The town of Talkeetna is a nondescript backwater nestled amongst the many rivers and lakes of Alaska, there was not much that attracted visitors to this tiny town, aside from Stubbs the cat.
The story of Stubbs’ stupendous rise to power begins on a cold evening in 1997, when supermarket manager, Lauri Stec, found Stubbs amongst a box of kittens that had been seemingly abandoned outside of her workplace, she was instantly drawn to Stubbs on account of his missing tail. Shortly after his rescue the residents of Talkeetna expressed disdain towards the human candidates of the upcoming mayoral election, and came together to collectively nominate Stubbs as a write-in candidate. Surprisingly Stubbs won, and following the establishment of an unofficial mayor’s office in the supermarket, went on to spend 20 years running the town.
These years were far from colourless and although Stubbs often enjoyed the finer things in life, such as daily visits to a local restaurant to drink catnip laced water from a wine glass, he also had more than his fair share of upset. One evening whilst enjoying his nightly stroll through town, Stubbs was attacked by a large unleashed dog and received severe injuries, including a punctured lung and a fractured sternum. That wasn’t going to stop Stubbs though, he made a speedy recovery and was soon back in his makeshift mayor’s office ensuring the well-being of the town.
His unusual role meant that Stubbs was a major tourist attraction and drew visitors each and every day all of which were hoping to ‘see the mayor’, he also found himself the recipient of countless pieces of fan mail despite the very obvious fact that cats cannot read! Sadly on the 21st July, 2017, after a joyous 20 year tenure as mayor of Talkeetna, Stubbs passed peacefully in his sleep at home with his owners. That might not be the end of feline rule in the town of Talkeetna however, as Stubbs’ owners have since quipped that another of their kittens, Denali, shares a temperament identical to that of Stubbs’, and might just be ready to take up his mayoral mantle.
About the Author:
“Intellect, visionary, maverick – When he’s not mingling with the upper echelons of Mensa’s finest brains Jordan Cattell can be found sat outside stroking cats.”
Have no fear. With nine lives, Stubbs will certainly return and would have my vote! I mean what’s not to love and I am sure Denali will do a splendid job until then…
What a great story! Love Stubbs and his journey!
Wonderful story about Mayor Stubbs! May Denali carry on his legacy!
Great story! Cheers,H
If all of our politicians were cats, we’d get a lot more done.
Loved this post. -)
Since thete are 20 candidates in the race for mayor in Seattle this year I’m sure we could find a cat who could do the job better than any humans. Too bad the primary was two weeks ago.
IMHO, other towns and municipalities would be wise to follow Talkeetna’s lead. Mayor Stubbs has been a favorite of mine for quite some time and I do hope the citizens are wise enough to give Denali a chance.
We need cats in the house and senate. We have too many clowns running the country. Cats aren’t stupid like humans. I’ll vote for a cat in the next presidential election.
Backwater? Piffle!!! But, then, I live on the Kenai Peninsula. :o)
What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it here.
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