Hodge the Cat Presents Stories of Cats - A Day of Talks About...Cats!

Join us for a purr-fect day filled with fascinating stories and insights into the mysterious world of our feline friends. Hodge the Cat, the renowned feline storyteller, invites you to an event like no other.

On Saturday, 24 February 2024 we will gather at the beautiful Southwark Cathedral in London, home of Hodge the Cathedral cat. This iconic venue will provide the purr-fect setting for a day dedicated to celebrating our beloved cats.

Hosted by dog-collar wearing cat mad clergyman Revd David Guest ticket-holders will throughout the day, have the chance to hear captivating tales about cats, their adventures, and their unique personalities. Renowned cat experts, storytellers, and enthusiasts will take the stage to share their experiences and knowledge.

From heart-warming stories of rescued cats to hilarious anecdotes about mischievous feline antics, this event promises to entertain, educate, and leave you with a newfound appreciation for our furry companions.

Whether you are a cat lover, an aspiring cat owner, or simply curious about the world of cats, this event is for you. Don't miss out on this meow-nificent opportunity to immerse yourself in the enchanting world of cats.

Join us wearing your best cat themed jumper. Hodge and Rev David Guest, no stranger to a decent cat jumper himself will choose their favourite and you could win a fur-tastic bundle of Hodge themed goodies!

This event is in-person only and won't be streamed or recorded.

Our speakers so far...

A History of the World (According to Cats!) with Kimberlie Hamilton

A cat's-eye view of history!

Discover secrets, stories and facts about history’s most fascinating felines! Young historians may never look at the past - or cats! - in quite the same way again.

Cats have prowled Earth for millennia, yet the history of the world has always been told through the eyes of humans. But now it's time to - finally! - set the record straight and uncover the key role that cats have played in shaping the course of history.

Did you know that ancient Egyptians loved cats so much that they had special laws to protect them? Or that Isaac Newton's cat helped him develop the theory of gravity? How about that Féliette, a French street cat, was the first cat to go into space in 1963? A History of the World (According to Cats!) introduces us to fur-raising facts and adventures from around the world and across the centuries. Discover unknown stories about real-life felines, including WWII heroes, courageous adventurers and even an astrocat that travelled in space (and made it back to Earth to tell the tale), this book places cats as the heroes of their own stories.

Full of real-life stories, with all the boring stuff left out, this book takes a look at the world's history through feline eyes.

Kimberlie Hamilton is an author and screenwriter who used to live in sunny California and now lives in misty Scotland with her partner and four cats. She has written all sorts of things but particularly loves writing entertaining non-fiction books for young people with curious minds. Kimberlie has two Master’s degrees and is the author of Rebel Cats, Rebel Dogs, Generation Hope, Scotland’s Animal Superstars and Rebel Animals at Risk. Her books have been translated into nearly 20 languages so far. Kimberlie is passionate about animals and aspires to have her own sanctuary for cats and other critters that need a loving, forever home.

Cat Behaviour Uncovered with Lucy Hoile

Cats are an enigmatic species and despite being one of the UK’s most popular pets, their behaviour can be mystifying. This talk explores commonly misunderstood behaviours and busts some myths along the way.

Lucy Hoile is a feline behaviourist who has been improving the lives of cats and their carers since 2010, as well as lecturing internationally. Lucy completed a Master's degree in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling at the University of Southampton and is one of only a handful of exclusively feline Clinical Animal Behaviourists practicing in the UK. Lucy's The Book Your Cat Wishes You Would Read was published in November 2023.

Lucy and her family live in Southampton with two cats, Fig and Sparx, Labrador Bucky and Peach the axolotl.

The Wonders of the Feline Body with D r Jo Lewis

Ever pondered what lies beneath that velvety cat fur we love to stroke? You’ll be fascinated by this head-to-tail, behind-the-scenes tour of the feline body. Discover the inside story about how cats are put together and the marvellous ways they function, as Jo reveals some of the most a-meow-zing features of cat anatomy and physiology.

Dr Jo Lewis BSc BVMS (Hons) MRCVS, aka ‘The Cat Vet’, is an award-winning cat expert veterinary surgeon and internationally acclaimed author of What’s My Cat Thinking?, published by DK Penguin Random House. She’s also the pioneering crazy cat lady behind the UK’s first feline-only home-visiting vet clinic.

Alongside regular, cat-friendly vet care, Jo believes that giving cats the happy, healthy life they deserve, starts with understanding their incredible bodies and what makes them tick. She loves spreading her unique brand of cat love and helping people discover the benefits of seeing the world through a feline lens. Whether she’s chatting with fellow cat lovers, the vet/pet industry, or global press and media outlets, Jo’s true passion is speaking up for cats wherever she goes on her quest to make the world a better place for them.

