The tragedies of World War II are well known. But at least one has been
forgotten: in September 1939, four hundred thousand cats and dogs were
massacred in Britain. The government, vets, and animal charities all
advised against this killing. So why would thousands of British citizens
line up to voluntarily euthanize household pets?
In The Great Cat and Dog Massacre, Hilda Kean unearths the history,
piecing together the compelling story of the life--and death--of
Britain's wartime animal companions. She explains that fear of imminent
Nazi bombing and the desire to do something to prepare for war led
Britons to sew blackout curtains, dig up flower beds for vegetable
patches, send their children away to the countryside--and kill the
family pet, in theory sparing them the suffering of a bombing raid.
Kean's narrative is gripping, unfolding through stories of shared
experiences of bombing, food restrictions, sheltering, and mutual
support. Soon pets became key to the war effort, providing emotional
assistance and helping people to survive--a contribution for which the
animals gained government recognition.
Drawing extensively on new research from animal charities, state
archives, diaries, and family stories, Kean does more than tell a
virtually forgotten story. She complicates our understanding of World
War II as a "good war" fought by a nation of "good" people. Accessibly
written and generously illustrated, Kean's account of this forgotten
aspect of British history moves animals to center stage--forcing us to
rethink our assumptions about ourselves and the animals with whom we
share our homes.
