Anchoresses, Hygiene, and… Cat Names?

Y'All had a lot to say! And I loved every minute of reading your responses.

Let’s get one question out of the way right up front:

“What about her bodily wastes?”

A fair—and very practical—question.

From what I’ve been able to research, an anchoress’s cell typically had:

• A squint (a narrow window facing the altar so she could observe Mass), and

• A second, smaller window—often covered with a curtain or wooden shutter

That second window served multiple purposes. It’s where a helper would:

• Pass in food

• Remove waste

Yes, likely in a bucket or slop jar. Not glamorous, but functional.

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🛁 Did an anchoress bathe?

Miss Maple taking a kitty bath. Isn’t she cute?

Short answer: we don’t really know.

Longer answer: probably not often—and that wouldn’t have been unusual.

Daily bathing is a modern habit. In the Middle Ages:

• Public bathhouses did exist (think spa-meets-social-club)

• But by the 1300s, especially during and after the Black Death, attitudes shifted

Many people believed:

• Hot water opened the pores

• Open pores allowed illness to enter the body

On top of that, the Church sometimes viewed bathhouses as morally questionable.

So instead of frequent bathing, people focused on:

• Washing hands and faces

• Changing linen undergarments

• Using herbs and oils to stay fresh

And of course, Jewish communities maintained mikvahs, ritual baths that remained important and widely practiced.

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🐾 Now… on to the cat names!

Y’all absolutely outdid yourselves.

Here are some favorites:

Top vote-getter:

• Pax (“peace”) — suggested by Dayle, M’Kendra, Sandy, Michelle S., and Tobijulo

Close contenders and standouts:

• Mousebane — delightfully medieval (Rebekeh, Sandy, and others)

• Ara (light), Fenestra (window), Lauds and Vespers — from Dave C.

• Shadow — from Shelma and Nancy E.

• Leo/a, Angel/o, Santo/a — from Mary

• Alegria (joy) — Tobijulo

• Joy — from my LEETLE SEESTER, Jane 💛

• Candle — Lois (and honestly, perfect imagery)

• Agnes — Anita, Shalma, and Tobijulo

And yes, as a side note, Rebekeh prefers her male cats neutered. Rebekah, sweetie, I have no idea how that would’ve worked in the Middle Ages—and I’m not sure I want to know 😳 Let’s hope it wasn’t a DIY (Do It Yourself) project!

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🌍 What do people call cats around the world?

My friend Laurie S. shared this gem, and I had to pass it along:

• 🇩🇪 Germany: “Mieze! Mieze!” (MEE-tsuh)

• 🇫🇷 France: “Minou! Minou!” (mee-noo)

• 🇮🇹 Italy: “Micio! Micio!” (mee-cho)

• 🇸🇪 Sweden: “Kisse! Kisse!” (kiss-eh)

• 🇳🇱 Netherlands: “Poes! Poes!” (poos)

• 🇪🇸 Spain: “Mishi! Mishi!” or “Misu! Misu!”

Isn’t that delightful?

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🐱 And the winner is…

AGNES.

I think my heart chose it because it was my grandmother’s middle name. 💕

And a mouse house phot to make you smile…it’s the baby mouse nursery. After all, mices have little mices, don’t they?

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📚 A New Release to Check Out

My friend Sam Cheever has a new book out:

At Lease We Tried
Only $3.99
👉 https://books2read.com/atleasewetried

(Come on—that title alone deserves a look!)

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🕵️‍♀️ Mystery Mondays

This Monday at 7 p.m. ET in Joanna’s Readers (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1602372550058785/), we’ll welcome:

Nancy Robards Thompson
Author of Dead to Me

(Book 1 in the new Sugar Hollow Amateur Sleuth Society series)

Available now for pre-order, releases March 26.

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🎉 And one more thing…

I’ll also be doing a cover reveal for Death of a Saint on Monday.

Given all the cat names you shared, I think you’re going to love it.

Much love to all,

Joanna