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Most cats are content to stick close to home and family, but some have made a name for themselves by taking on other employment or pastimes.
1. The Ship’s Cat
Simon was born in 1947 in Hong Kong. As a half-grown cat, he was taken aboard the HMS Amethyst to control rats. In 1949, the ship was attacked on the Yangtze River in China by communists. Simon was wounded, but not found for days. The injured sailors had been evacuated, so the ship’s doctor nursed Simon’s facial burns and shrapnel wounds. As Simon recovered he resumed rat catching, but also added the duty of visiting sick and wounded sailors. Upon return to Hong Kong, Simon was presented with a campaign ribbon and news that he would receive a Dicken Medal, an award for animal gallantry. When the Amethyst reached England, Simon had to go into quarantine. He developed an infection and died just before his planned formal medal ceremony. The veterinarian believed the young cat would have recovered if his war wounds hadn’t weakened him. Simon was buried in a specially-made casket with full naval homors.
2. The Undercover Cat
Fred was a Brooklyn stray before he helped investigators bust a college student posing as a veterinarian last year. Robert Reid had suspicions about Steven Vassall when the fake vet treated his dog, so he contacted the Brooklyn Distict Attorney’s office. Assistant DA Carol Moran took Fred from Animal Control and deputized him for an investigation. When Vassall agreed to neuter Fred for $135, he was promptly arrested. Fred became a media sensation for his part in the sting operation.
Three more cat stories, after the jump.
3. The School Cat
Room Eight was the name students gave to the cat who visited them at Elysian Heights Elementary School in Los Angeles. He came in through an open window in 1952, and returned to room eight for sixteen years. He only came when school was open, so every fall the students would wait anxiously for his first appearance. Room Eight became a celebrity with quite a bit of publicity and even fan mail. He was the subject of a documentary and a 1966 childrens book. When he died in 1968, the students attended his funeral at The Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park. He was also memorialized in the cement sidewalks at the school.
Correction: I heard from Roger Vargo, who has researched and written a recent article on Room 8.
When Room 8 died on Aug. 13, 1968, regular school was not in session and the students did not attend his funeral on Aug. 15. Only approximately 10-12 people were at the ceremony. Students did attend the placement of his headstone which was done about a year later, in 1969. As your photo shows, his grave is still in good condition today.
More here. There is also a cat shelter named in his honor, the Room 8 Memorial Cat Foundation.
4. The Commuter Cat
Macavity is the mysterious white cat who rides the bus several times a week in West Midlands, England. He gets on the bus at a Churchhill Road stop and rides to the next stop near a fish and chips shop. He has even been observed running to catch the bus! Macavity wears a purple collar and has one blue eye and one green eye. Bus drivers named him Macavity after a cat in a T.S. Eliot poem, although his true name and owners are still unknown. He is a well-behaved passenger, but has yet to pay his fare.
5. The Bookstore Cat
The story that inspired this post was the sad news of the passing of Fup, the Powell’s Technical Books store cat. Fup was 19 years old, nearly all of which was spent at the store, save for a six-week period in 1997 while the bookstore underwent a remodel. A quarter of a million subscribers followed Fup’s adventures through her column in the Powell’s newsletter.
In her youth, Fup would sometimes climb ladders and hide at the top of book fixtures to look down upon the humans in her domain. Over the years, Fup acquired a well-earned reputation for biting employees who intruded on her time for more than about 30 seconds. However, she would always be sitting in front of the office to greet whoever came to open the store in the morning, demanding her serving of canned food for breakfast. She was more patient with visitors; Fup played the celebrity game well. She received many gifts and cards and emails from fans, which she appreciated.
Fup’s image is available on the store’s gift cards and t-shirts. Memorials donations can be made to the Oregon Humane Society.
Previously at mental_floss: Oscar, The LOLcat of Death.
