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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 (OMRLP) from 1999 to 2002, along with his owner, party chairman Howling Laud Hope. 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 and guesthouse 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, Hampshire. Gurkhas, stationed nearby at
Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
, were intrigued by a name that sounded like the
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
ese capital
Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
; 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.


See also

* Non-human electoral candidates *
List of individual cats This is a list of individual cats who have achieved some degree of popularity or notability. Before the modern era * Nedjem or Nojem (Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''nḏm'' "Sweet One" or "Sweetie"), 15th century BC. The cat of Puimre, second p ...


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 Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom Official Monster Raving Loony Party politicians Road incident deaths in England