The flesh of horses, etc., prepared and sold by street dealers as food for domestic cats. Also attrib., as in Cat’s-meat-man.
1593. Nashe, Strange News, Ep. Ded. Wks. 1883–4, II. 180. We haue cattes meate and dogges meate inough for these mungrels.
1632. Massinger, Maid of Hon., III. i. I will crie broome or cats meate in Palermo;… Rather than live a souldier.
1826. in Hone, Every-day Bk., II. 861. I saw her pass with her cats-meat barrow.
1836. Dickens, Pickw., xxxiii. Purveyor of cat’s-meat to the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs.
1836. E. Howard, R. Reefer, lvi. A parcel of … dogs … following the catsmeat-man’s barrow.
