Cats in History: Mayor Stubbs

Hi, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller.

Somedays, I watch cats and wonder, what would it be like to live their life of relative leisure? Sleep, eat, repeat. Seems pretty good to me.

Obviously, not all cats live like this, but in general, they aren’t doing too bad. A dear friend of mine (Dougie’s mom, from a few articles back) and I were discussing this topic the other day: maybe cats have gotten this all figured out- we work for them, clean their litter box, feed them, and even buy them numerous toys and beds to sleep on.

But what about cats that go the other way around, and enter the world of humans? Many of these cats aren’t well known, so I hope to take a few articles and write about some of these fascinating felines from history.

Meet Mayor Stubbs

Enter, Stubbs. Or should I say, Mayor Stubbs? Found in a box with three other kittens, and the only one without a tail, Stubbs was so named.

Mr. Stubbs is a local legend to many Alaskans. Voted Mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, Mayor Stubbs had the dubious honor of being both a political figure, and a cat.

So why did a cat get elected Mayor of this remote, yet gorgeous beautiful Alaskan town? I can’t really say I ever found out for certain. Certainly, he was a boon to 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 begun when none of the human candidates were deemed appropriate. Whether that was true or not, no longer remains the point. Stubbs remained the town Mayor until his death at almost 20 years of age. And he persisted in spite of dog attacks, being shot (not in the line of political duty) and falling into the deep fryer at his local pub (it was off). I met him once, he was a true 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 what extent cats can play in our lives, and our history. Especially in Alaska, land of the Midnight Sun and a truly one of the few true wild west spots left on earth. Politically, it’s a bit unpredictable. I mean, who knows what you can see from your kitchen window? Maybe the next cat, planning their political run.

Featured Image Credit: Mayor Stubbs by Jenni Konrad, Wikimedia, licensed under CC Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic