Do you know what October 29th is? Yes, it’s two days before Halloween, but more importantly—it’s National Cat Day! What a perfect opportunity to introduce you to four very special kitties: Eleanor, Sir Thomas Grey, Molly, and Shilling. A special thanks to our Facebook fan, Fred Blystone, who shared all of the amazing pictures in this blog. He perfectly captured our felines giving quite a bit of “cattitude.”
Please Note: All of our Colonial Kitties receive food, shelter, and regular veterinary care. If you meet them out and about, you may give them attention but please do not remove them from their homes. Thank you!
Eleanor
Eleanor is a tortoiseshell cat who calls the Anderson Armoury Kitchen home. You will often find her lounging on her lavish pillow, which features a handmade monogrammed pillowcase. Eleanor is a bit of a diva and certainly knows how to work a room. She has become an attraction herself, drawing people into the armoury and the kitchen, and becoming an avenue to get guests interested in what interpretation is taking place.
People will start by asking questions about her and taking her picture. She’s quite the ham! We found several with her tongue sticking out. Before you know it, the tradesmen have their attention and can elaborate more on the art of blacksmithing or food preparation at the historic Anderson kitchen. As a result, the interpreters have come to rely on Eleanor’s natural ability to draw a crowd to begin a conversation.
She’s also become a part of the Colonial Williamsburg family. Not only does Eleanor have her own Facebook page, she also has her own checking account! Once when Eleanor got sick, a team of smiths and interpreters pooled their money together to pay for her vet bills. After her recovery, they decided to deposit the money that was left into an account for any future medical help she may need.
Eleanor stays mainly at the Armoury site, but has also recently been spotted at Tarpley’s Store.
Sir Thomas Grey
Sir Thomas Grey is eight years old; he was born behind the shoemaker. He spent the first year of his life as a feral cat until he “claimed” The Wythe House as his home. Once the staff realized Sir Thomas Grey was there to stay, they took him to the vet and got him vaccinated.
Earlier this year Sir Thomas was “cat nabbed.” His adventure brought him to the Newport News SPCA and eventually back to his home in Williamsburg.
Sir Thomas has an apartment in the stables located behind the Wythe House, where he is placed each evening. His favorite daytime hangouts include the Wythe House gardens (by the basket-maker) and the Palace where he is addressed as “your highness.” During the colder months, you’ll find him curled up in a basket near the fire.
Molly
Molly is the stable cat, and she is known to her friends as “Metro Molly.” Elaine Shirley, a supervisor at the stable found her in the junkyard when she was looking for spare car parts. Molly was six months old and living off sandwiches, which the workers at the junkyard were sharing with her.
Elaine was told to take Molly, as she would not have survived in the junkyard. Molly now spends her days sleeping in a bucket of rags or enjoying a little bird hunting. Molly is friendly, but like most cats she hates going the veterinarian.
Shilling
Shilling is a calico cat who is about 13 years old. She “chose” owner Joyce one Christmas when Joyce was dropping off her annual donation of pet food to a shelter. Joyce went to visit all of the animals at the shelter. One cat stood out in particular, due to her meowing. It wasn’t a normal meow but a “notice me” one. At that moment, it was fate—the little calico who was about 1 ½ years old was going home.
Shilling has become the mayoress or official ambassador of Williamsburg and she takes this title very seriously!
Shilling has had many different “hangouts” over the years and tends to change allegiances. She started as Sgt. Whiskers during her time at the Guardhouse at the Magazine. But she suddenly switched her attention to the cooper. Then, she transitioned to the silversmith where they created a handmade silver porringer (small bowl) for her. Most recently she’s been spotted at the print shop and post office. At each location, she makes herself at home. Shilling typically spends about a year in each area before moving onto her next adventure.
Over the years, Shilling has developed a rapport with visitors who have seen her on the street and at the Williamsburg Inn where she visits from time-to-time. She has received packages from some of our guests with generous gifts that include catnip toys, beds, and gold/rhinestone collars.
Shilling is currently semi-retired. She can be spotted soaking up the sun and watching all the action, in between her frequent cat naps.
UPDATE: Sadly, Shilling passed away on March 11, 2015. She will be missed so much by guests, locals, staff, and all who knew and loved her.
Did you miss it? A cat fight erupted today on our social media channels when Eleanor and Sir Thomas took over Twitter and Instagram!
We hope you enjoyed getting to know our fabulous friends. Some guests don’t realize our cats are not strays. We hope now everyone can see they are part of our family and are well cared for and extremely loved!
We’d like to give one more shoutout to Fred Blystone for sharing so many amazing pictures! We’d love to see some of yours! Just upload them below in our comments section.
Vicki Bacon-Thomas says
Your eyes are working well. There is a beautiful kitty at the Henry residence. I will let Joyce introduce her.
