Another in my series, "Little Known Cats Who Have Helped Humankind." I wrote these to relieve the darkness of writing my dark novel, Shadows Walking, about a Nazi doctor...
Armina was a red tabby of modest means and without much formal education who lived during the early fourteenth century in the eastern regions of the Holy Roman Empire. When she invented canned dog-food, an entirely different relationship became possible among cats, dogs and their human hosts. Armina was tired of having to wait under the table with the household’s dogs for scraps of food to fall. Too often the dogs got the best pieces. When Armina did manage to catch a chunk—usually near the children’s feet—she would have to swallow it quickly and invariably developed indigestion. If only the dogs could be distracted.
Seeing the difficulty her host family had in putting on and taking off their armor, Armina reasons that the dogs could be slowed down if their food was similarly packaged. With the help of the village’s blacksmith, who coincidentally had invented a can opener, Armina devised the first can of dog food. The scheme worked wonderfully. The family’s dogs were clumsy and slow in opening their cans of food and became more docile as they sat in the corner of the kitchen, gnawing on only pieces of iron out of desperation. Humans found they liked the quieter meals, to say nothing of the chance to pick up the scraps they dropped before the dogs got them, and let Armina have an ample share out of gratitude. Unfortunately, the smithy patented Armina’s idea and became wealthy, while Armina died in poverty.
enjoyed the read, anything about a feline has my vote, I have long wondered where and when canned dog food came into being, glad to have that all cleared up!!
The Wholly Book of Genesis is a humorous satire on the first book of the Old Testament where the Story of Creation, the building of Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah and the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are thoroughly spoofed and broadsided.
