The Great Cat and Dog Massacre

"A multifaceted history. . . . Pursuing questions as varied as a pet's value in the years leading up to the war, how the idea of war-preparedness (or 'doing things') goaded people into acting drastically (and often pointlessly), and how the event shaped thinking on animal rights, Kean achieves an unusual psychological portrait of a society in wartime."-- "New Yorker" "Beginning with the mass slaughter of household pets immediately after Britain's declaration of war on Germany in 1939, Kean's compelling account explores the varied ways in which domesticated animals experienced the Home Front. With the exception of what contemporaries criticized as 'the holocaust of pets, ' most of these experiences were shared by human and non-human animals. By retrieving evidence of the lives of individual companion animals, as well as by documenting the increasing official acknowledgment of their value and standing, Kean offers a fresh perspective on what has often been called the 'People's War.'"-- "Harriet Ritvo, author most recently of Noble Cows and Hybrid Zebras: Essays on Animals and History" "By unearthing this odd but significant moment of compassionate hysteria, Kean's book undercuts this portrayal of the resolute Empire, suggesting the terror and irrationality beneath the stiff upper lip."-- "Los Angeles Review of Books" "For those who think everything has been said about Britain's war, here is a book that will change our perspective on the popular image of the British people calmly coping with the challenges of the home front. Kean not only brings animals into the wartime narrative in their own right, but challenges the way historians have treated the wartime experience. This is a remarkably rich and detailed history, not only reconstructing the unknown story of the animal massacre, but in the process offering a profound view of the way animals and humans interact."-- "Richard Overy, author of The Bombing War: Europe 1939-1945" "Kean's book, which has some excellent illustrations, insightful anecdotes, and shrewd analysis, lists the ways in which domestic animals both suffered in the war and also contributed to the war effort."-- "Literary Review" "Kean's snapshots of life during wartime are engaging. . . . Her book suggests that history should acknowledge 'everybody' to include bodies with four legs as well as two."-- "New York Times Book Review" "Remarkable. . .This remarkable book begins with a shocking event: the killing of at least 400,000 pet cats and dogs in London during four days of the first week of World War II. . .Without doubt, Hilda Kean has written an original and challenging monograph whose message forces readers to rethink their attitudes about themselves and the animals around them."-- "Cercles" "The central historical event around which Kean's book revolves is shocking. . . . Contains a wealth of fascinating detail. . . . Raises sobering questions about how far attitudes of disposability towards the animals we call our companions still persist."-- "Times Literary Supplement" "The many personal, and often moving, reminiscences collected in this book reveal just how many enduring wartime memories, happy or sad, featured an animal. It is in times of greatest difficulty that one discovers who one's friends are."-- "Journal of Animal Ethics" "The shocking story of why up to 750,000 animals were killed in the first week of the Second World War is the subject of a fascinating new book."-- "Daily Express" "The tremendous loss of human life during World War II has made this episode an unsuitable one to criticize. Kean's book brings to light an uncomfortable chapter in British history."-- "Wall Street Journal" "This is a brilliant telling of an important but neglected story of Britain's 'People's War.'

Hilda Kean is visiting professor at the University of Greenwich and an honorary senior research associate at University College London. Her many books include Animal Rights: Political and Social Change in Britain since 1800 and London Stories: Personal Lives, Public Histories.