Not having a pet as children, apart from a budgie who had seed bought loose from the grocer, the name Spratt was associated in my mind with the nursery rhyme:
Jack Spratt would eat no fat,
His wife would eat no lean,
And so between the pair of them
They licked the platter clean.
If we had been pet owners, then I might have known the name Spratt in connection with pet food. I do remember seeing the advertising logo, and thinking how clever it was to use the letters to make the shape of animals.
The original Spratt who started the pet food company was an American man, James Spratt; he was an electrician by trade and came to London to sell lightning conductors… He was granted a patent to sell them in 1860, but at some point, either when he arrived at the docks from America, or when he was there on other occasions, he saw stray dogs eating ships’ biscuits, the hard tack which was a mainstay of sailors’ diets at that time. He must have liked dogs or been interested in them because he also noticed London market porters making gristly stews for their dogs… From these two observations came his patented dog food, biscuits made from wheat-meal, rendered meat and vegetables including beetroot, baked into ‘dog cakes’, and actual canned dog food made from meat. In 1876 other canine products were being made and patented, including as well as food, dog soap. One of his employees was a young man called Charles Cruft… who in 1891 set up the famous dog show…
So from lightning conductors to dog biscuits… That’s Mr Spratt!
Lois Elsden 