I was playing the video game Skull and Bones the other day and decided to spend some ingame silver on an ingame ship pet. I chose a kitty, (because I don’t have enough cats in my real life – that’s a joke, I DEFINITELY have enough cats in my real life…anyway), and having my little kitty on board got me to wondering: Did pyrates have real cats on board their ships when they were pillagin’ ? Well, not just pillagin’ but other times as well. Did pyrates snuggle with their pyrate kitties? Did they pick them up and squeeze them while they told them what good kitties they were? Did pyrate kitties clamber onto their favorite pyrate and make biscuits on their bellies? These, and other questions, keep me awake at night. (Not really…nothing keeps me awake at night…except, maybe my cats.)
Plunderin’ minds want to know…so, I plundered and pillaged my way through the world (wide web) seeking answers. And, AHOY!, to my great delight, I discovered that pyrates (sailors in general, it seems) DID indeed often keep cats as pets on their ships. Not only that, these pyrate kitties were valuable members of the crew.
First and foremost, pyrate kitties were “mousers” and well, um, “ratters” as well. Ships always had rodents stowing away, gnawing and tearing at the supplies, and leaving their nasty (and germy) droppings below deck. Fearless kitties were the vanguard of the crew when it came to finding and ridding the ship of the vermin. So, job #1 for pyrate kitties: Rodent Patrol.
Cats were also considered to be signs of good fortune. This didn’t just apply to cats aboard ships either: in England, a black cat was often kept by the family of a sailor (or *cough* pyrate) as they believed that if they took good care of the cat, then their family member would be safe.
For sailing the high seas, black cats were specifically chosen as ship pets as they were seen as good luck. If the cat was a polydactyl, even better. Extra toes meant a more efficient vermin warrior AND steadier sea legs…err..paws. Job #2 for pyrate kitties: Harbingers of Good Fortune.
Sailin’ cats had some magic about them as well, it seems. If anyone dared to throw a cat off the ship (WHO would do that?!), or even if lost at sea by accident, a cat overboard would bring a shipbreaking storm. If the ship somehow survived the wrath of the sea, the crew and ship then had to endure seven years of bad luck. Moral of the story: Do not allow your cat to fall overboard, purposely or not.
Cats and weather were linked pretty closely in a pyrate’s mind. For instance, “Cats were said to carry wind magic in their tails. Cat behavior was believed to predict the weather. If a cat licked its fur against the grain, it meant a hailstorm was coming. If it sneezed, it meant rain. A frisky cat meant brisk wind coming. Of course, cats have very sensitive ears, and can detect tiny changes in barometric pressure. Some cats were so useful in predicting the weather they were said to be more reliable than a barometer.”
(From The Pirate Empire Blogspot: https://thepirateempire.blogspot.com/2013/08/piratical-cats-and-other-shipboard-pets.html)
Finally, as I mentioned at the beginning of this plunderin’, the tradition of a ship pet is part of the new pirate video game, Skull and Bones. I present to you, the bravest member of my crew: Mr. Whiskers. Isn’t his peg leg just TOO savvy?
Next time, Pyrate Superstitions.
Until then, keep plunderin’ ! (And take care of your cats!)
Virginia Chandler 