Bureaucats: The felines with official positions A cat's life typically consists of sleeping, interspersed with eating and the occasional manic bout of skittishness, followed by a good old nap. But some of our feline friends actually work for a living and hold down a proper job - in some cases, complete with uniform. Here are some of England's cats that do more than snooze, eat and sidle around while looking superior. Military cats Simon, the only cat to win the Dickin Medal, perfected his sarcastic face As far back as 9,500 years ago, cats were used on naval ships and in rat-infested trenches. During World War One, the British Army and Royal Navy deployed nearly half a million to fend off pests on land and at sea. By World War Two, nearly every vessel had at least one ship's cat. One of them, Simon, became the only cat to be awarded the Dickin Medal - the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross - for helping to save the lives of naval officers during the Chinese Civil War in 1949. While the ship was under siege for 101 days, he was credited with saving the lives of the crew by protecting the ship's stores from an infestation of rats. The brave chap suffered severe shrapnel wounds when the ship came under fire and was given a hero's welcome when it eventually returned to dock in Plymouth. Simon lived long enough to get back to England, but died in quarantine three weeks later. He was buried in Ilford, Essex, with full military honours. Crimean Tom is stuffed and on display at the National Army Museum Another wartime hero was Crimean Tom, also known as Sevastopol Tom, who saved British and French troops from starvation during the Crimean War in 1854. The regiments were occupying the port of Sevastopol and could not find food. Tom could. He led them to hidden caches of supplies stored by Russian soldiers and civilians. Tom, who was taken back to England when the war was over, died in 1856, whereupon he was stuffed. He is now a permanent part of the National Army Museum in London. Whiskers in the workplace: More cats with careers Cats - well known for doing as they please - have on occasion surprised the human race by using their paws to hold down a job. Chartwell Other notable political felines include Winston Churchill's cat Jock. When Churchill's home was given to the nation it was requested that there should always be a similar cat in residence. Jock VI is the current cat-in-residence at Chartwell. Jock VI couldn't resist licking at Churchill's bust Church Cats In 1936 a tabby arrived at St Augustine's and St Faith's Church on Watling Street in the City of London, close to St Paul's Cathedral. The rector's wife found her a box to sleep in and some food, and the cat was allowed to stay. They named her Faith, after one of the church's saints. In 1940, she gave birth to a kitten called Panda and shortly after, on Monday 9 September, the church was bombed. Faith found a recess and protected Panda throughout the raids - and remarkably, both survived. Afterwards, the rector put a photograph and some text on the wall, paying tribute to the "bravest cat in the world" who "stayed calm and steadfast and waited for help" while the church collapsed and burned around her.
"Tom, who was taken back to England when the war was over, died in 1856, whereupon he was stuffed." He really looks surprised himself about that stuffing part
Bob the street cat dies Really sad news Bob the street cat dead: How old was Bob? Cat made famous by A Street Cat Named Bob dies Kyle
My garden has become the meeting place for the local cats, due mainly to the laidback nature of my two moggies, Jasper and Conran. Although they are by far the largest cats in town they are gentle giants and seem relaxed about the other cats passing by. One female who we call Jean, has become a favourite visitor and as she has great character, I don’t mind her popping in to say hello. However, at 4am this morning I was awoken by the sound of the cat flap being flicked back and forth many times. When I got up to investigate, I found Jasper outside the door and a ginger Tom inside preventing him from entering his own house. I dealt with the situation on my boy’s behalf, but will now have to have conversation with him about how to deal with bullying. Which by the way, will not involve reporting it to teacher or talking it through with Human Resources to see how it can be resolved through discussion.
They are beautiful, A-58! My cat Ella knows the value of a good Amazon box, even if she doesn't QUITE fit in this one.