K A T Y - K I T T Y  -  S H I P S  C A T

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Kitty-Cat is always on the lookout for any unwanted guests onboard the Elizabeth Swann. She takes a particular shine to Cleopatra, which the former queen of Egypt reciprocates. Being an ardent admirer of felines.

Katy-Cat, or Kitty-Cat, is the ships mascot. An exceptionally well behaved pet that lives onboard. Katy has her own bunks in the helm and aft cabin, and takes great delight in fishing from the Elizabeth Swann's stern. 

John adopted Katie-Cat, when he found her as a stray, prowling in and around the hangar at Nelson's Cove, Australia. The adorable feline took an instant shine to John. Soon after, she would be seen waiting in the compound waiting for her new friend to return. She would meow for many minutes, every time John locked up the boat shed, got in his Jeep, and drove away.

They developed a bond, where 'Katy' would follow John around as he worked. Then one day as John and Dan were taking the Elizabeth Swan out for trials, the striking tabby, jumped onboard. Scampering into the rear cabin.

Katy is a tabby, descended from the Mau temple cats of Ancient Egypt.

The two men could not find it in themselves to eject her, since the planned cruise was short. She was allowed to accompany them.

Strangely, Katy, took to the ship like butter on toast. She sat quietly in the spare helm position, watching the ocean scene. Purring all the while, to have her new companions. It soon became customary to call 'Kitty' when going out for a spin on the waves. No need, because Katy was always ready. The crew almost tripping up on their feline passenger, as she rushed to be involved in the next adventure.

Then, one day John and Dan discovered Katy sitting on the central hull astern. They wondered what she was up to, because cats are known to hate water. They watched fascinated, as Kitty pulled a sizeable bright silver fish from the water. Then, proceeded to eat some of the meat raw, turning to acknowledge her master, as John and Dan could not stop laughing at her antics. At that, she brought the rest of the Australian dhufish to John, placing at his feet.

"Hold on a mo," said John, "isn't that a Dhufish?"

"Not sure," Dan replied. "Looks like a Perch to me."

They took the fish into the galley, and prepared it rather in a rush, just taking off a couple of fillets. Dhufish are more commonaly found in western Australian waters. The fillets went into a pan with some butter, and a couple of minutes later, the duo had polished off the impromptu meal, with huge smiles on their faces. 

"Wow, that was good".

Dan enjoined, "sure was, tasty, succulent and satisfying. Well done Katy."

Katy came back into the galley, when John gave her some of the cooked scraps. Which Katy devoured with relish. And that was how Katy learned that if she caught fish and gave them to John or Dan, that they gave it back to her as an even tastier meal. Though, she'd still eat fish raw.

Once or twice, Katy had been dragged off the rear hull, when her enthusiasm landed her with something bigger than she'd bargained for, and the fish pulled her into the water. The bedraggled feline would scurry back onboard, whining loudly, until she'd licked herself clean and dry. She soon learned not to try to land anything too big.

On another memorable occasion, the Swann had docked for long enough, that with her bulkhead doors open, a mouse had scampered onboard. Not long after, the ship took to the waves, when John and Dan noticed that Katy would not budge from the galley area. Sitting, staring intently at the seating around the dining table, where a couple of empty boxes had been discarded, ready to be pulped.

The skipper and mate watched with interest, realising that she was in hunting mode. They remained quietly just outside, not wanting to distract the huntress. When, all of a sudden, Katy pounced, coming from under the table with the helpless rodent in her mouth.

She then placed the mouse at John's feet. 

"No Kitty, we don't cook mice."

John picked up the dead mouse, thanked Kitty with several strokes, and threw the animal into the sea. "Good girl. Good Girl. Well done Katy-Cat."

With that he rewarded his faithful friend with some delicious cat biscuits. And, Katy purred as she devoured one of her favourite snacks.

From that point on, John knew if any stray pests did board the Swann, they were in for trouble.

TREASURE ISLAND - CAST

In Ancient Egypt, cats were sacred animals. When a pet died, the whole family would go into mourning. It was also a punishable offence to be cruel to, or injure a cat. John and Cleopatra feel the same way.

Sir Winston Churchill restrains "Blackie," the ship's cat, aboard HMS Prince of Wales, to stop the feline crossing a gangway to board an American destroyer, during the Atlantic Conference of August 1941. Churchill had his own cat, named "Nelson." With whom it is known that he carried on conversations with his large gray feline. Especially, during London air raids.

OTHER FAMOUS CATS ON SHIPS

Cats have a long history of being deemed mystical and occasionally revered as deities; as a result, numerous myths and superstitions developed among the notoriously superstitious maritime population. Cats were thought to possess supernatural abilities that could shield ships from hazardous weather. Sometimes, drollingly, wives of fishermen would also keep black cats at home in the hopes that they could use their power to keep their husbands safe at sea.

If a cat came halfway to a sailor on the deck, it was deemed lucky; but it was deemed unlucky if it only came halfway before retreating. Another widespread belief stated that the magic in cats’ tails could trigger storms. It was considered that if a ship’s cat fell or was thrown overboard, it would call forth a tremendous storm that would sink the ship, and if the ship managed to survive, it would be cursed with nine years of bad luck.

