Tag: working cats

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Neighborhood Watch Cats

Now, we’ve all heard of guard dogs, they are usually a Doberman, or a German Shepard, or some other large-ish dog with a ferocious bark and a suspicion of strangers.  Around these parts we have another kind of security animal, neighborhood watch cats.  These are cats with the time and inclination to spend hours and hours every day looking at the window and the initiative to alert someone to unusual occurrences.

Anabel and Sally at their post

Anabel and Sally are proud (albeit unofficial) members of our (unofficial) neighborhood watch.  Although they don’t let their responsibilities as neighborhood watch cats interfere with their napping schedule, they do spend a substantial amount of their daily awake time monitoring the neighborhood from various locations throughout the house.

They have been active unofficial neighborhood watch cats since they were little kittens

When school was in session, mornings and afternoons were key watch times.  Anabel and Sally liked to do their part to make sure that all of the little children get dropped-off and picked-up from school safely.

Recently, I have caught Anabel yelling at the local blue jays to get off our lawn.  She also likes to watch out to make sure that our neighbor gets home safely from walking her dog in the evenings.  Sally’s post tends to be the front or back door.  He is very concerned about my sun exposure and does his best to make sure that I don’t spend too much time outside if he can help it.

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Cat Careers

You guys thought I was kidding about “Take Your Cat to Work Day.”  I wasn’t.  There are so many examples of cats who have been successful in a wide variety of fields.  Here are a few examples of cat careers (in no particular order):

Bookstore cats

When I was a little girl, there was this great bookstore in our neighborhood.  It was the kind of place with piles of books on the floor, hot tea and places to sit.  The bookstore also had a cat who would wander around and make sure that everything was in good order.

It turns out that bookstore work is a huge industry for cats.  The Electric Lit website has a great list of Instagram-able bookstores cats.  It has been several years since I have been to Ojai, but I am disappointed that I did not meet Princess Reya while purr-uzing at Bart’s Books.

Train Station Cats

The Kishi train station in Japan had a cat stationmaster named Tama who started running the station in 2007.  Tama had two feline assistant station masters: Miiko and Chibi.  Together, the three cats turned the train station and town of Kishi into a popular tourist destination.

*Nekonomics is the term to describe the positive economic impact of cat mascots.

The King’s Cross station in the UK also has a station cat in residence, PC (Police Cat) Tizer.  Tizer is the Chief Mouser of the station and has his own office.  In addition to his mousing duties, Tizer also helps to keep up the morale of the human employees of the station.

Hotel cats

The Algonquin Hotel in New York City has had a cat in residence since the 1930s.  The current cat-in-residence is Hamlet VIII.  Since the hotel began the tradition, there have been eight Hamlets (named after the signature role of actor and famous resident, John Barrymore), and three Matildas. 

Yoga cats

I think that cat yoga will surpass goat yoga in popularity one day soon.  Cats make great yoga helpers.  When I was regularly doing yoga at home, my Emma cat would come to help me.  She would lay under me when I was in downward dog and I would have to step over her to lunge or whatever.  Basically, she ensured that I was practicing with mindfulness because I had to move slowly and carefully around her.

The last time that I attempted yoga at home, Anabel made a point of getting up from her nap to help me in the same way.  I didn’t even have to ask her!

Police cats

A police cat  known as Pawciffer Donut works at the Troy, Michigan police station.  Pawfficer Donut is on the public relations beat, her main responsibilities include growing and entertaining the department’s Twitter following as well as bringing happiness to people who find themselves at the police department.

The Kyoto, Japan police station also has a pawciffer.  His name is Lemon.  Among his many important duties, Lemon makes calls with his fellow human officer to help put witnesses at ease.

Politician Cats

Talkeenta, Alaska elected a cat named Stubbs mayor.  Named for his lack of a tail, Stubbs served in this capacity from 1997 until his death in 2017.  He was however, not the only politician cat.

A cat named Sweet Tart was elected mayor of Omena, Michigan in 2018.

Hank the Cat ran against Tim Kaine for Virginia’s Senate seat in 2012.  He received nearly 7,000 votes, coming in third in the race.

A black and white tuxedo cat named Morris, ran for mayor of Xalapa, Mexico in 2013. And another tuxedo cat, Tuxedo Stan, was a candidate for mayor of Halifax, Novia Scotia, in 2012.

Museum Cats

The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia has a staff of 50-75 cats (reports vary).  Unfortunately, the cats no longer wander the galleries as they once did, but they do have their own kitchen and hospital on-site.

When I worked at the Long Beach Museum of Art, we had cats on the property.  There was a mama cat and her four kittens that I used to see pawtroling the grounds in the evenings.

Clearly, cat careers are a large and under-appreciated sector of the workforce.

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Take Your Cat to Work Day

I recently found out that my friend took her cat with her to her office one day (she’s the boss, it’s ok) which is pretty much one of the greatest things that I have ever heard.  We were talking about how there should be a national “Take Your Cat to Work” day and then how it should really just be every day, much in the same way that national Margarita day should.

One great thing about working from home is that I do have my kittens at work with me.  Every day is take your cat to work day in my life.  And they are very good helpers.  They both have their spots and when I settle in to start working on my writing, they go to their designated places nearby and get hard to work on their mid-day sleeping.  It actually makes me feel like I need to stay at my computer and be productive because they are making a point of keeping me company after all.

Many years ago, the gal that I worked with suggested that we get an office cat.  It was just the two of us and we were both cat lovers; it was an intriguing idea.  The only problem was what were we going to do on weekends and holidays?  Both of us already had cats at home who were not likely to appreciate company, even if it was only part time.  Around that time, Mr. Man gave me a pair of kitty stuffed animals who sufficed as our office cats.

Here are a few of the great benefits of having your cat help out at work (that I just made up):

  • They make a great paperweight.
  • Cats are good at filing (if you use the floor as your filing system).
  • Free notary and paper shredding service.
  • The heat generated by your computer doesn’t go to waste.
  • I once had an office in an old building that had mice – that wouldn’t be a problem if I had an office cat.
  • Cats are a good judge of character, they could help with interviews and client meetings.
  • Prevents you from having to meet with people who think they are allergic to cats.
  • Getting up to pet the cat ensures that breaks are taken.  Petting cats is also proven to relieve stress and can help to generate great ideas.
  • Reduces absenteeism – workers would miss seeing the cat more than they would want to miss work.

Places that are open 24-7 (or at least every day) like police stations, firehouses, and hotels are good venues for live-in workplace cats.  Other workplaces like shops and offices would probably require a commuter cat – one who is brought to work in the morning and taken home at night, like when my friend took her cat to her office.