Cat islands, working cats, ship cats, sacred cats, stationmaster cats. Different cultures have very different relationships with cats — and a surprising number of them involve official employment.
A small island in Miyagi Prefecture where cats outnumber humans. Fishermen once raised silkworms and kept cats to chase the mice that ate the worms. The cats stayed — and multiplied. The island is now a pilgrimage site for cat lovers.
Another cat island in Ehime Prefecture, where ~120 cats outnumber the ~6 human residents. Once a fishing village, today mostly elderly residents remain — and a great many cats.
The official title for the resident cat at 10 Downing Street since 1929. Larry has held the post since 2011 and outlasted several prime ministers. The role is unofficial, but the title is real.
The State Hermitage Museum has employed cats since 1745, when Empress Elizabeth ordered cats to guard the galleries from rodents. Today, around 50 cats live in the museum basement as official guardians.
Ancient Egyptians venerated cats. Killing a cat — even accidentally — could be punished by death. When a household cat died, families shaved their eyebrows in mourning. Bastet, the cat-headed goddess, was protector of home and family.
The famous raised-paw cat figurines originated in Edo-period Japan. One legend: a cat at a poor temple beckoned to a passing samurai, who took shelter from a storm inside — and later funded the temple. Maneki-neko are still placed in shops to bring good fortune.
For centuries, ship cats were essential crew — keeping rodents from grain, ropes, and food stores. They sailed with Vikings, pirates, and navies. The Royal Navy kept ship's cats well into the 20th century; some had their own uniforms.
Ernest Hemingway was given a polydactyl cat named Snow White. Today his Key West home is a museum with ~50 cats — many polydactyl — all descended from Snow White. They are protected in his will.
Tama, a calico cat, was appointed stationmaster of Wakayama Electric Railway's Kishi Station in 2007. She wore a stationmaster's hat, greeted passengers, and is credited with saving the failing railway. She held the post until her death in 2015.
The Algonquin Hotel has had a resident cat since the 1930s. The current resident (a succession of cats named Hamlet or Matilda) roams the lobby, has an official title, and even has her own email address.
Istanbul is famously a city of cats — they roam freely, are fed and sheltered by residents, and are considered part of the city's fabric. The documentary "Kedi" (2016) follows several of Istanbul's street cats.
Cats in ancient Rome were associated with liberty, and the goddess Libertas was sometimes depicted with a cat at her feet. Today, the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary in Rome cares for stray cats among the ruins where Julius Caesar was assassinated.
Wherever humans have gone — by ship, by army, by trade — cats have come along. The cat is the second-most successful mammal on Earth, and only because we built the first one its grain stores.