Comments (18)
Comment
As a cat person, and currently companian to Taupe, I really enjoyed these stories. I had heard of the comuter cat, but the rest were new. Thanks and let’s have more.
posted by gus on 11-1-2007 at 6:32 am
Iz hart cats.
posted by TMo on 11-1-2007 at 7:19 am
this section was super cute! thanks!
posted by Susan on 11-1-2007 at 7:20 am
Hatch Show Print in Nashville, famous for all the great hand-screened concert posters that grace the Ryman Auditorium, is also famous for its two store cats. (Huey and Maow) They’ve become almost as popular as the posters, and were even immortalized in one of Hatch’s own posters.
store.countrymusichalloffame.com/store/product.aspx?prod_id=634&cat_id=13
The door into the store has a hand-lettered sign that says, “Please Keep the Door Shut. We have a cat.” We recently visited Nasville with my 9-year-old daughter, and the cats kept her entertained while my husband and I were able to browse the posters at our liesure.
Aside from the cats, it’s an awesome place to visit if you’re ever in downtown Nashville.
posted by Bre on 11-1-2007 at 8:33 am
Unfortunately Fred passed away last year.
But his role in the sting operation potentially saved the lives of other pets.
And being that he was adopted from the city shelter he brought attention to the adoptable pets there as well.
Rest in peace Fred!
posted by Sweet Pea on 11-1-2007 at 8:51 am
Sweet Pea, I am sorry to hear that.
posted by Miss Cellania on 11-1-2007 at 8:54 am
There’s a long line of famous cats living at the summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, home of the “world’s worst weather.” Inga was perhaps the most famous and the picture of her covered in rime ice on a frosty winter day has graced posters, cards, and coffee mugs for years. www.mountwashington.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=93
The current feline resident is Nin, who even has a blurb on the Observatory’s staff page. www.mountwashington.org/about/staff/observer.php#nin
When I was last at the summit a few years ago, Nin was looking quite well-fed as he roamed amongst the throngs of tourists in the summit cafeteria.
posted by Chosen on 11-1-2007 at 10:11 am
Thanks for such a sweet congress of cats! Fup will truly be missed by all of us who knew him, and Powell’s has cute t-shirts dediCATed to him as well.
k thx bai
posted by Johnny Cat on 11-1-2007 at 11:58 am
In Brockton Massachusetts there used to be an orange tabby that would walk from the pet store, (his home), to the main branch of the Brockton Public Library and spend his days among the books and startling readers who were not familiar with his antics. The pet store re-located to anothe site and that ended his trips to the library where he was sorely missed. From a patron
posted by gardner on 11-1-2007 at 12:23 pm
What about Larry the Garden Cat? He was so cool. He will be missed dearly.
(to read about who Larry was go to www.todaysthv.com and click on pets then Joey the Intern, there’s a link to Larry’s memorial from there)
posted by EEB on 11-1-2007 at 9:01 pm
Awww Fup died? I loved going to Powells as a kid, as well as now, and tracking her down while browsing…that is really sad news, she will be missed!
posted by twodollars on 11-2-2007 at 1:06 am
And there’s Oscar, the cat who predicts death at nursing homes - he’s predicted at least 25 so far. It won’t allow me to post a link here but you can google him - cat predicts death nursing
I can understand how he has a good sense of impending death, since cats are more sensitive to some things, but I don’t understand WHY he curls up with the patient until they die.
posted by The Beautiful Kind on 11-5-2007 at 11:56 am
What about schrodinger’s cat?
posted by bambam on 11-5-2007 at 2:51 pm
I think there’s an awful lot we don’t yet understand about animals, especially cats and dogs. I’m just glad they decided to befriend our species.
posted by jo on 11-6-2007 at 9:05 am
For wonderful stories about working kitties throughout the U.S., go to www.shopcat.com and check them out.
posted by Andrea Aldridge on 11-6-2007 at 12:40 pm
What, no Oscar the death predicting cat?
posted by Jason on 11-9-2007 at 3:28 pm
Great story. I love dogs, but I have a special place in my heart for cats, and I love seeing stories about them. We adopted a cat this year from a shelter that thinks it’s a dog 50% of the time, so we got the best of both worlds. Our cat is named Oscar, so we want to know more about the Mental Floss Oscar.
posted by Sandi H on 11-11-2007 at 7:55 am
You forgot the “I can has cheezburger” cat.
posted by Jeff on 5-23-2008 at 11:54 am