Touch Not the Cat Bot a Glove — Clan Mackintosh Badge
American or English: 20th Century
Embroidered cloth
4.75 x 3.75 inches
Provenance: Barbara C. & John B. McPherson, Old Lyme, Connecticut
Badge for blazer pocket with the motto of Clan Mackintosh and the confederacy of Clan Chattan in Scotland: “Touch not the cat bot a glove.” The motto is written on a light blue illustration of a belt with a buckle, surrounding a picture of a striped cat sitting on a red and gold cushion. The saying literally means “Do not touch the cat without a glove,” a reference to the fierce Highland wildcats that lived in the mountains of the clan territories. The motto warns rival clans that if disturbed, the Mackintoshes are ready to fight back.
Appears to have been hand made.
Reference:
Lythgoe, Darrin. “Facts and Figures about the Clan Mackintosh.” Mackintosh Families in Australia. 2001-2009. http://www.mackintosh.org.au/more/clan.php (12 June 2009).
