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows a Blue Cross mobile pet clinic making a stop in Victoria, London. Reality Cats: Owners are standing in line with their pets to visit the clinic. Two women are holding two different cats, a black and a tuxedo. Inside the clinic waiting room these same women are sitting with […]

Personality – Meet Doris Zinkeisen (1946)

Personality – Meet Doris Zinkeisen (1946)

British Pathé Synopsis: Newsreel footage shows artist Doris Zinkeisen working at home with her Siamese cat nearby. Reality Cat: The segment begins with the narrator talking about the Siamese cat named Ty (it could also be spelled Thai), saying he is a “very superior cat. In the first place, he’s Siamese. And in the second, […]