When the first drops of whiskey were distilled in medieval Ireland, a silent partner was nearby. Four legged, furred, and on the hunt, so began the long relationship between distillers and cats.
The modern tradition of making whiskey can be traced to about late 14th century Ireland. Texts from the time refer to “uisce Beatha,” meaning the ‘water of life’. This anglicized to ‘whiskey.” From Ireland, this new elixir spread across the British Isles and around the world. All whiskeys today come from that Irish root.
The first domestic cats evolved to inhabit human settlements; growing into this new niche as wild, independent animals, but within and a part of the human milieu. Agriculture and surplus allowed for settlements which contained the right mixture of food (in the form of rodents) and shelter for a population of cats. The domestic cat, Felis catus, became distinct from its African wildcat ancestors.
Cats became more personable and fearless, eliminating animals that devoured or spoiled food, ate infrastructure, spread diseases and carried parasites that could sicken humans. Cats, as a trait of society, proved to be a significant evolutionary advantage. Cultures with cats were stronger.
People also fell in love with cats; entire cultures incorporated cats into their traditions, religions and artistic expressions. Their hunting prowess represented a wild nature. Mothers devoted to their kittens made them icons of motherhood. Their movements at dawn, dusk and in the shadows associated them with the unknown and supernatural. These associations continue to this day.
By the Middle Ages the role of the cat as an agricultural and economic necessity was codified in law. This was all based around a cat’s ability to catch mice. For example, in Wales being sold a cat that did not catch mice was grounds for return and refund.
We can say with confidence that a cat was present when whiskey was first distilled, because they would have been protecting the grain. From this cat came a long tradition of distilleries and breweries keeping cats. Smitty the Jameson distillery cat (now stuffed and preserved in the Old Jameson Distillery museum) who caught an estimated 20 mice per day, had funds allocated to his care in 1780. In the 1960s, Glenturret, a Scotch distillery, had a cat named Towser the Mouser who holds the Guinness World Record for most mice caught at just under 30,000 in his lifetime. A statue now stands in honor of her 24 years of work. Highland Park Distillery had a cat on staff from its founding in 1789 until 2006. The tradition of distillery cats continues in the United States, enjoying new life in the craft spirit and brewing movements.
American distillery cats are a rare continuation of working cats, which used to be commonplace in the United States. Every business, even grocery stores and restaurants, kept cats as a way of deterring or catching rodents. With some exceptions (such as the celebrated Bodega Cats of New York City or the cats of the Algonquin), cats have been forced out of these jobs and homes by health departments. Bringing cats back into the workplace, their historic ecological domain, is rewilding their species to their natural habitat.
This practice can help place struggling homeless cats. A working environment is an excellent home for cats who wouldn’t thrive in a house or apartment. They are given wide berth, provided food and shelter, and, after a cat has been acclimatized to their new home, they are free to just be a cat. Often these cats, without other pressures and with more time, will form relationships with humans on terms that they set. This was the case for both Harold and Maude.
Harold and Maude came to Kings County Distillery in 2021, shortly after I started working there as a distillery tour guide.
Harold is a large, black cat with golden eyes and a clipped ear indicating he’d been neutered. He entered NYC Animal Care Centers after being found taped in a box outside of a library. At five, he has lived most of his life at the Distillery.
Maude is older, around 10 years, a mostly black calico cat with white fur on her feet and stomach with jade-colored eyes. She was rescued from a hoarding situation. If she likes someone, she will follow them at a distance mewing, but never allow herself to be touched.
Both Harold and Maude were taken out of a shelter where they were close to being euthanized for perceived poor behavior. Sheila Massey, head of New York City’s only working cat program, Hard Hat Cats, thought they had a shot at being working cats. She was right. Through working, the cats were rehabilitated. Today, Maude is much less scared of humans, though she sets her own boundaries. Harold is a completely different cat from when he arrived. He has a friendly demeanor, and is a true ambassador for the distillery. With free rein, he chooses to be near people, stepping into the middle of tours, following employees around and rubbing against the legs of guests. During the tasting portion of tours, he’ll hop on a bench alongside the long tables of people drinking whiskey, as though he was the maître d’ making sure everyone’s having a good time.
Critics of cats argue that cats are inefficient or ecologically harmful (Loss & Marra, 2018; Marra & Santella, 2016; Parsons et al., 2018). However, these critiques often contradict themselves — casting cats as both ineffective and overly predatory. Thousands of years of written accounts dating back to ancient Egypt document their success as pest controllers. These historical accounts should not be dismissed out of hand. Even though cats have proven to be safe pest control, cold technocratic bureaucrats banned them from most businesses, particularly those involving food — where cats would be the most effective.
Cats also add a tangible soul to a place and a company; they make it warmer and are often the highlight of a visit to a distillery or tasting room. They’ve spawned books and a growing number of social media accounts and coverage, the foremost of both being Instagram user @distillerycats and their book, Distillery Cats: Profiles in Courage of the World’s Most Spirited Mousers (Parsons, 2017). Working cats create a reciprocal value physically, emotionally and symbolically, all while existing in a way that respects their inherent value.
There are working cats in environments other than breweries and distilleries. Unfortunately, while we celebrate the shop or bodega cat as an important part of New York’s vibrancy, stores often mistreat their cats: locking them in a basement or store room, or going without sterilizing them or giving them sufficient care. Not all shops do this, but it is a significant problem. Programs like Hard Hat Cats and Tree House Humane Society’s “Cats at Work” programs provide care, information, sterilization and ongoing support. This approach represents a change in the human-cat relationship, bringing the cat back to the environment they evolved in, while meeting modern standards of care and compassion.
New York City is in the midst of a “War on Rats.” So far, it has done nothing to reduce the rat population in New York City, but it has introduced a lot of harmful poisons to the city. Cats as a part of pest control, and working cat programs as part of their management and care, can lay the foundation for a new relationship, reflecting the historical and emotional reciprocal nature of cats and humans.
References
Loss, S. R., & Marra, P. P. (2018). Merchants of doubt in the free-ranging cat conflict. Conservation Biology, 32(2), 265–266. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13085
Marra, P. P., & Santella, C. (2016). Cat wars: The devastating consequences of a cuddly killer. Princeton University Press.
Parsons, B. T. (with Kuo, J.). (2017). Distillery cats: Profiles in courage of the world’s most spirited mousers (First edition). Ten Speed Press.
Parsons, M. H., Banks, P. B., Deutsch, M. A., & Munshi-South, J. (2018). Temporal and space-use changes by rats in response to predation by feral cats in an urban ecosystem. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6, 146. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00146
Rick Kelaher, MS is a Graduate Fellow at PAN Works, animal-human historian, and anthrozoologist whose past research has focused on felis catus and the 19th century animal protection movement. With a BA in Archeology and a MSc in Anthrozoology, Rick is motivated by the belief that considering the historic and cultural dimensions of animals helps humans to relate to them as fellow beings.
The article was thoughtfully edited for clarity and form by PAN Works scholars. Thanks go to Kim Hightower, Nicole Roberts and Bill Lynn, PhD for their kind help.
Nicole Roberts is the Associate Editor for PAN Works.
Please visit PAN Works for more about our work on ethics and animal wellbeing.
