Simon - Distinguished Naval Service
Ship cats are not uncommon; since ancient times, on many ships, animals went with sailors and went on long voyages. They shared the hardships of the journey with the crew, entertained sailors far from land and were considered mascots of ships. This is exactly what the cat Simon became.
In 1947, a young sailor from the British sloop of war Amethyst found a small cat in the Honkonk shipyards. The animal was exhausted and sick. The boy took him on his ship secretly from his superiors. Gradually the cat recovered and began to actively catch rats, of which the hold with supplies was full. He brought the booty to the crew members directly to bed, which amused the sailors. A year later the captain changed, and the new one, Bernard Skinner, was very happy with the cat. He settled in the captain's cabin and began to sleep, curled up in the captain's cap.
"Amethyst" received the task to go up the Yangtze to the city of Nanjing and relieve another patrol ship. It was here that the so-called “Yangtze River Incident” happened, when the Chinese opened fire on a patrol ship. As a result, one shell hit the captain's cabin and killed the captain. The cat was seriously injured, but was able to get onto the deck. The sailors saw him burnt and tried to help. Several shrapnel bullets were recovered from Simon's body. This event significantly boosted the team's morale.
No one expected the cat to survive, but he was able to recover from the injury. And he resumed his duties as a rat catcher. This story became widely known, newspapers wrote about the cat who survived the incident, and he was received with honor in all the ports where the ship called. Simon received a number of the highest awards in Britain and the special title “Cat - Excellent Naval Service”.
The return of "Amethyst" was eagerly awaited at home. However, like any animal brought into the UK, Simon had to undergo quarantine. The heroic cat was sent to an animal shelter for a while. There he caught a viral infection and died.
He was buried in east London with a crowd of people and the participation of the Amethyst crew. The gravestone lists the major events of his life with the addition "He rose to the occasion."
Royal pet names
Start the list of famous cats with the pets of royal courts. A stately and famous name will add additional shine to your pet.
Rodion Gazmanov and his cat Sheldon
- Humphrey
- Larry
- Ruben
- Sierra
- Barbara
- Barney
- Beasley
- Muizza
- Oscar
- Sam
- Orange
- Rubarb
- Sox
- Tama
- Fred
Fashionable cat Beryl
- Palmerston
- Gladstone
- Lawrence Abdoun
- Dookie
- Peggy
- Sybil
- Humphrey
- Peta
- Freya
- Arthur
- Mars
- Belle
- Vicky
- Heidi
- Sade
- Neva
- Alf
- Danica
- Rosarita
- Bark
- Beryl
- Bree
- Nigel
- Jasper
- Patrick
- Oliver
- Oberon
- Basil
- Hermite
Sam the unsinkable cat
This is another story about a cat and the sea. It happened a little earlier than the previous one. The black and white cat first “served” on the side of the Germans - he set sail on the battleship Bismarck. Soon, however, the ship was destroyed by English naval forces. Of the two thousand people, about a hundred were saved - and the ship's cat! He was floating on one of the pieces. The British picked him up, named him Sam and took him on the destroyer Cossack. However, a few months later the Germans sank the British ship. The animal was saved again. The sailors gave him the nickname "Unsinkable Sam." His next habitat was the aircraft carrier Ark Royal. Need I say that this ship was also destroyed? The rescued cat replaced two more ships, which, alas, also sank. Then no one else wanted to take the famous cat on the ship. However, this did not negatively affect his fate: at first Sam lived with the governor of Gibraltar, and later moved to England, where he lived until his death in 1955.
Which cats have a chance to become famous?
The question of which cat is the most famous cannot be answered unequivocally. Many four-legged beauties have become famous throughout the world, and they are all worthy of admiration. Some pet owners hope that their cats will one day become famous: they shoot videos with them, take pictures of them and post them online. This is how millions of people learn about the existence of this or that cute animal. However, only a cat that has some distinctive qualities, such as Tardar, can truly become famous. Animals that are distinguished by their unusual activities, like the policeman Rusik, also become famous. In general, real fame does not come easily, and this must be understood. However, why not show your cat to the world just like that, without even hoping for great success? There are always many people who like to look at these cute animals.
Humphrey and Larry - the main mousecatchers of Britain
Back in the Middle Ages in England there was a position of a court mousecatcher. Now the Chief Mouser of the Government House in Great Britain is a title given to the cat living in the residence of the Prime Minister of the country. These mousetraps appeared at 10 Downing Street in 1924. It was then that the duties that the holder of the title must perform were fixed. The amount spent on maintaining the mustachioed official has been determined. Over the past time, twelve cats have guarded the residence from rodents, but officially the title of Chief Mouser was awarded to two of them - Humphrey and Larry.
Humphrey served as Chief Mouser for eight years, beginning in 1989. Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair - prime ministers whom Humphrey protected from rodents. He really did his job well. True, there were some incidents. So, one day he was accused of killing local robins. Another time, the cat left his post without permission - after a while, Humphrey was found in the Medical College, where he was sheltered, considering him a stray. After retiring for health reasons, Humphrey lived at home with one of the residence's employees for another nine years and died in 2006.
Currently, the mouser of the government residence is Larry the cat. He was adopted from a shelter and began his duties in 2011. His predecessor died a couple of years earlier, and for some time no one protected the rather old residence building from rodents. A mouse in one of the rooms was even filmed by a television camera. Larry went about the task assigned to him. After a while, he became a kind of “media” personality - posts were published in the media on his behalf and even the book “Larry’s Diaries” was published.