When she's not in the clinic or at her desk, Jo’s a purr-sonal assistant to one rescue Siamese, two black moggies and the next generation of little cat people. Find out more about Jo at www.thecatvet.co.uk or @thecatvet on social media.

Medieval Mousers Running Amok! with Dr Kathleen Walker-Meikle

This lavishly illustrated entertaining talk will discuss both the reality of the relationship between cats and rodents and the (rather vivid) imaginary world of cats and mice in the medieval period. Expect to find cats formally employed as mousers, cats being valued on their mousing abilities (and attempts to train them), bizarre anecdotes of mouse-feline cooperation written to educate human audiences, natural historians’ and theologians’ takes on cats and mice, illuminated manuscripts packed to the brim with their fights (with cats sometimes struggling to get the the upper hand), and anthropomophism galore (yes, there will be cats with crossbows and castles!).

Kathleen Walker-Meikle is a historian (PhD, UCL) specialising in the cultural history of animals. Her books include Medieval Pets (Boydell and Brewer, 2012; paperback 2021); Cats in Medieval Manuscripts (British Library Publications, 2019), Dogs in Medieval Manuscripts (British Library Publications, 2020), The Cat Book: Cats of Historical Distinction (Bloomsbury, 2015), The Dog Book: Dogs of Historical Distinction (Bloomsbury, 2014), The Horse Book: Horses of Historical Distinction’ (Bloomsbury, 2017), along with journal and magazine articles. She is the research grants manager at the Science Museum Group and a researcher at the University of Basle on RESERVOIR project, working with palaeogeneticists and archaeologists on medieval zoonosis.

Around the World in 10 Cats with Judith Robinson and Scott Pack

A tour of world literature in the company of some rather splendid felines.

While researching and writing their latest book, Literary Cats, Judith Robinson and Scott Pack read numerous books, stories and poems and, along the way, came across a coterie of cats, both well-known and obscure. In this engaging event, they recommend, discuss and enthuse about 10 works of literature from around the globe, all of which feature feline characters of note. They will attempt to visit every continent (except, perhaps, Antarctica) and leave you with plenty of recommendations for your 'To Be Read' pile.

Scott Pack was once head of buying for Waterstones bookshops and spent several years as a publisher at HarperCollins, but these days is a freelance editor, the author of seven books, a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and writes specialist subject questions for the BBC quiz show Mastermind.

Judith Robinson was as a literature event programmer for over 10 years, working for Cheltenham Literature Festival, the British Council and Bath Festivals. She is now the Undergraduate Course Director at Bath Spa University's Business School, where she teaches festival, event and arts management.

P lus we are delighted to welcome the following pawsome charities and hoomans on the day...

Reverend David Guest

David trained as a newspaper journalist and worked in Portsmouth, Petersfield, and Chichester, where he was the chief Arts writer and deputy chief reporter. He has been a theatre reviewer in print and now online for over 40 years.

After the call to ordained ministry, David trained at Chichester and was ordained in the Chester diocese in 1992. He served in a parish on the Wirral and then just outside Chester, during which time he also worked on the BBC Radio Merseyside Sunday morning programme as a producer and presenter. He moved to the Isle of Man to become an associate vicar in two churches in Douglas.

In 2000, David moved back to the Chichester diocese to become diocesan communications officer, and also served in parishes in Hove before returning to his “home parish” of Southwick as assistant priest in addition to his communications job. In 2009 he became Vicar of All Saints, Heathfield, with St George’s, Broad Oak, then in 2016 moved to be Team Vicar of Christ Church, East Sheen. In 2020 David moved to the Diocese of Rochester to become Vicar of St Bartholomew’s, Otford.

Among his interests are Celtic spirituality, and he has a passion for the Arts. David is a member of Theatre Chaplaincy UK (formerly the Actors’ Church Union) and currently serves as Chaplain to the Garrick Theatre, London. Among mixed interests are crime fiction, cats (he has hosted several Stories of Cats days in Southwark Cathedral alongside the resident feline), genealogy, cult TV especially Doctor Who and Scandinavia.

D avid is now Rector of All Saints, Bearsden in Glasgow.

Catcuddles Cat Sanctuary

You can also meet the volunteers from Greenwich based cat charity The Catcuddles Sanctuary who will be selling cat related items, including homemade cat toys, to raise funds for all the wonderful work they do in rescuing and rehoming cats in London and the surrounding areas including our very own Hodge!

F ind out more about Catcuddles at their website