Stubbs (cat)
Honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska (1997–2017) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stubbs (April 12, 1997 – July 21, 2017)[1] was a cat who was the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, from July 18, 1997, until his death in 2017.[2]
Stubbs | |
|---|---|
Stubbs at the West Rib Cafe & Pub in 2006 | |
| Honorary Mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska | |
| In office July 18, 1997 – July 21, 2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 12, 1997 Talkeetna, Alaska, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 2017 (aged 20) Talkeetna, Alaska, U.S. |
Stubbs was described as a tourist attraction,[3] having been flooded with cards and letters, and drawing 30 to 40 tourists each day (most of whom were en route to other Alaska destinations, such as Denali)[4] who hoped to meet "the mayor". His position was honorary, as the town is only a historic district.[5] Every afternoon, Stubbs went to a nearby restaurant and drank water mixed with catnip out of a wine [6][7] or margarita glass.[8]
Stubbs died in 2017 at the age of 20.[9]
Early life
In 1997, Lauri Stec, manager of Nagley's General Store, found Stubbs in a box full of kittens in her parking lot.[10] The owners were giving the kittens away; Stec chose "Stubbs" because he did not have a tail.[6]
Career
Stubbs was widely described as having been elected after a write-in campaign by voters who opposed the human candidates,[11] but NPR pointed out that this could not have happened because "the tiny town has no real mayor, so there was no election."[12] Nagley's General Store was used as Stubbs's "mayoral office" during his tenure.[6]
Stubbs was featured in an effort to protest the 2014 United States Senate election in Alaska when people urged voters to write Stubbs in on the ballot.[13] Stubbs was featured in a video criticizing both the Democratic and Republican candidates for Senate.[13] One opinion writer for the Alaska Dispatch News insisted that the whole story was false, and that Talkeetna did not have a cat mayor.[14]
Later life
In 2015, Stubbs was growing older and thus slowed down his public presence.[15] He died on July 21, 2017. His owners said that "He was a trooper until the end of his life."[15]
Stubbs's owners have suggested that another family cat, Denali, may assume Talkeetna's "mayoralty".[16]
Injuries
On August 31, 2013, Stubbs was attacked by a dog.[10][17] He was placed under heavy sedation at a veterinary hospital 70 miles (110 km) away in Wasilla, having suffered a punctured lung, a fractured sternum, and a deep cut in his side.[10][18] A crowd-funding page was set up to help pay his veterinary bills.[19] Stubbs remained in the veterinary hospital for nine days before returning to the upstairs room of the general store.[20] As a result, he was discouraged from roaming. Donations toward his care were received from around the world; the surplus was given to an animal shelter and to the local veterinary clinic.[7]
Other incidents included Stubbs being shot by teenagers with BB guns, falling into a restaurant's deep fryer (which was switched off and cool at the time), and hitching a ride to the outskirts of Talkeetna on a garbage truck.[20]
See also
References
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