A True Cat as Trophy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cats were mummified like pharaohs

Mummified cats have been unearthed from Egyptian tombs over the years. One discovered in 1888 had about 80,000 of these reckoned to have been from 2,000-1,000 BC. The cats were often entombed with bowls of milk and mummified mice to feed them in the afterworld. Many depictions of the sacred cat have been found in frescoes, paintings, pottery and statues. Cats made themselves useful by ridding homes of vermin. The trophies abound and are to be seen in museums the world over. When a cat died, it was an occasion for mourning, regardless whose cat it was. It was unthinkable to kill a cat at that time - the penalty was death.
Bastet was the goddess of motherhood, fertility and protection and had the head of a cat.
The sphinxes were usually depicted with lion bodies and human female faces.
Rabbit's paws were considered good luck charms in some cultures. But if you believe in magic, remember there is always a price: "The Monkey's Paw" for example, a wicked little short story.

Answer: Poe's Cattarina

Poe's tortoise-shell cat was also called by nicknames such as 'Callers', 'Kate ' and 'Puss'. The Poes were fond of nicknames: Edgar himself went by 'Eddie', his young cousin-wife was 'Sissy' and her mother who lived with them was 'Muddy'. Whether or not the cat inspired the short story "The Black Cat" is moot, as the title was meant to be scary, and 'tortoiseshell' didn't quite fill the bill.

She was apparently a beloved and intelligent pet, as Poe described in detail how she went through a complicated set of steps to unlock a latch on the door. Perhaps she deserved an Edgar Award.

Answer: Brutus "The Morrison's Cat"

Brutus had many followers in his village and on his Facebook page. He was a regular visitor to Morrison's supermarket in Saltney, where he had his favorite perch in the foyer. There he enjoyed much attention from customers and staff. He was a grey tiger with white on his lower jaw and his toes, and always enjoyed people stopping to chat him up or pat him down.
Brutus' trophy might be a cat using a cash register as he became a prominent tourist attraction in the village.

Answer: Dewey

Found in the book return on a very cold day in Nov. 1988, poor chilled Dewey was named for the cataloging system used by most libraries. He was a fluffy red tiger with some white on his face and chest, and regularly attended story hour as well as greeting patrons when the library opened in the morning. He lived there for 19 years. His biopic is available in the library.
His trophy can be found in section 599.00.

Answer: Ketzel Cotel

Known simply as Ketzel at home with the Cotels, this tuxedo cat made a leap to fame when she jumped onto the keyboard that Professor Cotel was using for his morning piano exercise in Bach fugues. She worked her way down the keyboard while the professor quickly transcribed the music she made, which he described as "structural elegance".

When the 1997 Paris New Music Review was open to nominations for pieces under 60 seconds, the work was sent in. The judges awarded it 'special mention'. They considered it "quite well written".

The work, entitled "Piece for Piano, Four Paws" was later performed in Rotterdam, and then later in New York City, where the Cotels lived. Ketzel attended and yowled when she heard her name broadcast. Alas, this was her sole work, and since her demise in 2001 the piece has risen in popularity. Ketzel is mentioned in the book "The World of Women in Classical Music".

Her trophy might be a scaled down sculpture of a piano with a kitten at the keys.

Answer: Mrs. Chippy

Mrs. Chippy, so named because the carpenter created wood chips in the course of his work, was later found to be a male cat, but the name stuck. He was a wide-banded tiger with no socks, described as "full of character" and was admired for his fearless walking along the narrow rails even in heavy swells. All the crew were attached to Mrs. Chippy - he kept up morale as well as doling out affection.

When the Endurance began to break up from the pack ice she had been frozen in, the leader, Ernest Shackleton, made the decision to abandon ship and to shoot five of the sled dogs and the cat; there was an arduous journey ahead of the crew, and he did not think the animals would make it. Harry McNish, the carpenter, was heartbroken, but still carried out his duties and built the boats needed to carry the crew to safety.

There were no human casualties from 1914-1917 on the entire expedition. Mrs. Chippy's trophy was a life size bronze statue of him, which was donated by the New Zealand Antarctic Society and placed on Harry McNish's grave.

The cat was also featured on a postage stamp issued by South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands in 2011.

Answer: Her kittens were in there

Later named Scarlett, she made five trips for five kittens, each time getting burned and badly hurt. Fireman David Gianelli found her collapsed outside after nuzzling each kitten to make sure it was alive. Scarlett's facial hair had been burned off, her eyes were blistered shut, her ears and paws were burned, and her hair was badly singed. Giannelli rushed mother and kittens to the North Shore Animal League for treatment.

The weakest of the kittens died, but the rest stayed for three months and were sufficiently healed to be adopted. 7,000 adoption pleas had arrived by then after the story was published, and homes were easily found for all. Two pairs of kittens found good homes, but Scarlett had ongoing health problems and a lot of scarring, and was adopted solo by Karen Weller, who loved Scarlett and took care of her until the cat's death in 2008. The North Shore Animal League established the 'Scarlett Award' for animals that have performed selfless acts.

A lasting trophy.

Answer: Rusik

One day Rusik strolled into the police station near their checkpoint on the Caspian Sea in 2002, and was greeted with fishy tidbits. He turned out to be a better fish sniffer than the resident dog, and replaced him. Rusik had a great nose, and invariably found caches of illegal sturgeon during police raids. Most of the world's caviar comes from the Caspian Sea, and there is a great deal of money to be made in the illicit trade. Sturgeon populations were at a critical level, so Rusik was invaluable to the police in sniffing out poachers. But, a mob contract was out on the brave cat and he was run over by a car he had previously targeted as holding fishy goods.

He died in the line of duty. Surely there should be a trophy for this fearless feline - perhaps a life sized fish guarded by a larger cat with one paw high in the air holding a badge.

Answer: Carbon monoxide

It was after midnight in New Castle, Indiana, and Winnie's family were sleeping soundly. Winnie sensed something was wrong and quickly roused the family. Carbon monoxide is not usually detected by humans, but perhaps cats and dogs have better instincts.

She jumped onto the bed of her first person, Mrs. Keesling, and meowed wildly and persistently, while grabbing at her hair. The lady woke up groggy and nauseous, realized something was very wrong and managed to dial 911 before passing out. Mr. Keesling could not be roused and their son was found unconscious on the floor by firemen.

They were given oxygen masks, treated for CO poisoning, and all recovered. Had she been a few minutes later Winnie would not have been able to save them. Winnie, now 'the Wonder Cat', rescued her people with her quick action. Winnie was 14 years old, a petite and shy golden-eyed tiger, and she did not appreciate the publicity. It was later determined that a sump pump motor had been building up a deadly amount of the poison gas in the basement, and the silent killer was creeping through the house.

A carbon monoxide detector is recommended.

Answer: The Unsinkable Sam

Sam was, in his day, the most famous mascot of the Royal Navy. He was first found clinging to a plank from the sunken German battleship Bismarck, and taken aboard the British HMS Cossack, which later suffered the same fate, and Sam was again rescued. Later, while serving on the HMS Ark Royal, the same scenario played out and Sam was rescued for the third time, earning him the 'unsinkable' title.

He was a well loved member of the crew and brought cheer to all. Sam eventually retired to a home in Belfast with a sailor buddy.