Some of these ideas have some truth to cats. Due to their extremely sensitive inner ears, which also allow them to land upright when they fall, cats can recognize minor changes in the weather. Cats are generally anxious and restless when there is low air pressure, which is a typical signal of adverse weather. Cats instinctively respond to variations in barometric pressure, which allows a keen observer to see bizarre behavior and anticipate an oncoming storm.

When Bismarck sank following a devastating naval battle on May 27, 1941, only a small group of the crew could survive the engagement. Months later, another ship called HMS Cossack was severely damaged by a torpedo fired by the German submarine U-563 when she was escorting a convoy from Gibraltar to Great Britain. Her destiny was the same. HMS Cossack sank eventually and most of the crew lost their souls. The living and able-to-fight transferred to HMS Ark Royal. However, the unceasing inflow of water forced attempts to tow Ark Royal to Gibraltar impossible. About 30 miles from Gibraltar, the ship rolled over and sank. All but one of the crew were rescued owing to the ship’s modest pace of sinking. 

On every three ships, there was one passenger who spent his time mostly on personal hygiene and sleep. He was fury as well as a bit furry. You probably guessed it, he was a cat and his name was The Unsinkable Sam. A great hero of the Second World War and the ship’s cat of three ill-fated warships. But he was not one of a kind. He was an example of the age-old tradition of felines onboard.

SOME FAMOUS SHIP'S CATS

Previously named Oscar, "The Unsinkable Sam" was the ship's cat of the German battleship Bismarck. When she was sunk on 27 May 1941, only 116 out of a crew of over 2,200 survived. Oscar was picked up by the destroyer HMS Cossack, one of the ships responsible for destroying Bismarck. Cossack herself was torpedoed and sunk a few months later, on 24 October, killing 159 of her crew, but Oscar again survived to be rescued, and was taken to Gibraltar. He became the ship's cat onboard HMS Ark Royal, which was torpedoed and sunk in November that year.

Apart from 'The Unsinkable Sam,' there are plenty of famous felines onboard who are often honored with their contribution.

On many aircraft carriers used by the Royal Navy, Tiddles served as a ship’s cat. He enjoyed toying with the bell rope while on the aft capstan. During his tenure in service, he covered more than 30,000 miles.

On HMS Prince of Wales, where Prime Minister Winston Churchill traveled in 1941 to secretly meet with US President Roosevelt to publicly declare the Atlantic Charter, Blackie was the one who could hear all about it in the room. Famous photos of Churchill and Blackie’s encounter led to the cat’s later renaming as Churchill in recognition of the visit.

Trim was the ship’s cat on several ships commanded by Matthew Flinders, who led the second circumnavigation of Australia and recognized it as a continent. After the cat passed away, Flinders continued to write about him because he was so enamored with him; Trim is remembered by statues and plaques throughout all Australia.

HISTORY OF CATS ON SHIPS

Our four-foot friends have been with us for such a long time. Today, especially for cat owners – or maybe cat parents – undoubtedly agree that they are our cutest and most enjoyable companions. 

The first agricultural revolution, which began approximately 10,000 years ago, is likely when the African wildcat was first domesticated. 

Ancient Egyptian cats began migrating over Mediterranean trade routes in the eighth century BCE, and by the seventh century, they reached a Viking port near the Baltic Sea, according to the analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of archaeological cat specimens. Some studies showed that Viking seafarers even took cats on their journeys. Explorers and traders transported cats on board their ships to a large portion of the rest of the world during the Age of Discovery, which spanned from the 15th to the 18th centuries.

Since ancient times, the ship’s cat has been an inseparable crew on many commerce, explorer, and military ships. The main reason cats have been transported on ships is to control rodents. Ropes, woodwork, and more recently electrical equipment, can all be harmed by vermin and rodents on a ship. Additionally, rodents pose a hazard to ships’ storage, eat the food provided to the crew, and have the potential to harm grain cargo’s value. In addition, rodents can spread diseases, which is risky for ships that are at sea for extended periods of time. Rats on ships were thought to be the main vector of the Black Death because rats carry rat fleas, which seem to be plague carriers.

Cats also naturally have a sensitivity to changes in atmospheric pressure. So, if you get to know the habits of an onboard cat well, you can will recognize when it takes an unusual liking to its shelter.

Draft scripts for Kulo-Luna and Cleopatra The Mummy are published with 'Treasure Island' under development for 2024 release. The three films could be shot back to back - as a franchise - to make the most of the Elizabeth Swann. Screenplays available in Final Draft format for Studio executives, producers & directors.

  KITTY IS THE SHIP'S CAT KATY - THEIR LUCKY MASCOT, A MOUSE HUNTER AND KEEN FISHER. SHE IS JOHN STORM'S LOYAL PET

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The rights of Jameson Hunter and Cleaner Ocean Foundation to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. This website and the associated Treasure Island artwork is Copyright © 2023 Cleaner Ocean Foundation and Jameson Hunter. This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the authors' imaginations, and any resemblance to any person, living or departed, is entirely coincidental.