“Herding Cats”

If you follow us on social media (which we highly recommend you do to keep you up-to-date on the goings on at the mill – we are on Facebook and Instagram), you may have spotted a recent piece of work created by student, Kathleen Culley, entitled: “Herding Cats”. It’s a marvellous cartoon-like depiction of the incomparable Karsten, one of our managers at the mill, attempting to corral a group of uninterested felines: much like his day-to-day duties of ushering painters and knitters and the like on to mini-buses, summoning for aperitivo, or rounding up for another gourmet three-course meal.

Where does “herding cats” come from?

The English language loves idioms that relate to cats, although the internet’s obsession verifies that this adoration goes far beyond linguistics. We may refer to something being the cat’s pyjamas or cat’s whiskers, or the cat might have our tongue, or we might let the cat out the bag. And who can forget, when our interest is piqued, that curiosity killed the cat. Not to mention the assortment of memes and images of funny felines that span back as far as  Ancient Egyptian times – if not further!

“Herding cats” first appeared in our vernacular around the late 1970s/early 80s – although it is debated who exactly coined the phrase! Some attribute it to Monty Python – specifically the Life of Brian – and the opening scene where a group of shepherds lament the difficulties of collecting and sheering “herds of cats”. Regardless of origin, it’s easy to picture exactly what the idiom is getting at: a group of independent creatures who need a fair amount of organisation and patience to conform to a singular goal.

As we’re sure pet owners can attest: it’s hard enough getting one cat to do something it doesn’t want to do, let alone several!

Holidays that are the Cat’s Meow

We provide you with an experience that means you get to focus on creativity, conviviality, or – if you want to embrace your inner-cat – lying out in the Tuscan sun all day. All you need to do is get yourself to Pisa, we’ll take care of the rest. Visit our website to learn more about upcoming holiday offerings. We hope to welcome you soon!