Canadian Rodent Control Officers

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Canadian Wendy Findley, a visitor to Purr 'n' Fur, mentioned that the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (MMA), in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has two cats that perform mousing duties. We contacted the museum and received a reply from Richard MacMichael, Coordinator of Visitor Services, who confirmed that there are indeed two Rodent Control Officers, to give them their correct title, and kindly sent some details.

CSS Acadia is a retired hydrographic survey vessel which was moved in 1981 to the museum's wharves, where she is now on permanent display, and the ship provides a base for the cats. The story began with Nannie, a beautiful black female who was the first holder of the post shortly after the Museum opened in the early 1980s. She gave birth to a litter of kittens on board Acadia, which guaranteed her and the museum some great media publicity. However, Nannie later went missing during an Atlantic Bowl weekend (regional semi-finals of the Canadian University Association's football championships) in November 1984 and was never seen again. She loved prowling the waterfront, so maybe she was picked up and taken home by a student; anyway it's hoped that's what happened and that she didn't suffer some more sinister fate. 'We've made a complete search of the piers and even the Acadia lifeboats twice . . . she hides there sometimes when there are a lot of people around. This is the first time she's ever gone away from the ship,' said the museum curator at the time. Even her long-time 'beau' — a scruffy tomcat called Seaman Stumpf — was said to have been looking for her, but all to no avail, and what became of her remains a mystery.

Nannie was succeeded by a black-and-white cat resembling Sylvester of cartoon fame — or some felt, says Richard, that with his snaggle tooth and purposeful swagger he could be the feline reincarnation of Elvis Presley! He came from the local animal shelter, and was all set to be named 'Lady Bilgewater' when someone noticed he was definitely male! He therefore became Bertram Q. Bilgewater — or just plain Bert to all and sundry. Bert was a champion hunter of vermin and pigeons — even the odd seagull — and defended his patch vigorously against canine intruders, but enjoyed having a fuss made of him, too. He became quite a local celebrity, at one time the most photographed cat in Atlantic Canada, and he loved the regular snacks from visitors that his fame brought him.

Sad to relate, Bert was found on deck one morning having had some kind of seizure; his fight for life was followed day by day in the local newspaper, the Chronicle Herald, but he died a week or so later. A tribute was written to celebrate his years of service to the Museum and the pleasure he'd given to the people of Halifax. The photo shows him relaxing on the quayside on one of his occasional trips ashore.

Enter Clara, who in 1996 also came from the animal rescue centre, but seems to be more interested in food than in hunting! She spends quite a lot of time at a café near the museum, where she's given many treats, but folk at the Visitor Information Centre feed her too. As a result, says Richard, 'She is now quite huge, but still attractive in a Marilyn Monroe/Diana Dors sort of way.' Her photos certainly show her looking very glamorous.

Erik the Red, the most recent of the RCOs, arrived appropriately enough on Canada Day 2000, during the Tall Ships Regatta, which was being held that year in Halifax. He was a little ginger kitten, probably only some three months old, who was 'hanging around the gangplank looking thin and a little dirty and grungy'. Calls to local animal shelters gave no clues and no one claimed him, so as Erik seemed to have decided he liked the place, he stayed and was given a new collar and identity tag. Stephen Read, assistant shipkeeper who lives on board, took on responsibility for the new arrival, who soon started to earn his keep by catching and killing a rat which had been annoying the crew — and then deposited it in Steve's shoe!

In early August 2000, just five weeks after joining, Erik disappeared and it was thought he'd been cat-napped. The story has a happy ending, though. It turned out he'd been found, meowing, hungry and minus his collar, outside the Bank of Montreal building in downtown Halifax early on the morning after he had vanished. How he got there is a mystery, but it's thought someone probably picked him up and left him there, for whatever reason. He was found by a lady parking her car as she came into work; thinking he seemed lost or abandoned, she took him to her office in the Department of Justice, where he curled up on the photocopier and slept. 'He was just waiting,' she said. 'He seemed so desperate; I couldn't just leave him there.'

He went home with her at the end of the day and met her partner and their cat Stanley. It wasn't until some days later that a secretary at the Department of Justice heard about Erik's disappearance from the Museum and put two and two together. After a phone call in which Erik 'spoke' to Steve and had his meow recognised, the cat was reunited with his delighted owner some ten days after his adventure had begun. 'It's wonderful,' said Steve, 'like a family reunion'. The pair are shown in the photo, with the CSS Acadia in the background (photo courtesy of Darren Pittman/Herald Photo). Erik's a demon hunter with real attitude, and is often much too busy for photo opportunities!

Erik and Clara tolerate each other most of the time, except when he wants to sit in her sunny spot, and bites her — she retaliates by eating his food as well as her own. In 2007 Clara was reported to be 'bigger than ever'! These two museum cats have had a short video film made about them which can be viewed below.

Early on the morning of 14 December 2007, arriving museum staff were greeted by the news that a member of the public had reported that a cat had been seen in the water in the harbour. Boatbuilder Eamonn Doorly rapidly launched a small boat, and with the aid of security officer Jason Muise managed to fish out the cat, which turned out to be Erik. As it was below freezing at the time, Erik has used up at least one of his nine lives. He seems to have been investigating some work on the waterfront when he fell in. Once ashore he 'took off', and a search party found him recovering at the offices of the Daily News, where staff know him well and were drying him off and comforting him.
[ These photos courtesy of nurseman48 at Flickr (left) and Jinx240390 at DeviantArt (right). ]

For an excellent account of all the museum's mascots, see this page. Thanks again to Richard for keeping us informed.

Update

By 2010 Clara was 19 or 20 years old and she officially retired ashore, as the gangway was starting to become quite hazardous for her. She was taken in by a good friend of the museum's ship keeper. Sadly, though, she did not enjoy a long retirement, as later in the year she began to decline rapidly with various age-related problems, and she died in early December. The MMA's website announcement ended with the words, 'We will miss her. God speed old girl.'

Her former partner Erik has now assumed full command of CSS Acadia and has become quite noticeably more mellow and affectionate since Clara's departure. He seems to sense that he's in sole command now, as it were, and has started to approach members of the public in a way he would never have done before. Staff in surrounding businesses still have to be politely asked not to feed him, but the number of late-night calls from inebriated 'good samaritans' who have found him out and about on his meanderings has declined sharply. The collar he wears, with its witty message, finally seems to be doing the job for which it was designed!

With many thanks and acknowledgements to Richard MacMichael of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax, NS.