It’s been 112 years since the largest passenger ship of its day, RMS Titanic, took her doomed maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. We’re all familiar with the tale. But today, we’re here to talk about one very special passenger: Jenny, the Titanic Cat. Yes, friends, there were cats aboard the Titanic!
It’s widely known that many dogs were on board Titanic. So many, in fact, that passengers were reported to have planned to hold a dog show on the ship on April 15th. Of course, fate had other plans…The “unsinkable” ship sank in the early morning hours of April 15th after striking an iceberg, with over 1,500 passengers still onboard.
Did the Titanic have any cats on board?
Ships have kept cats on board dating back to ancient times. Mostly for their ability to catch mice and rats, but also to provide companionship and camaraderie for sailors away from home for long periods of time.
And yes, Titanic had a ship cat named Jenny.
Jenny wasn’t just any cat though—she had an important job! She kept the ship’s population of rats and mice in check, making sure they didn’t cause any trouble.
Now, here’s the interesting part: Jenny wasn’t originally from Titanic. Nope, she came from the ship’s sister, the Olympic. She had a litter of kittens shortly before the Titanic set sail from Southampton! Talk about timing, huh?
Jenny’s usual hangout was in the galley, where the kitchen staff gave her and her little ones kitchen scraps to munch on. Jenny had a special friend named Jim, the scullion. He always looked out for her and her kittens, giving them lots of love and attention.
So what was the fate of Jenny and her kittens? As it turns out, on April 10, 1912, at Southampton, England, as the first passengers were boarding for the ill-fated maiden voyage, Jenny was observed carrying her kittens one by one off the ship.
Rumor has it that Jim, Jenny’s buddy and unofficial caretaker, noticed her leaving the ship with her kittens and saw it as an omen. He is said to have also packed up his things and left the ship after seeing her!
Of course, this may be a tall tale, but we’d love to believe that a cat named Jenny saved all of her kittens and her human caretaker from the most infamous sinking ship in history.
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