What cat could resist this 1915-era can, with its nautical theme and the inevitable association with seafood? Image courtesy of mnhs.org Ordinance Demanded to
Keep Cats from Poking
Heads into Tin Cans
When the Minneapolis Humane society meet at 11 a.m. today, it may consider the request of Mrs. William Talmadge of St. Paul, who has asked W.W. Bradley, secretary, to lay before the members the need she sees for an ordinance providing that all tin cans, on being emptied, be flattened, in order to make it impossible for wandering and curious-minded cats to insert their heads. Mrs. Talmadge's compassion was aroused by the plight of her own pet cat, which got its head in a can and lost one of its nine lives. It is possible that some inventor will come forward with a non-refillable tin can, and thus obviate the canning [of] the cats.
Another St. Paul woman of the period, Laura Furness, had a weakness for cats. The Minnesota Historical Society's online collection has more than 100 photos of Furness, granddaughter of Minnesota's second governor, Alexander Ramsey. Several of the photos, including this one taken at the Ramsey House in 1905, show her embracing a cat. (Image courtesy of mnhs.org)
