Catmando (1995–2002; also spelt "Cat Mandu"HOWLING LAUD HOPE Pt 7 – Catmando (Cat Mandu) – The real spelling
YouTube, 30 November 2010; retrieved 1 December 2010) was a cat who was named "joint leader" of Britain's

Official Monster Raving Loony Party The Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) is a political party established in the United Kingdom in 1982 by the musician David Sutch, also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Lord Sutch". It is notable for its ...

(OMRLP) from 1999 to 2002, along with his owner, party chairman

Howling Laud Hope Alan "Howling Laud" Hope (born 16 June 1942) is a British politician and the Leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP). On the death of the party's founder Screaming Lord Sutch in 1999, Hope and his pet cat, Catmando, were joi ...

. He died in 2002 serving as leader until his death.

Political career

Following the 1999 death of the party's founder, Screaming Lord Sutch, the OMRLP held a leadership election with Alan "Howling Laud" Hope (who was then the party's chairman and deputy leader) and Catmando as the only two candidates. The vote was a tie, with Hope and Catmando each receiving 125 votes. Hope, as the party chairman, had the deciding vote, and decided that he and Catmando should serve as joint leaders.Stall, Sam (2007); ''100 Cats Who Changed Civilization: History's Most Influential Felines'', pp.69,70. Quirk Books. During Catmando's time as joint leader, the OMRLP saw its greatest electoral performance to date, fielding 15 candidates in the 2001 general election. Catmando served as joint leader until his death as a result of a traffic accident in July 2002. Hope then became the party's sole leader. Following Catmando's death, the party proposed that there should be cat-crossings on all major roads.

Name origins

Catmando was originally called "Catman". His name was changed after a customer at the Golden Lion (Hope's

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

and

guesthouse A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use ...

in Ashburton, Devon) asked a music question that Hope could not answer; the customer commented: "I bet Catman do now the answer. Consequently, he became "Catmando". The cat later moved with Hope to the Dog and Partridge public house in

Yateley Yateley () is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It lies in the north-eastern corner of Hart District Council area. It includes the settlements of Frogmore and Darby Green to the east. It had a population of 21,011 at ...

, Hampshire.

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Go ...

s, stationed nearby at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

, were intrigued by a name that sounded like the

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

ese capital

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

; subsequently the cat became the subject of a front-page feature in the ''

Nepali Times ''Nepali Times'' (stylized as NEPALI Times) is an English weekly newspaper that provides reporting and commentary on Nepali politics, business, culture, travel and society in 16 pages. The weekly is aimed at the expatriate, diplomatic and busine ...

''. 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.

References

External links

The 2001 Election in Pictures: Laud Hope and Cat Mandu
''The Guardian'', 21 May 2001

''The Independent'', 25 September 1999
Cat pushes for prime minister
''guardian.co.uk'', 21 May 2001
Loonies choose cat as joint leader
BBC News, 24 September 1999 {{Monster Raving Loony Party politicians 1995 animal births 2002 animal deaths Individual cats in England Individual cats in politics Official Monster Raving Loony Party politicians Road incident deaths in England Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom

Political career

Name origins

See also

References

External links