<P> The Prisoners ( Temporary Discharge for Ill Health ) Act , commonly referred to as the Cat and Mouse Act , was an Act of Parliament passed in Britain under Herbert Henry Asquith 's Liberal government in 1913 . Some members of the Women 's Social and Political Union ( WSPU , commonly referred to as suffragettes ) had been imprisoned for acts of vandalism in support of women 's suffrage . In protest to being imprisoned some of these suffragettes undertook hunger strikes . These suffragettes were then force - fed leading to a public outcry . This act was a response to the outcry ; it allowed the prisoners to be released on licence as soon as the hunger strike affected their health . They then had a period of time in which they could recover . After a predetermined period of time the prisoner would be rearrested to serve out the rest of their sentence . Conditions could be placed on the prisoner during the time of their release . The hunger strikes themselves were now technically legal . However , the Act allowed for the re-imprisonment of the hunger strikers upon their recovery on their original charges . The nickname of the Act came about because of a cat 's habit of playing with its prey ( a mouse ) before finishing it off . </P>
when was the cat and mouse act introduced
1913