While we’re working on the designs for our upcoming cat t-shirts, we thought we’d share our favourite Alley Cats and Rescue Cats with you.
October 16th Global Cat Day (and Feral Cat Day in the US). These are both Awareness Days to help protect cats who can’t protect themselves, initiated by Alley Cat Allies.
October is also the month for Adoptober run by the RSPCA in the UK. We adopted our own rescue cat from RSPCA Cornwall a few years ago and are incredibly grateful to them for rescuing and caring for her. She is one of the best things to ever happen to us.
Our top 3 favourite alley cats and rescue cats in fiction:
1 – Thomas O’Malley and The Alley Cats
Thomas O’Malley and The Alley Cats appear in Disney’s The Aristocats.
A children’s book about a mother cat and her kittens set in New York City sparked the idea for the film. Disney portrays Thomas O’Malley and The Alley Cats as streetwise, cool and laid back. And there’s a smattering of Clark Gable added to Thomas O’Malley.
The Alley Cats are a jazz band of alley cats. ‘Cat’ is a term of endearment and respect in the jazz community. One of my favourite clips is The Alley Cats performing their wonderful rendition of ‘Ev’rybody Wants To Be A Cat’.
After Thomas O’Malley and The Alley Cats rescue Duchess and her kittens, Madame Adelaide Bonfamille adopts them.
2 – Top Cat
Top Cat is Hanna-Barbera’s famous cartoon TV series which ran from 1961–1962. Although there was only the one season, Top Cat became a household favourite and still has a cult following.
The Phil Silvers Show inspired the cartoon. Top Cat himself was based on Sergeant Bilko, a crafty con man from the show, who is streetwise, clever, lazy and funny. Like Bilko, TC spends his time on get-rich-quick schemes and outfoxing those in authority.
His friends, The Manhattan Alley Cats, called the yellow tabby Top Cat, TC.
3 – Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots is the European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat. He devises a cunning plan to help his poor, low-born master gain wealth and marriage to a princess.
The oldest version is the fairy tale Costantino Fortunato (Italian for “Lucky Costantino”) by Italian author Giovanni Francesco Straparola (c. 1550–1553). In this story, our cat is a fairy in disguise helping his poor owner, Costantino, marry his princess
The most popular version is by Charles Perrault who published it in his collection Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals, subtitled Tales of Mother Goose in 1697. It was incredibly popular and he based the Marquis de Carabas on the Marquis of the Château d’Oiron, whom he knew well. He loved embellishing his folktales with details, anecdotes and subtext gleaned from fashion, which also helped to make his stories popular.
This clever cat also makes an appearance in Shrek by DreamWorks, as well as starring in his own Puss in Boots films.
Our top 4 favourite alley cats and rescue cats in real life:
1 – Scarlett – Cat hero who saved her kittens from a fire in New York City
Scarlett and her five kittens were stray cats living near a building that caught fire in New York City in 1996. A firefighter saw her carrying her kittens away from the fire, one at a time. She was badly burned and injured.
Sadly, one of the kittens died a month later from fire and smoke damage. But Scarlett and the rest of her kittens went on to live happy lives with their new owners. Her bravery prompted over 7,000 offers for adoption.
The brave mother became famous and was awarded international recognition for her heroic acts of bravery. The Scarlett Award for Animal Heroism was set up in her honour and is given to an animal demonstrating tremendous courage on behalf of others.
2 – Bob
Bob is the ginger tabby street cat found by former drug addict and homeless man, James Bowen, in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation. James nursed Bob back to health and sent him on his way, never expecting to see him again. But Bob decides to adopt James and joins him on several busking gigs and other adventures.
James Bowen recounts their story in A Street Cat Named Bob, also adapted into a film, in which Bob starred as himself.
3 – Nala
Nala was an abandoned and bedraggled kitten on a mountain road between Montenegro and Bosnia. Dean Nicholson found her while cycling around the world from Scotland and local vets helped him nursed her back to health.
Joining Dean on his travels, Nala perches in a bag on the front of Dean’s bike. Curious, independent, resilient and adventurous, together they experienced the kindness of strangers, visited refugee camps and rescued animals through Europe and Asia.
Dean shares the extraordinary tale of his and Nala’s inspiring and heart-warming adventure together in Nala’s World: One man, his rescue cat and a bike ride around the globe
4 – MiaowMiaow
MiaowMiaow is our very own rescue cat. She’s a black-and-white tuxedo cat and was two years old when we adopted her. At the time she was tiny and still looked like a kitten. And full of mischief! (Two years later, she hasn’t changed that much!) Originally she came with the name Jam, but didn’t respond to that when we called her. But she did like having conversations with us and we would miaow back at her as meaningfully as we could. She always came if we went ‘MiaowMiaow’, so that became her name.
