Occupation Politician Species Felis catus | Died 2002 | |
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Catmando (1995–2002; also spelt "Cat Mandu") was a cat who served as joint leader of Britain's Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) from 1999 to 2002, along with his owner, Howling Laud Hope. He is the only cat ever to have been named leader of a political party.
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Political career
Following the 1999 death of the party's founder, Screaming Lord Sutch, the OMRLP held a leadership election with Alan "Howling Laud" Hope (who was then the party's chairman and deputy leader) and Catmando as the only two candidates. The vote was a tie, with Hope and Catmando each receiving 125 votes. Hope, as the party chairman, had the deciding vote, and decided that he and Catmando should serve as joint leaders.
As joint leader, Catmando oversaw the greatest electoral performance the OMRLP had seen to date, fielding 15 candidates in the 2001 general election. Catmando served as joint leader until his death as a result of a traffic accident in July 2002. Hope then became the party's sole leader.
Following Catmando's death, the party proposed that there should be cat-crossings at all major roads.
Name
Catmando was originally called "Catman". His name was changed after a customer at the Golden Lion (Hope's pub and guesthouse in Ashburton, Devon) asked a music question which Hope couldn't answer; the customer commented: "I bet Catman do [know the answer]". Consequently, he became "Catmando".
The cat later moved with Hope to the Dog and Partridge public house in Yateley, Hampshire. Gurkhas, stationed nearby at Aldershot, were intrigued by a name that sounded like the Nepalese capital Kathmandu; subsequently the cat became the subject of a front page feature in the Nepali Times. The "Cat Mandu" spelling became common through media misinterpretation, but Hope has confirmed that "Catmando" is the correct spelling.
One of the OMRLP proposed laws is that no other cat shall be called "Catmando" as there can only be one.