'Cat and Mouse' Act, 1913

In 1913 the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act was rushed through Parliament by Asquith's government in 1913; suffragettes who went on hunger strike were released from prison as soon as they appeared weak or ill.  However, once recovered, the Act allowed for them to be re-imprisoned.  The Act became popularly known as the Cat and Mouse Act as the imprisonment and release of the women resembled that of a cat playing with a mouse. The repeated imprisonment of the women was held in distaste by the general public and proved to be counter-productive.

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