- The Governor General of Canada
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Alan Taylor Catto
Noranda, Quebec
Registration of Arms
January 15, 2024
Vol. VIII, p. 252
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Blazon
Arms
Or on a chevron between in chief two lymphads Sable sails Gules flagged Sable and in base a hand Gules, a cinquefoil Argent between four garbs Or, all within a bordure Sable;
Crest
A demi-wildcat guardant proper holding between its forepaws an annulet Argent;
Motto
TOUCH NOT;
Symbolism
Arms
The Canadian Heraldic Authority does not have confirmed symbolism for this emblem. The following comments are hypotheses only. The black chevron on a yellow field and the black sailing ships are common to Catto coats of arms. The flower is emblematic of Scottish Frasers, whose name is derived from the French word fraise, meaning “strawberry.” It likely alludes to the historical connection between Mr. Catto’s family and the Frasers, one ancestor having been the grieve, or estate manager, to the Frasers of Memsie, and Mr. Catto’s grandfather having come from Fraserburgh in Scotland before immigrating to Canada. The sheaves of wheat possibly refer to his oldest traceable ancestor in Scotland, who was a farmer. The border is a Scottish method of differencing that indicates that Mr. Catto is a younger branch of the family.
Crest
A wildcat is frequently found in crests of Scottish Catto families, as a pun on the surname. The ring is a distinct mark for Mr. Catto.
Motto
These words are taken from a longer expression used by Clan Chattan and affiliated families, including Cattos, “Touch not the cat but a glove.” The glove refers to the pads of a wildcat’s paws when its claws have been retracted. The phrase is therefore a warning not to engage with the members of the clan – represented by the wildcat – when they are “ungloved,” or ready to fight.