Lisa Rogak - Cats on the Job: 50 Fabulous Felines Who Purr, Mouse, and Even Sing for Their Supper

50 Fabulous Felines Who Purr, Mouse,
and Even Sing for Their Supper

THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS

ST. MARTINS GRIFFIN

NEW YORK

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For Bob DiPrete and Poochie, aka Reagan

While some naysayers may believe that the only job that a cat is capable of performing is locating and then occupying the warmest spot in the house for hours on end, there are countless hardworking cats around the world that prove otherwise. In recent years, dogs have received attention for doing everything from sniffing out cancer in test tubes to participating in the raid on Osama bin Laden, but cats have not been just idly standing by. Indeed, felines of all stripes are earning their keep today in a surprising variety of jobs.

Even many cat lovers think that the best job for a cat would be CMO, or Chief Mousing Officer. But while many cats are initially hired for this particular skill and they do excel in that field the truth is that once a cat moves into a mouse-infested barn or warehouse and demonstrates to the local rodent population whos in charge, its a brave, brave mouse that dares to venture back onto the premises. After all, the lingering scent of eau de feline is usually enough to discourage even the most famished mouse from taking his chances.

Once a cats mouse-catching responsibilities drop to maintenance levels in some cases, this occurs within a day or two of starting work many felines make a career change and become full-time sleep researchers. However, for others, its the exact moment when they seize control of their destiny and begin to pursue their true occupational path.

Of course, some cats are just not good at mousing. These so-called slackers may actually be the Steve Jobs of felines, so intent on doing their true jobs that they thoroughly ignore anything as normal as rodents. As youll discover in Cats on the Job, these career-focused felines can be found working as a gregarious hotel concierge, a bike messengers loyal assistant, or a bookstores director of public relations and marketing. Some even provide therapy and comfort as service cats: one helps an autistic boy learn how to make his way in the world, while another lends a paw to a girl to help manage her diabetes.

Its an idea that is catching on. A group in Los Angeles called Working Cats has been placing felines at businesses around the city, primarily for rat patrol, while a similar organization in San Francisco called Cats on the Job contracts a number of SPCA shelter cats out to a local arts organization where they serve as guides as well as security detail.

On the whole, working cats are not particularly picky about their salary. Although some of the felines profiled in Cats on the Job have signed employment contracts specifying that they receive their salary in the form of cat food or fresh fish, the pay is usually not a huge concern to the average cat employee; while theyre unlikely to ever unionize, some do strike over poor working conditions.

A century ago, a British government worker named Stella Alleyne marveled at the actions of a particular cat who had successfully presided over the cafeteria at the Ministry of Agriculture for a number of years. The cat clearly loved his job and the people he worked with. One day, an employee from the nearby Fisheries Department decided to borrow him to help out with a mouse problem in their building and simply took him without asking. At first, the cat didnt fight back or yowl in protest. But when he arrived at the new building the employees were bitterly disappointed when the cat did nothing but sit and watch as the mice scampered by.

As this was not his department, he simply refused to take action, said Alleyne. In a few days, he was back at the Ministry of Agriculture, happily pursuing and catching any mice that happened to cross his path.

Of course, some bosses may just fire a recalcitrant employee whether two- or four-legged but people who happen to work alongside a cat view this pickiness as a mere by-product of having a feline coworker.

I have seen cats working in warehouses who are toasted by the men who work with them, in glasses brimming with moonlight, wrote author Oswell Blakeston in Working Cats, his 1963 book-length ode to gainfully employed felines. A working cat appreciates a good billet [living quarters], but most of all he takes into consideration the comradeship he will receive if he puts a paw-mark to a contract for his services.

Its impossible to force a cat to do anything; an old saying is that you have to make the cat think its his own idea, whereas a dog is typically so eager to please that hell do your bidding regardless of the task. Simply put, cats are more discriminating about where they choose to spend their energies.

But when they do discover a vocation they like, theyll happily spend all their waking hours at it and their napping ones, too. Fortunately, this book is filled with fifty different examples of cats who, as Blakeston put it, have chosen to give their life a mission by fulfilling certain specialized duties.

Which is pretty good advice for humans as well.

Some cats are street smart and know the exact moment to cross a busy street to avoid disaster.

But a cat in West Richland, Washington, went one step further: He took a job helping schoolchildren navigate across the road from bus to building.

One day, in the beginning of the 2011 school year, a black cat named Sable showed up at the Enterprise Middle School and watched the crossing guards do their jobs. Monti Franckowiak, safety patrol coordinator at the school, said it didnt take long before Sable pitched in, watching what she did and then mimicking her actions from the other side of the street. My head is always moving as I keep an eye on everything around me, said Franckowiak. Sable did the same thing. Hed monitor the students and traffic from his corner, occasionally walk out with the safety patrol as they guided students in the crosswalk, and greet students and community members as they walked by.

The cat showed up like clockwork twice each day, commuting to work from his nearby home, and soon demonstrated such prowess at his job that the school presented him with an official orange safety vest to help him carry out his duties. On days when the crosswalk would become slick, Sable would try to rub up against every student who came by. Franckowiak thought it was the cats way of telling students to slow down and be careful. On snowy days, Sable still came to work and perched on top of a pile of plowed snow on the corner as he watched over students trudging through the snow.