However, in 2012, the cat was confronted with complaints regarding the performance of his duties and was suspended from his position for two years. His successor was the cat Freya. But later they began to serve as mousecatchers together, which they continue to do to this day.
The only animal in the temple
Ivan Bilibin. Scientist cat. Frontispiece to “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” by Alexander Pushkin. 1910. Private collection
In the Catholic countries of medieval Europe, cats were considered minions of witches and servants of the devil - especially black ones - and were burned at the stake. In Orthodox countries, they were treated exactly the opposite. In Rus', a cat was considered a pure animal. Of all the animals, only she was allowed to enter the temple. In addition, cats saved the bins of churches and monasteries from rodents, which provided them with the patronage of priests for many years.
"Railway" Tama
This cat became a stationmaster at the Kishi train station in Japan. The background is this: the management of the Land of the Rising Sun railway in 2006 laid off station attendants, and assigned their responsibilities to local small entrepreneurs. At Kishi station this work was performed by a grocer from a station store. He took in several stray cats, including one named Tama. Gradually, the cat learned to greet arriving passengers. And her owner suggested that the cat be appointed as a station superintendent. She was given a salary in the form of food and a special uniform was sewn.
The news of such a caretaker attracted great attention to the station. Passenger traffic increased significantly - experts calculated that the territory's economy received more than a billion yen in profits. Later, Tama was promoted to senior station superintendent, and then station director. She was given space for an office and even two subordinates. Need I say that these were also local cats? This story became known to the media, and later a train with a picture of a cat was launched - the so-called Tama train. This famous Japanese cat died in 2015 and was buried with full honors.
Art gallery security guards
Nikolai Bodarevsky. Favorite. 1905. Private collection
Catherine the Great did not like cats, but she could not do without them. The Empress not only did not eliminate the cats from the Hermitage, but also gave them a new status as “guards of art galleries.” The Empress ordered: “...to divide the cats into indoor and outdoor cats, and in order to know the number of the first and second, entrust keeping records.” Those who were good at catching mice and at the same time were good-looking were taken into the “room” ones - these were mainly Russian Blue cats.
Library Dewey
This cat became widely known after it left our world. And fame came thanks to the book that the hostess wrote about him. The work became a bestseller, enriching the author.
This story began in 1988 in the USA, in the small town of Spencer, Iowa. Library workers discovered a ginger kitten in a cart where returned books are stored, awaiting placement. The animal remained to live in the library. The fluffy, very beautiful cat with a bushy tail was named Dewey. He soon became a symbol of the library and a city celebrity. And then he became even more famous. Articles were written about the library cat, or cat-librarian, postcards and posters were printed with his image, and documentaries were made.
The cat died in 2006. Librarian Vicky Myron, who can be called Dewey's mistress, published a book about her favorite. The name was translated into Russian as “Dewey. The cat from the library who shocked the whole world,” although it would be more accurate to say “the cat from the library of a small town who touched the world.” The book is not only about the red-haired library resident: the author also writes about his fate, childhood, motherhood, work in the library, and the fight against a serious illness. An adapted book about Dewey has been published for children, where the “adult” fragments are excluded.
Nala the Cat
Nala is a record holder who was included in the Guinness Book of Records due to her popularity on social networks. She has become the most popular animal on the Internet, with more than 4 million followers on her Instagram page.
Nala was found on the street when she was approximately 5 months old. The kitten's new owners wanted to know if anyone had lost a pet, and created an Instagram account where they told her story. Nala's old owners were never found, but the cat's page became very popular.
Names of pets of representatives of the scientific community
Yes, yes, the scientific fraternity did not pass by the fluffy cuties. Many scientists kept several cats at home.
Ian Somerhalder with his cat Soalia
- Matilda
- Baron
- Snowball
- Willie
- Teffi
- Moore
- Isolde
- Grant
- Gallet
- Moses
- Margaret
- Greeley
- Semms
- Gin
- Keys
- Flour
- Flushka
- a lion
- Lynx
- Moore
- Leva
- Felix
- Cayenne
- Machak
- Sisi
- Rainbow
Nicknames of athletes' pets
Athletes' cats are just as energetic and graceful. So, if your pet is unusually energetic, a name in honor of a “sports” pet will be at the right time.
Taylor Swift with cat Olivia
- Morosque
- Hulk
- Super
- Rex
- Kate
- The battle
- Jasper
- April
- Puffy
- Tsitsa
- Micheletto
- Philemon
- Shtanishkin
- Phil
- Tizzy
- Julio
- Marseilles
- Vivien
- Chanel
- Chulpan
- Totti
- Chip
- Oscar de la Hoya
- Bambre
- Cool
- Diesel
- Semyon
- Asya
- Beckham
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Galatasaray
- Coke
- Lucas
- Percy
- Leeds
- Memphis
- Tevez
- Rashford
- Ferdinand
- Pogba
- Arterta
- Sterling
- Rocky
- Ozil
- Polundra
- Richie
- Strudel
- Spinoza
- Chiquita
- Lizzie
- Libertas
- Tama
- Humphrey
- Dewey
- Cream Puff
- Gli
- Limberbutt Maccubins
- Maru
- Sailor suit
- Meow
- Stubbs
- Trim
- Tara
- Tombili
- Felicette
- Freddie
- Willard
- Scarlett
- Pangur Ban
- Muizza
- Big Slap
- Messi
- Sarah
- Threw
- Cecil
- Kuzya
- Junga
- Fierce
- Pursh
- Raji
- Amur
- Amadeus
- Cinderella
- Orphan
- Ustin
- Gaston
