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.