It looks like there’s a new cat in town: do my eyes deceive me? I spied a “familiar” face at the Henry residence, The Peter Hay. I’d love the backstory and what is Her name???
Joyce Henry says
LAura check Shillings page soon, Shilling, Queen of DoG Street for the whole story!
I can’t wait!!!!😺
Sue Gumm says
We recently returned from a glorious week in Williamsburg where we encountered Sir Thomas behind the Wythe house. Was so excited to run into him. He seemed to be very content roaming the gardens!
Phyllis Lunsford says
What a wonderful life ~ to be a Williamsburg cat.
Paula Sims says
We missed Shilling on our most recent visit and are glad she’s doing OK. Sadly, we weren’t able to spot ANY of the kittens (they’ll ALWAYS be kittens) this trip so now we HAVE to come back next year (and the next, and the next . . .)
Have you thought of giving all the kitty ambassadors of Colonial Williamsburg their own Facebook page? I’d be a subscriber. Nice to see their comings and goings.
Paula - we approve of any excuse to come back and see us! Eleanor’s page is the one that updates most often. Just search for “Eleanor Anderson, the armoury cat.”
Michael Olszowy says
My wife and I love visiting Williamsburg in the spring and over the last few years have been lucky to make friends with Eleanor and Sir Thomas. They were both friendly and gracious hosts and made our visit even more special.
Michael,
Thank you! Sir Thomas and Eleanor are lucky to have such great friends. They look forward to seeing you on future visits.
Danielle Lehr says
Eleanor naps outside the Brick House Tavern. Summer 2014.
Danielle,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful picture of Eleanor!
Chet & Jeannine Trybus says
Sir Thomas Grey as witnessed by our two grand children (in Colonial attire) on 6-26-2015.
I loved reading this article because I have three cats of my own whom I adore and I would love to meet any one of the beautiful cats featured in your article! I have visited Colonial Williamsburg several times in the past few years and never knew about the Colonial Cats nor did I have ever have the good fortune to encounter them but i’ll definitely be looking for them on my next visit ! Thank youfor such a lovely article and for taking care of those precious cats !
Sharon,
Thank you! The colonial kitties look forward to meeting you in the future!
Every time I visit CW, I make sure to stop by the Anderson kitchen to see Eleanor. I didn’t realize until you posted this that there are three other CW cats. I’ll be there again in November and will definitely be looking around for them all. Thanks for posting this. I loved it.
Betsy,
Thank you! All of the colonial kitties love meeting new friends or seeing old friends! See you in November!
Gloria Lloyd says
You are actually bragging about maintaining semi-feral cats who like to do “a little bird-hunting??” Please, at minimum get these cats outfitted with bells. At best, please educate yourself about the horrific numbers of songbirds killed by cats allowed to spend a lot of time outdoors. And then keep these kitties inside where they and the American songbird population can both be safe.
Gloria, Thank you for your concern for the songbirds. None of our colonial cats are feral. They are all domesticated and are brought indoors at night and in bad weather. They receive regular veterinary care and also do indeed wear collars.
Gloria says
Collars but not bells? Your article itself said one of the cats likes to do “a little bird-hunting.” It’s not cute nor harmless; it’s a predator doing what predators do. Could you at least attempt to give the birds a bit of a chance.
Marie Mercer says
I understand Gloria’s concern and I do recognize that some outdoor cats do catch and kill birds. However, by far the largest destroyer of the songbird population is the bulldozer.
kris Brown says
I also understand the concern for cats wearing bells on their collars. However, I have owned quite a few kitties (or should I say, they have owned ME) and I have witnessed more than one cat learning to softly walk so that the bell on the collar doesn’t ring. Don’t get me wrong! I also love birds, but cats are very, very wise when it comes to hunting…I wish I had a solution, but I don’t..
Shelley says
How awesome!
Shelley,
Thank you!
Trena Meeske says
This is a beautiful tribute to the cats of Williamsburg. Thank you to Fred and everyone else involved
Trena,
Thank you! We enjoyed the opportunity to showcase all of the colonial kitties!
Vicki Bacon-Thomas says
I’ve met all four of these beautiful cats but I never knew their history until now. As a crazy cat lady (I have five), I enjoy and look forward to seeing these beautiful kitties.
Vicki,
The colonial kitties love meeting new friends and seeing old friends! Glad you enjoyed learning about their history!
Marie Mercer says
Thanks so much for this tribute to the cats. They are the heart of Colonial Williamsburg!
Marie,
Thank you! We agree the colonial kitties are certainly the heart of Williamsburg!
Aja & Paisley Schrodinger - the Dinger Sisters - send Happy National Cat Day wishes & kitty kisses to all the Williamsburg Kitties!
Purr On!
Aja & Paisley,
Thank you! The colonial kitties send kitty kisses back to you! They hope you have a purrfect day!