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Church Cats 4

Miss Mac and Ko-Ko of St Hubert's, Dunsop Bridge

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The church of St Hubert's is in the small village of Dunsop Bridge, in a beautiful and fairly remote part of the northern English county of Lancashire. The parish priest, Father John Chaloner, had had several cats that came to unfortunate ends, either on the roads or in one case shot, and he wasn't seeking to repeat the sorrow of their loss by taking in another. However, things don't always work out . . .

One morning in summer 1999, a black-and-white kitten was found stuck in a hedge close by the church; this was unusual, as it isn't the kind of area where cats often drop by. The family who rescued it had a dog and could not keep the kitten — so, in spite of his earlier feelings, Fr Chaloner found himself taking on a new church cat. Thought at first to be a male, it was named Macavity (having appeared from nowhere — see T.S. Eliot's Book of Practical Cats), but a check-up at the vet's showed otherwise, and so she became Miss Macavity, or Miss Mac for short.

The church, its yard and rural surroundings make an ideal spot for cats, and Miss Mac quickly made herself at home. She also started to take a full part in church life, loving to attend weddings, baptisms and funerals, and often attending Communion, when she would sit in front of the altar so that parishioners had to sidestep around her when they came forward for the sacrament. She liked to lap holy water from the stoop by the church entrance, and loved sleeping in the straw of the crib at Christmastime.

But Miss Mac was also very much a 'companion cat' and enjoyed joining her human for an evening stroll. The idea came for a book of her memoirs, as she had made herself so much a part of parish and church life; Fr Chaloner acted as her scribe and says the cat took a keen interest. 'She used to sit on my notes, sit on my lap when I was typing,' he said. 'I still have her paw-marks on my papers.' The result was a delightful small book in which we meet Miss Mac's friends and gain an insight into life at St Hubert's — see Feline Folios for details.

Shortly after the book had been published, one warm evening in August 2004, Fr John recalls seeing the feline author sitting on the stone wall opposite the church, but he thought it was a bit early to call her in for the night. He never saw her again. She had been with him for five years and a day. No one knows what happened; possibly she was run over and the driver was too distressed to say. A few days later a little bunch of flowers was left on the wall where she used to sit.

The new church cat is Ko-Ko, a very handsome tabby-and-white gentleman who has happily taken over Miss Mac's duties. He was born on a farm about 10 miles away, and was homed to Dunsop Bridge as a kitten, but was left behind when his owners moved. He was begging around the village, and the local gamekeeper was going to ask the RSPCA to take him in — but then thought of Father Chaloner. The rest, as they say, is history, and in November 2004 Ko-Ko moved in. He likes to summon Fr John to prayer at an early hour (and get his breakfast, of course!) and will quite often join him at worship. He goes into the church during Mass, wraps himself around the priest's feet or even joins him at the altar — or simply trots in, sits on the pew next to him and purrs! Here’s Father John's account of one early morning:

'I awoke to the sound of a bang and something falling down. "Who's there?" I croaked, half asleep, yet trying to evoke the authoritative tone of a former policeman's distant past. "Who's there?" Silence. "Who's there?" Then came a faint reply, "Miaow". It was Ko-Ko, my cat. He emerged from the bedroom wardrobe, sat down amid the boxes that he had dislodged from their carefully arranged positions, and looked at me with the penetrating stare that only cats can give.

' "Oh, it's you, Ko-Ko," I mumbled. "It's not time to get up yet. I'm going back to sleep." But it was not to be. Ko-Ko pounced onto the bed, tapped my face with his paw, and continued his penetrating stare, only now it was accompanied by a long purrrrr. Time to get up — at least, it was in Ko-Ko's scheme of things. Yet it was only 4 a.m. Down the stairs we went, he with his tail in the air as he tacked from side to side, and I, bleary-eyed, trying not to step on him or to tumble headlong down the stairs. He took me into the kitchen and, dutifully, I followed. "Miaow." It was time for his breakfast. "Ah, well," I said to myself, "now I'm up I'll make a cup of tea and then say morning prayer." '

Ko-Ko has followed in Miss Mac's footsteps in more ways than one and has also written a book! You can read a little about it in our Feline Folios section. We hope that Ko-Ko will have a long and happy tenure as Church Cat of St Hubert's, Dunsop Bridge; it sounds as though he's a real character.

Very many thanks to Father John Chaloner for his help with this account and for supplying the photos of Miss Mac and Ko-Ko. More information about St Hubert's can be found at their website, including photos of the church, village and this area of the Forest of Bowland.

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Our featured feline at the head of the page is Socks, pictured in 2003 surveying his 'estate' in the early morning sunshine. Affectionately known as Soxy, he blossomed from a thin and hungry stray into a substantial and handsome cat who loved life and company, and his gentle ways endeared him to many friends. He is now no longer with us, but you can read more from his human companion here.

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