# There will always be a ginger cat at Churchill's country home, Chartwell **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 27, 2024, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850 "2024-11-27T15:55:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/21 "2024-11-28T00:27:21Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > My hope is to outlive any of the oldies I adopt. If I predecease them they’ll go back to the excellent shelter I adopted them from, since I have no relatives that c/would adopt them. It definitely heralds a new stage of life when you have to consider, as you get older, whether a pet might outlive you. My youngest cat is 5 years old; I’m 66 and in excellent health, so I’m reasonably sure I’ll outlive him. I won’t be adopting any more kittens, ever. If any new cats come into my household, they’ll be oldies that I can reasonably expect to outlive. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/22 "2024-11-28T00:52:01Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > If any new cats come into my household, they’ll be oldies that I can reasonably expect to outlive. I have met a couple of cats over 20, and I know one that was over 30. Just saying, for your calculations (and one of those cats did need a special diet for kidney problems— apparently 1/3 of elderly cats have such issues). ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/23 "2024-11-28T01:19:13Z")
You’re right, of course. But I am playing the odds. Most cats are lucky to make it to 18 or 19; we’ll just have to see what happens with mine! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/24 "2024-11-28T16:49:09Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > What else? Greyfriars Bobby > **[Greyfriars Bobby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby)** > > Greyfriars Bobby (4 May 1855 – 14 January 1872) was a Skye Terrier or Dandie Dinmont Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died on 14 January 1872. The story continues to be well known in Scotland, through several books and films. A prominent commemorative statue and nearby graves are a tourist attraction. > The best-known version of the story is that Bobby belonged to John Gray, who worked for the Edinburgh City Police... Gelert > **[The Legend of Gelert the Dog](https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/The-legend-of-brave-Gelert/)** > > One of the best known, and loved, folk-tales in Wales is the story of this most faithful of hounds... ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/25 "2024-11-28T17:36:02Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Jock VII has got to meet [Uga XI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uga_(mascot)). (Hmm, up to 11 and the first started work in 1956. Vs 7 cats since 1963. About 2 years longer on average for the cats. Bulldog health issues? Don’t have to run around the hedges at the stadium?) I’m surprised that Hennes, the billy goat and mascot of 1. FC Köln (Cologne), holds up with the cats and dogs in life expectancy, with only 9 Hennes since 1950. > **[Cologne’s goat Hennes: the Bundesliga’s first living mascot](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/hennes-goat-cologne-living-mascot-25002)** > > Hennes the goat is a German football institution. A part of the Cologne family since 1950, featuring on the club crest and giving the Billy Goats their nickname, he was the first living mascot in the Bundesliga and currently one of only two alongside... ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/26 "2024-11-28T18:35:46Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > It definitely heralds a new stage of life when you have to consider, as you get older, whether a pet might outlive you. > > My youngest cat is 5 years old; I’m 66 and in excellent health, so I’m reasonably sure I’ll outlive him. I won’t be adopting any more kittens, ever. If any new cats come into my household, they’ll be oldies that I can reasonably expect to outlive. I currently, for the first time in nearly 50 years, have only a single feline overlord. He is 16, and I have raised him from kittenhood along with his brother, who died of diabetes-related kidney failure two years ago. I have been thinking of getting another cat to be a companion to him. As much as I would love to once again experience the joy of having a kitten, I realize that at 72 it is almost certain that a kitten would outlive me. I have looked into adopting from the local animal service and found that as a senior myself I can adopt a cat over 8 years old for free. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/27 "2024-11-28T18:52:39Z")
We have two, aged 15 and 18. Both on kidney diets but seem quite healthy, fingers crossed. But yes, at 76 myself, I’d worry about outliving a younger cat, and I would hate to think they would not be cared for if I’m gone. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/28 "2024-11-28T19:40:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The patient asked my wife if she will take Fluffy in when she (the patient) dies. Wifey, RN said yes. That is wonderful. > [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > My hope is to outlive any of the oldies I adopt. That is why I have told my wife “no more kittens”. > [@CairoCarol](#): > > It definitely heralds a new stage of life when you have to consider, as you get older, whether a pet might outlive you. Yep. > [@LurkMeister](#): > > I realize that at 72 it is almost certain that a kitten would outlive me. I have looked into adopting from the local animal service and found that as a senior myself I can adopt a cat over 8 years old for free. That is great. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/29 "2024-11-28T20:23:15Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I have looked into adopting from the local animal service and found that as a senior myself I can adopt a cat over 8 years old for free. I don’t know if the shelter I usually go to (Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society) would offer a human senior discount, but they do have a sliding scale for ages: $350 for a baby/kitten; $175 for an adult (over one year old, I believe), and $50 for a senior. They also offer partial support for medically needy cats. I could have taken that for some of my recent adoptees but I’d need to take the cat to a different vet than the office I usually use, so I chose to eat the extra expense. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/30 "2024-11-28T21:02:33Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I won’t be adopting any more kittens, ever. If any new cats come into my household, they’ll be oldies that I can reasonably expect to outlive. Yeah, that’s what I thought a few years ago. And then, in 2020, an adolescent tomcat showed up meowing at the door. And, in 2022, another one. So far nobody in 2024; which is just as well, as I’m at my at-least-theoretical four. I might outlive the current youngest cat; I might not. Provisions have been made, but they might run into their own complications. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/31 "2024-11-28T22:41:02Z")
I met one of the [Matildas](https://www.algonquinhotel.com/the-algonquin-cat/) at the Algonquin Hotel some years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/32 "2024-11-28T23:17:46Z")
Another celebrated pet, loyal unto death: [Hachikō - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/33 "2024-11-30T22:31:24Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > [The Legend of Gelert the Dog](https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/The-legend-of-brave-Gelert/) That story never fails to make me tear up a bit. Poor doggo. Even if the story is completely fabricated. > [@LurkMeister](#): > > I have looked into adopting from the local animal service and found that as a senior myself I can adopt a cat over 8 years old for free. Our last three dogs were seniors. Adopt seniors! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2024, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/34 "2024-11-30T23:05:05Z")
My current dog was five when I got him. His owner left him behind when he moved. So not really old, but given the dogs don’t live all that long I figure he will have maybe 2/3 of his life with me. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/35 "2024-11-30T23:11:52Z")
Every time I read the title of this thread I think: There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/36 "2024-12-01T00:06:02Z")
And today is Churchill’s 150th - [happy birthday, Sir Winston!](https://winstonchurchill.org/churchill-2024-events/) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2024, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/37 "2024-12-01T00:52:29Z")
“I saw something nasty in the woodshed.” ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2024, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/38 "2024-12-01T07:43:45Z")
Let’s not forget the faith(?)ful Foxie: > **[Charles Gough, The Faithful Dog, and the Helvellyn Monument](https://scafellhike.blogspot.com/2019/09/charles-gough-faithful-dog-and.html)** > > On Saturday 18th April 1805, Charles Gough, a painter from (Kendal/Manchester) was holidaying in the Lake District, reported to be wit... ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850/39 "2024-12-04T04:15:25Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Yeah, that’s what I thought a few years ago. > > And then, in 2020, an adolescent tomcat showed up meowing at the door. And, in 2022, another one. Shhh! Stop enabling me to adopt more cats of any age. (It could easily happen, y’know?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-will-always-be-a-ginger-cat-at-churchills-country-home-chartwell/1010850.md?page=1)