Cat And Mouse Act Flashcards
Why did they do it?
They did it to bring attention to the cause and also to embarrass the government.
What happened?
After Black Friday the suffragettes were arrested. However they went on hunger strike in prison so the authorities decided to force feed the hunger strikers. However this did not work so the authorities would wait until she was too weak (lack of food) to do any harm if in public. She would only released on license. Once out of prison it was assumed that the former prison would start to eat once again and regain her strength over period of time. If she committed an offence while out of the license she would be immediately rearrested and returned to prison. If then she again goes back on hunger strike and they would do the same thing again.
Why is it called the cat and mouse act?
The nickname of the act came about because of the cats habit of playing with its prey before finishing it off.
