Hi, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller.
Other days, I watch cats and wonder, what would it be like to live their relative recreation? Sleep, eat, repeat. Looks good to me.
Obviously, not all cats live like this, but generally, they don’t do anything bad. A dear friend of mine (Dougie’s mom, from a few articles ago) and I were discussing this topic the other day: maybe cats have it all – we work for them, clean their litter boxes, feed them, and even buy them lots of toys and beds to sleep on.
But what about cats that turn around, and enter the human world? Many of these cats are unknown, so I hope to get some articles and write about some of these fascinating cats from history.
Meet Mayor Stubbs
Come in, Stubbs. Or should I say, Mayor Stubbs? Found in a box with three other kittens, and the only one without a tail, Stubbs was named.
Mr. Stubbs is a local legend to many Alaskans. Voted Mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, Mayor Stubbs has the dubious honor of being both a politician, and a cat.
So why was a cat elected Mayor of this remote, but gorgeous Alaskan town? I can’t really say that I know for sure. Certainly, he was a blessing in this tourist-driven town, the gateway to visiting Denali, but what was it, specifically, that saw him rise to political power?
Apocryphally, Stubbs became Mayor after a write-in ballot campaign was initiated when none of the human candidates were deemed suitable. Whether that’s true or not, the point doesn’t stand. Stubbs remained the town’s Mayor until his death at nearly 20 years of age. And he carried on despite dog attacks, being shot (not in the line of political duty) and falling into the deep fryer at his local pub (it didn’t exist). I met him once, he was a real charmer. (Basically he didn’t care, and sat on the bar looking completely unexcited, for which, sadly, I can’t say the same- I even bought his t-shirt).
But, regardless, it shows how big a role cats can play in our lives, and in our history. Especially in Alaska, land of the Midnight Sun and a true one of the few true wild west places left in the world. Politically, it is quite unpredictable. I mean, who knows what you see from your kitchen window? Maybe the next cat, planning their political run.
This article is part of a series by Dr. Lauren, Pancake, and Tiller.
Featured image credit: Mayor Stubbs by Jenni Konrad, Wikimedia, licensed under CC Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
