Whittington's Cat

I found Whittingon's cat everywhere at Archway yesterday. Why is this cat so honoured? A bit of research and I discover that the cat probably never existed at all, the story of Dick Whittington and his cat was born in the 14th century and became increasingly elaborate. He was not a poor boy but actually quite wealthy and never owned a cat. It is thought that maybe the legend of the cat arose from the type of boat he used for trading known as a cat or from the French word "achat" meaning purchase.
However the story is a lovely one with several possible origins. I will tell you the legend tomorrow with another Whittington cat.