Raining cats and dogs, 1817 caricature. Historical artwork by the British caricaturist George Cruikshank (1792-1878) showing a proverbial representation of heavy rainfall. The proverb is 'Raining Cats and Dogs and Pitchforks'. The scene shows a range of people, some walking, some in a carriage, and some with umbrellas, being pelted by cats and dogs and pitchforks. The origin of this saying is uncertain, but it may have been derived from the terms catbolt and dogbolt (iron bolts to secure a door or gate) being used to describe hailstorms.